The Night Listener Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)August 1st, 2006
THE NIGHT LISTENER
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2006 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
In a movie age in which Hollywood makes us suffer through one excessively long and bloated production after another, figuring that we must equate length with quality, THE NIGHT LISTENER comes as a very pleasant surprise. Running just 81 minutes, it delivers its fascinating little tale with the succinctness and emotional power of a short story. Moreover, director Patrick Stettner takes a strong cast and lets them really show what they can do, creating a mesmerizing mystery that will have you intrigued from start to finish.
Although the movie opens with a claim that it was "Inspired by a true story," I almost wish it hadn't, simply because the tale is strong and genuine enough to stand on its own without the prop of a true story claim. (A recent episode of "20/20" gave the chilling background of the true story, which is indeed very much like this filmed version.) Robin Williams, a gifted actor who frequently doesn't have material worthy of him, is quietly brilliant as Gabriel Noone, a radio story teller who lives in Manhattan. Billed as "Noone at Night," Gabriel is a sad and lonely guy who is on the radio in nationwide syndication at the eleven-to-midnight hour. A gay guy whose partner, Jess (Bobby Cannavale), has left him, Gabriel's best friend has become Anna (Sandra Oh), his accountant, who makes frequent house calls.
The big mystery starts when Ashe (Joe Morton), a book publisher friend of Gabriel's, passes along the manuscript of a book about to be published. The horrifying book tells the true story of a boy who was abused in a basement by his parents and their pedophile friends for pictures which were shown on the internet. The adults, except for his mother who skipped out on her bail, have all now been sent to prison. Pete (Rory Culkin), the abused boy, is the author of the book. Now fourteen-years-old and living with Donna (Toni Collette), his adopted foster mother, Pete is dying of AIDS. Ashe suggests that Gabriel talk to them, which he does. Since they live in a small town in Wisconsin, Gabriel's constant conversations with his newfound friends all occur over the phone.
Everything is pretty straightforward in the story until Gabriel introduces Jess to Pete and Donna over the speakerphone. Jess tells Gabriel that "their" story sounds fishy and, moreover, he thinks that "they" are actually the same person since their voices are similar.
After some remote investigations and several false starts, Gabriel eventually makes his way to Wisconsin to see Pete and Donna in the flesh. An already mystifying movie gets even better at this point. Always good at creating a real and believable sense of place, the film is especially keen in its observation of small town Wisconsin, especially the local diner.
The movie is a real treat. My only minor disappointment came in the ending. In some ways it was quite satisfying, but, in other ways, it tried too hard, as it felt compelled to wrap up a few too many loose ends. A completely ambiguous conclusion would have been preferable and more in the spirit of the rest of the production.
THE NIGHT LISTENER runs 1:21. It is rated R for "language and some disquieting sexual content" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, August 4, 2006. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
