Serious Moonlight | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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Where to Watch Serious Moonlight What to Know Critics Reviews Audience Reviews My Rating Cast & Crew More Like This Related Movie News Photos Serious Moonlight References

23%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

25%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Louise (Meg Ryan), a successful lawyer, wants to jump-start her failing marriage to Ian (Timothy Hutton). She decides to surprise him at their country cottage, but quickly discovers she's the one who's surprised: Ian has decorated the cottage for a romantic weekend with his girlfriend, Sara (Kristen Bell). When Ian proposes getting a divorce, Louise rejects the idea and ties him up so they can talk things out. Things get out of hand when Sara shows up and a burglar (Justin Long) breaks in.

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Serious Moonlight

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Critics Consensus

Serious Moonlight jumbles a comic tone with tragic circumstances and the result is confused performances from its stars.

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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

The movie seriously goes on too long, with the last five minutes designed to be a twist in the story but really just left me scratching my head.

Rated: D

Sep 12, 2017

Full Review

Perri Nemiroff

CinemaBlend

Ryan tries too hard to reestablish her professional reputation and turns it into a meaningless, annoying film destined for oblivion, right alongside her other recent efforts.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 12, 2010

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Sadly, something seems to have gotten lost in translation.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 11, 2009

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

While I enjoy Ryan’s commitment to the gonzo premise, I can’t help but think how much better Shelly would have handled the dark satire of it all. Still, it’s an intriguing film and I think worth a watch.

Feb 13, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Serious Moonlight is a smart and mature farce that considers the potential for healing and reconciliation in a long-standing but troubled relationship.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 30, 2023

Full Review

Nikki Baughan

Roll Credits

Part slapstick comedy and part revenge thriller, Serious Moonlight doesn't know what it wants to be; even the talents of those assembled on screen aren't enough to life this out of bargain bin territory.

Rated: 1/5

Oct 25, 2019

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Hilife Health Care r What were they thinking when the screen play was written for this movie? Ryan and Hutton have very little to work with and the movie falls flat. Friend forget this one. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/07/24 Full Review Kensi B A unique concept that was undone by serious miscasting. Imagine what Alec Baldwin or Michael Douglas and Glenn Close or Jennifer Jason Leigh could have done with these roles. Not for a second can you buy that Meg Ryan, with her trout pout and kewpie doll expressions, would kidnap her own husband, and Tim Hutton is just completely forgettable. Kristen Bell does a decent job with a thankless role. Even the baddies are so terribly miscast. Who could ever be scared of Justin Long? The movie is filmed like a play so it's incredibly slow. The extra star is for the interesting concept. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/29/23 Full Review KJ L Very clever plot…. Be patient; wait for it. Fantastic as a play or a movie, it is off-the-wall-riveting. Loved the acting! Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/25/23 Full Review Audience Member The 4 leads had me interested but good lord this isn't the darkly funny and witty sort of love-spat indie frenzy I was hoping for. Trite and unremarkable to say the least. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Don't ever, ever, EVER watch this movie. Your IQ will drop and you will never be able to get the time back that was stolen from you while watching this horribly produced film. Everyone involved should be banished from Hollywood Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member First off Meg looks fantastic in the movie. But there is absolutely NO chemistry between her and Timothy Hutton, so not at all easy to watch. She is a good actress but this movie just wasn't right for her. I couldn't finish watching. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Serious Moonlight

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Cast & Crew

Cheryl Hines Director Meg Ryan Louise Timothy Hutton Ian Kristen Bell Sara Justin Long Todd Derek Carter Man 1

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Synopsis Louise (Meg Ryan), a successful lawyer, wants to jump-start her failing marriage to Ian (Timothy Hutton). She decides to surprise him at their country cottage, but quickly discovers she's the one who's surprised: Ian has decorated the cottage for a romantic weekend with his girlfriend, Sara (Kristen Bell). When Ian proposes getting a divorce, Louise rejects the idea and ties him up so they can talk things out. Things get out of hand when Sara shows up and a burglar (Justin Long) breaks in.

Director: Cheryl Hines
Producer: Andy Ostroy, Michael Roiff
Screenwriter: Adrienne Shelly
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Night & Day Pictures
Rating: R (Threatening Behavior|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 4, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 15, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.1K
Runtime: 1h 24m