One Clooney In, One Clooney Out: AFF's Opening & Closing Night Features

Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton, plus duct tape and a toilet

There are very few certainties in life, the old saying goes, which is just as true for film festivals as it is for anything else. Just last Friday we were gushing about how excited we were that The Men Who Stare at Goats was one of the Marquee Screenings for the 2009 Austin Film Festival, and not 72 hours later we found out that it had been pulled from the line-up. However, we lucked into a secret screening of the film at Fantastic Fest over the weekend—which was actually the leading factor in the film being nixed from the AFF schedule—and we can pretty confidently tell you that you shouldn't be heartbroken over this development (the film is a big ole' mess), especially considering that you can still get your George Clooney fix with the official closing night film, Up In the Air.

Exciting, right? It's like those Leave a Penny/Take a Penny trays in gas stations; it all eventually balances out, it's just this time the universe chose to perform the not-often-seen synchronized Clooney shuffle.

Before we Clooneyooze over you anymore, we should discuss the matter of the opening night film, Serious Moonlight, since it's, you know, the opener, but that's not the only reason why this film is noteworthy. It happens to be the final screenplay of Adrienne Shelly, who wrote, directed and co-starred in one of our all-time favorites, Waitress, with Cheryl Hines and Keri Russell (and the glorious Nathan Fillion). Waitress had not yet been released in theaters when Shelly was murdered by a burglar in her Greenwich Village home. In honor of her, Shelly's husband Andrew Ostroy decided to produce her last script and put Hines at the helm, with Serious Moonlight being her directorial debut.

We're not sure if the title is a nod to David Bowie or not, but what we do know is that it stars Meg Ryan as Louise and Timothy Hutton as Ian, a husband and wife who are having typical marital issues: she focuses a little too much on her job, he focuses a little too much on his mistress, played by Kristen Bell. Things get a little hairy when Louise snaps and duct tapes Ian to the toilet after finding out about said mistress. Said mistress shows up at the house along with an "opportunistic gardener" (Justin Long). We'll have to see how this one plays out, but if Waitress is any indication of Shelly's writing style, then this will certainly be dark and hilarious. Hines will be in attendance for the screening, so more hilarity will probably ensue during the Q&A.

George Clooney is Up in the Air

Now, back to Clooney. Up in the Air is getting quite a bit of hype from its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival and it certainly has our attention. Ryan Bingham (Clooney) is a serious business traveler, you know, the kind with admiral's club memberships and fancy luggage fobs. He travels all over the world, helping companies get rid of inefficient resources in their corporation, namely human resources. He is *this* close to 10 million frequent flyer miles when his life is suddenly hit by a mighty patch of turbulence (har har). He meets a lovely fellow traveler (Vera Farmiga), but then finds out that he may be permanently grounded due to some downsizing at his own corporation. Can a man that calls the friendly skies home find his bearings back down here on earth?

Up in the Air was directed and co-written by Jason Reitman, whose last feature film, Juno, was the centerpiece film at AFF 2007. Reitman will be in attendance and say what you will about his past work (we personally loved Juno, even if the dialogue is ridiculous. And Thank You for Smoking was wonderful), we think he is a brilliant director and will only get better with time.

Get you AFF09 film badges, passes and what not here.

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By oh, steph in Arts & Entertainment on September 28, 2009 5:45 PM 0 Comments

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NickGioBarbieri

Adrienne Shelly's final screenplay. Directed by Cheryl Hines (in attendance). Co-starring Kristen Bell.

Just reiterating a few AHHH-CAN'T-WAIT points. I share your love for Waitress and Shelly's writing style.