THE NIGHT LISTENER

DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS:  81 minutes, deleted scene, featurette

VIDEO:  1.85:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)

AUDIO:  English 5.1 Dolby Digital

Subtitles:  English SDH, French, Spanish

STUDIO:  Miramaz/ IFC Productions/ Hart Sharp Entertainment/ Fortissimo Films

RELEASE DATE:  1-9-2006

THE NIGHT LISTENER is a thriller that sucks you right through the ending.  The film is based on the novel by Armistead Maupin who used his real life experiences for the novel.  It inspired him to write about a gay writer/ radio talk show host Gabriel Noone (Robin Williams) who investigates whther a 14 year old boy Pete (Rory Culkin) exists or not.  Is it all a deranged act put up by the blind adoptive mother (Toni Collette)?  What challenges will Noone face when everyone wants to belive in the boy and the stuff he went through supposedly?  So truth is stranger than fiction inthe case of THE NIGHT LISTENER because I have said it is inspired by true events?  Even the mother of the kid who might or might not exist even called the set of the film. 

Even though the film is short, it is no slouch at all.  I do wish the director kept in the three minute he cut out of the film (it is included on the DVD with an introduction where he says he is glad he cut it).  The featurette, THE NIGHT LISTENER REVEALED, covers the real events that lead to the novel and the film (plus how the write had Robin Williams in mind for the role).   THE NIGHT LISTENER is a powerful film that is worth a rental on DVD and proves Williams continues to be a great dramatic actor not to stuck in comedies all of the time.

this review is (c)1-8-2007 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission (except for excerpts and a link to the review). Look for additional content at http://enterlinemedia.livejournal.com and send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com