Editing Meg Ryan (section)

=== 2007–2009: Independent films ===
Following a three-year hiatus, Ryan returned to film with [[Jon Kasdan]]'s 2007 independent film ''[[In the Land of Women]]''. Starring alongside [[Kristen Stewart]] and [[Olympia Dukakis]], she played Sarah Hardwicke, a mother and wife facing breast cancer, who connects with her neighbor's much younger grandson, played by [[Adam Brody]]. Released to mixed reviews by critics,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/inthelandofwomen |title=''In the Land of Women'' (2007): Reviews |access-date=September 12, 2007 |publisher=[[CBS]] |work=[[Metacritic]] |archive-date=January 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130011754/http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/inthelandofwomen |url-status=dead }}</ref> the film grossed $17.5&nbsp;million worldwide,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3915089409/ |title=''In the Land of Women'' |publisher=IMDB |work=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> exceeding its budget of $10&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://behindthescenestv.net/interview/interview-writer-director-jonathan-kasdan-arrives-with-in-the-land-of-women |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409110043/http://behindthescenestv.net/interview/interview-writer-director-jonathan-kasdan-arrives-with-in-the-land-of-women |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 9, 2018 |title=INTERVIEW: Writer-Director Jonathan Kasdan arrives with ''In the Land of Women'' |work=BehindScenesTV |publisher=BehindScenesTV.com |access-date=September 4, 2010 }}</ref> Ryan received a positive response for her performance, with [[Kenneth Turan]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' noting it "the best work [she] has done in forever".<ref>{{Cite web |first=Kenneth |last=Turan |url=http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-et-land20apr20,0,2972335.story |title=''In the Land of Women'' Review |work=Los Angeles Times |date=April 20, 2007 |access-date=September 4, 2010}}</ref>

Ryan's first film release of 2008 was ''[[The Deal (2008 film)|The Deal]]'', a [[satirical]] [[comedy film]] based on [[Peter Lefcourt]]'s 1991 novel of the same title about Hollywood. Directed by [[Steven Schachter]] and co-starring [[William H. Macy]], the film was shot in [[Cape Town]] and other South African locations and celebrated its world premiere at the [[2008 Sundance Film Festival]]. Garnering generally mixed to negative reviews, it failed to draw interest among film studios, resulting in a [[straight-to-DVD]] release in January 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Perez |last=Hilton |url=http://perezhilton.com/2009-01-27-whatever-happened-to-meg-ryans-career |title=Whatever Happened To Meg Ryan's Career??? |publisher=PerezHilton.com |date=September 4, 2010 |access-date=October 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029211954/http://perezhilton.com/2009-01-27-whatever-happened-to-meg-ryans-career |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In his review for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', Peter Debruge said, "The characters seem to be doing all the laughing, while the general public has nothing to cling to but the horndog flirtation between mismatched leads William H. Macy and Meg Ryan—hardly ideal ingredients for mainstream success."<ref>{{Cite web |first=Peter |last=Debruge |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/the-deal-6-1200548741/ |title=The Deal |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=January 24, 2008 |access-date=April 6, 2022 }}</ref> Ryan also starred in [[George Gallo]]'s ''[[My Mom's New Boyfriend]]'', shot in 2006 but released direct-to-DVD in 2008.<ref name="reel" /> Co-starring [[Colin Hanks]], [[Selma Blair]] and [[Antonio Banderas]], the action comedy received overwhelmingly negative reviews, with David Nusair of ''Reel Film'' noting it "an unmitigated disaster virtually from its opening frames".<ref name="reel">{{Cite web |first=David |last=Nusair |url=http://www.reelfilm.com/sonycom2.htm#mymoms |title=Four Comedies from Sony Pictures |publisher=ReelFilm.com |access-date=January 24, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:Meg Ryan Cannes 2010.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Ryan at the [[2010 Cannes Film Festival]]]]
Ryan's last film of 2008 was ''[[The Women (2008 film)|The Women]]'', a remake of the [[The Women (1939 film)|1939 production]]. The all-female cast comprises [[Annette Bening]], [[Debra Messing]], and [[Jada Pinkett Smith]].<ref name="ew">{{Cite magazine |first=Missy |last=Schwartz |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2007/06/08/leading-ladies-women |title=Leading ladies of ''The Women'' |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=June 8, 2007 |access-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406192814/https://ew.com/article/2007/06/08/leading-ladies-women/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Written, produced and directed by [[Diane English]], the film centers on a group of four female [[Manhattan]] socialites whose primary interest is idle [[gossip]], with Ryan portraying a wealthy woman whose husband is cheating on her with a shop girl, played by [[Eva Mendes]]. Ryan was the first actress to join the long-delayed production, which had struggled to find financing since the early 1990s, resulting in an independent production budgeted at $18&nbsp;million.<ref name="ew" /> Upon its release, ''The Women'' received a disastrous response from critics, with [[Richard Schickel]] of ''Time'' calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Schickel |first=Richard |url=http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1840522,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912043327/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1840522,00.html |archive-date=September 12, 2008 |title=''The Women'': Sex Crime |magazine=Time |date=September 11, 2008 |access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> The film was a financial success, however, becoming Ryan's most successful film since 2001's ''Kate & Leopold'' with a worldwide gross of $50&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Women-The-(2008)|title=''The Women'' (2008) |publisher=The Numbers |access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref>

In 2009, Ryan starred alongside [[Kristen Bell]] and [[Justin Long]] in the independent comedy film ''[[Serious Moonlight (2009 film)|Serious Moonlight]]''. In this film, directed by actress [[Cheryl Hines]] and based on a screenplay by late writer [[Adrienne Shelly]], who was murdered a year prior to filming, Ryan portrayed a high-powered female attorney who learns that her husband, played by [[Timothy Hutton]], is about to leave their troubled marriage, and decides to hold him captive by duct-taping him to a toilet.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Christopher |last=Campbell |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/2434602/up-in-the-air-serious-moonlight-and-loot-in-this-weeks-unlimited/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101161632/http://www.mtv.com/news/2434602/up-in-the-air-serious-moonlight-and-loot-in-this-weeks-unlimited/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 1, 2017 |title=''Up In The Air'', ''Serious Moonlight'' and ''Loot'' In This Week's unLimited |work=[[MTV News]] |date=January 12, 2009 |access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> Picked up by [[Magnolia Pictures]], the production received a limited release throughout North America only and grossed less than $150,000 worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Serious-Moonlight#tab=summary |title=''Serious Moonlight'' (2009) |publisher=The Numbers|access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> Critical reaction to the film was generally mixed-to-negative,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/serious_moonlight/?name_order=asc |title=''Serious Moonlight'' Reviews |publisher=[[Flixster]] | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=September 7, 2010}}</ref> although Ryan was praised for her "terrific" performance.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Doris |last=Toumarkine |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/moonlight-film-review-93115/ |title=''Serious Moonlight'' – Film Review |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=May 5, 2009 |access-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091205134533/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/serious-moonlight-film-review-1003969546.story |archive-date=December 5, 2009}}</ref> Also in 2009, Ryan guest-starred on the seventh season of ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]''.