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DVD Overnight
 Run time: 95 min Rating: 5.2 Genres: Comedy | Romance Director: Valerie Breiman Writers: Valerie Breiman Stars: Rachel Blanchard, James D’Arcy, Gbenga Akinnagbe |
| Storyline After breaking up with her boyfriend on Valentine’s Day, Jenny shares a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to New York with a love-damaged group of passengers – a pilot with anger management issues, some oversexed flight attendants, a hip-hop superstar trying to keep it real in coach and a handsome young professor who’s been unlucky in romance. Along with a tiny dog named Kaz, these strangers buckle up for love’s bumpy ride. Written by Anonymous |
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| Details: Country: USA Release Date: 20 April 2012 (USA) |
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| Box Office Budget: $2,850,000 (estimated) |
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4 comments
I didn't expect too much when I opted to watch this on my Netflix, especially since I had never heard of it before. But halfway through I found myself loving it. There are a lot of crappy, utterly empty romantic comedies out there after which I feel robbed of 90 minutes of my life, but this isn't one of them. This movie actually caused me to create an IMDb account because I thought it deserved a good review. It had all the really important elements: likable, believable characters with unique stories and perspectives, an interesting and well thought-out plot, good dialogue, and decent acting. And it was actually FUNNY, unlike a lot of wannabe romantic "comedies" who try to get by on Harlequin schmooze. I loved the non-traditional take that was simultaneously believable and even, brace yourself, realistic. Some of the best parts of this movie come about because of the humorous interplay between the characters as they force us to laugh at our own prejudices and attitudes. It ends up being a movie with more than a few different story lines woven into one, and it's refreshing that all of those story lines don't exist solely for the purpose of propping up a two dimensional relations; they seem to have some substance of their own. I couldn't give it more than a 7, because hey, it's not Oscar worthy, but this movie is highly enjoyable and seriously underrated.
"Overnight" starts as a typical romantic comedy but then ventures into a comedic romance, where comedy comes first. The romantic elements all seem to be part of the joke. Jenny (Rachel Blanchard) and Tom (James D'Arcy) meet in LAX fresh from disastrous break-ups (although it was over a year ago for Tom) and are both way too flighty and maladjusted to know how to seek self-comfort.
Then we meet a handful of mostly equally maladjusted passengers all on the red eye from Los Angeles to New York. These supporting characters are played by a range of hard-working talented actors to hard-working established, well-respected actors, to struggling up-and-comers. Two overly-bitter flight attendants were supposed to provide the comedy at the beginning, but it wasn't clear why we needed to endure such despicable people and worse writing.
Shortly thereafter, we were introduced to simple, but effective, "random" airport screening selections, and a famous rapper trying to figure out how normal people fly. This unconventional trio surprisingly added the best moments of comedy and the best characterizations.
Our lead couple of two attractive thirty-somethings go from strangers to puppy love surrenderers to an argumentative married couple to hurtful divorcees all in the length of the plane ride. While it was vaguely amusing, there are 30-second commercials which do it better.
Last but not least the pilot and co-pilot get into philosophical discussions on marriage, sex and God versus atheism. Don't sell it short since the pilot is played by Anthony LaPaglia after all. 2012 has also seen an odd trend where the male protagonist in romantic indies has a need, desire and ability to explain love and the universe in physics terms. Here, Tom was a physics teacher and it wasn't nearly as bad as previous films but not the best either (see The Diary of Preston Plummer for that).
"Overnight" is light, sweet and funny enough to work as a romantic comedy. And if you want it to work on another level, it even takes the characters on a surprising and fairly satisfactory journey of self-discovery. (You'll just need to turn it off three minutes early if you want their trajectory to be physically sound).
THE OVERNIGHTERS – MOVIE REVIEW by Quoc Dang "The Overtnighters" is a documentary movie by directed by Jesse Moss, presenting the condition of people who rushed to North Dakota looking for jobs during the oil boom. The film reveals shocking side of actual situation in the small but rapidly changed community of Williston. Hundreds of people from out of town either bringing their families with them, or leaving their loved ones at home, hurriedly went there for employment. They ended up had no place to stay because local government had no accommodation plan for quick migration of such many people. Several men and families slept in the parking lots, inside their cars or RVs. Seeing this disturbing condition, Pastor Jay Reinke, a local Pastor of Lutheran Church, took the overnighters, mostly single men, into his church for shelter. But then he must face with many issues from the city council regarding new city codes, and neighborhood complaints. Pastor Reinke single-handed went to city hall, on behalf of the new comers, fought for acceptance of the new residences. He also went house to house assuring the longtime residents of their safety. But as people kept coming, and there was no more space in the church for accommodation, the pastor and his family opened their own house for hosting. Shockingly, among them were criminals, and sex offenders. The story took a twisted turn when an anonymous threat to reveal the pastor's hidden past. With mounting pressure, the pastor privately confessed to his wife, and then to his church. Ironically, he had to resign from the priesthood, and became an overnighter like many that he had been helping. Director Jesse Moss when started out this project, he probably never thought of the film would end like this. Life ultimately draw its own course of action, even the characters inside the story couldn't know where their destinations would be. This is especially true in the case of Pastor Reinke, and his family. The rescuer could end up be a victim. The victims, some might head into brighter futures, some might wind up at the dead ends. But throughout all of these twists and turns, there is a lesson to learn is that: Mankind is at its best when they share their love and care for one another, in the midst of the darkest hours. This is the universal law, and that should never be disputed.
I wanted to like this movie, but I found the two lead characters overacting their parts horribly and thus they seemed stupid. Let's face facts, nobody with that much need and who is that vulnerable should fly on a red eye flight and risk having a dialog with anyone. Just sleep for heaven's sake and go see your therapist in the morning. I found the character of the guy who has the dog offensive – what kind of a woman dates a guy like that? What kind of a writer writes a part like that? Who on earth would have even bothered to put this storyline to any movie? I did enjoy the dialog between the pilot and the co-pilot and enjoyed those actors, particularly the pilot. Although I love romantic comedies, I did not find this romantic or comical. Just a waste of time.