This movie looks awful. It may be the least-promising-looking movie I've seen in years. It's misogynist on multiple levels, implying both that Timothy Hutton falls out of love with Meg Ryan because she's more accomplished than he is (and presenting that as an essentially valid way to feel totally unencumbered by expectations about gender roles), and sending Meg Ryan (who looks strained, unhappy, and utterly void of her earlier comic timing, perhaps because she's aware she's acting in a piece of trash) crazy-go-nuts in an attempt to keep him. But I don't care that much about Meg Ryan, who has made a whole passel of good movies, and can be sure that even if she quits to spend more time with her kid, her legacy is secure, or about Hutton, whose gig on TNT's leverage seem guaranteed to keep him in silly hats for life.
The person I am concerned about is Kristen Bell, who for the second time in recent memory is playing someone who was involved in long-term cheating. This time, she's the other woman. But unlike in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which, even thought it was cruel to her (giving her herpes and getting her fired), gave her perspective fair airing, Serious Moonlight presents her as a dumb slut. Sarah Marshall's unexpected strength was a scene where she explained to Jason Segal how depressing it had been to be his girlfriend, how his lack of motivation weighed upon her, and how much work she'd done to try to keep the relationship alive. It was probably the best rebuke to the framework of glorified man-boyness Judd Apatow has made so immensely profitable, even if it was buried, and Bell's character was shamed. The ways she humiliated herself felt real, even if her punishment seemed (to me at least) out of proportion. It was a step in the right direction, and a strong, sad, funny performance.
This just looks dreadful. As does her brittle turn in the inexplicable Couples Retreat, where she plays half of a couple that explains their marital problems by PowerPoint (and which I will not dignify with links of any kind). That may in part be the nature of the roles available to her. Moviegoing audiences appreciate a range in types of teenage girls: you can't have a perky cheerleader without the cranky, artistic girl who challenges her. But we seem to like our adult women awfully homogenized. It could be that Bell just hasn't found a role as rich as Veronica Mars, or even Sarah Marshall, was. It could be bad choices. But whatever it is, I hope Bell taps in to some of her rich talents soon. This stuff just makes me depressed.