'Serious Moonlight': movie review

The romantic comedy 'Serious Moonlight,' starring Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton, devolves into a one-room drama with a lot of yelling.

What may have started out as a comedy devolves into quasi-Stephen King territory in "Serious Moonlight," a movie about a spurned wife (Meg Ryan) who holds her philandering husband (Timothy Hutton) hostage by duct taping him to the toilet until he comes to his senses. There's also a home break-in (Justin Long plays the drunken ringleader) and an appearance by the hubbie's girlfriend (Kristen Bell). Just about everyone ends up bound up. The action is pretty much limited to the couple's homestead, mostly inside the bathroom. Maybe it would have worked better as a play. Cheryl Hines directed from a script by the late Adrienne Shelly, who wrote and acted in the lovely "Waitress." Grade: C (Rated R for language and some threatening behavior.)