Moonlight Serenade (2009)

Waste of time

Very disappointing...

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

A Masterpiece!

Interesting as a modern day musical – which scores by Benny Goodman et al. Amy and Alec have good chemistry and their voices harmonize well. Characters walk down the street singing which is something one doesn't often see.. While the acting and character portrayal is solid, the script, editing and directing lack polish. It feels decidedly amateurish and I cringe for Amy and Alec. Surprisingly good performance by little known Harriet Harris. This was definitely a low budget production as even the sets seem cheesy. I would opt to see Mrs.. Pettigrew instead – Amy plays a similar character and the film is well produced.

This seems to have gone straight to video and I'm surprised it got made at all in this day and age. The writer director has nothing else on his CV and according to the DVD this was made seven years ago albeit only released in 2009. The idea of several standards in one film appealed strongly to me but I was disappointed by the weird phrasing which occurred at least once in every number with both principals being at fault. They also have trouble getting through an entire number and one of the most truncated is the very first, Irving Berlin's 'They Say That Falling In Love Is Wonderful', one of the ballads from 'Annie Get Your Gun'. The male lead sings the first stanza (the song is in A,A,B,A) skips the second 'A' section and the Release and segues straight into the last 'A' section. Maybe it was a budget problem but given that he was in his own apartment and it was just voice and piano and especially given that the lyric points up what is to follow - he is going to meet and fall for Amy Adams - you'd think they would have stretched to thirty-two bars. 'You Go To My Head' is also truncated; this is performed as a duet and they miss the first 'A' section completely and begin with the second. Amy Adams does get to sing 'In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning' all through but veers badly from the melody. On the plus side we get a great soundtrack, performers who are clean, well- dressed and free from tattoos or body piercings; there are no drugs, no swearing, no sex; on the minus side the great songs are thrown away.

Amy Adams' exceptional singing voice is just about the only thing that Moonlight Serenade has to sell. I would never expect greatness from a 90 minute, indie flick that did not get commercial release, but this one left me disappointed. Amy Adams is not exactly a cheap b-movie star. If I had managed to cast her, I would make sure I gave her a script that was worth her time. I would not be so lazy as to resort to a recycled formula, which this is. The story is also sappy, superficial and it feels over rushed. Even the music numbers are too short. If Enchanted was too sappy for you, I hate to say it, but you won't get any luckier here.This is a small scale romance between two musicians who lead different lives. The two are not so much victims of circumstance but rather of coincidence (and not the good kind). The story doesn't even attempt to go into depth with them, preferring to offer a couple of lame time-lapse montage from which we are meant to assume that they are making progress in their relationship. But as a lawyer will tell ya, nothing is true without the facts, and we cannot believe it till we see it. There are also a few show stopping numbers, which take place outside the context of the story. Seeing as this is not a musical nor a fairy tale, it feels equally lame (As if people break out into song in real life).All that Moonlight Serenade has to offer are a few segments of Jazz tunes (and maybe one complete tune), scattered throughout a feeble love story, which has been done before (and I have a feeling it will be done again for years to come)

As a fan of old movies (primarily 1930's through 1950's), and especially musicals, I can recommend this movie. The music is wonderful, and includes standards by Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Warren and Gordon, and Sammy Fain to name a few. (Hopefully the Soundtrack Listing will be updated soon.) These songs are well executed in a jazzy style, and apparently sung by the actors Amy Adams and Alec Newman. I'm particularly impressed by Amy Adams' voice and style.The plot is no worse than any other musical, and I welcomed the "happy" ending, also no worse than a standard Hollywood musical contrivance. (I guess characterizing the ending as "happy" could be construed as a "spoiler.") I'm glad to see a modern movie that lacks nudity and action (don't remember any foul language either), but embraces music, especially old standards arranged with a modern flair. My rating of 6/10 is based primarily on the music; the production was not luxurious, nor was the plot enthralling. To give you a comparison, I'd rate 'De-Lovely' (2004) as 7 or 7.5 (because of it's EXCELLENT use of Cole Porter's songs), and 'Night and Day' (1946) as a 6 because of its tepid and slow storyline.