The Night Listener places itself in the thriller mode, but it’s more of a slow burn. This might not appeal to some but the show is still rather affective and made creepier in that it’s based on a true story.
The Night Listener is a good film, but unveils its secrets at a slow pace. However, those who are willing to give the film a chance will find a compelling thriller.
Gabriel Noone (Robin Williams) is a radio personality who tells stories from his life on the radio. He’s depressed because his boyfriend Jess (Bobby Cannavale) has moved out. He’s given a manuscript by his publisher Ashe (Joe Morton) for Gabriel to write a blurb for. The manuscript is a true life story written by a fourteen year old boy, Pete, as to how he was sexually abused as a youth (This was supposed to get Gabriel out of his funk Ashe?).
Williams and Collette are great in the film
Soon Pete (Rory Culkin) is calling Gabriel on the phone to talk about the book. Pete was kept in a basement “playroom” and was the sexual plaything of his parents and their friends. He’s also dying of AIDS. Pete is in the care of Donna Logand (Toni Collette), who adopted him after he was taken away from his abusive parents. Jess has doubts that there really is a Pete and Gabriel expresses these doubts to Ashe.
Ashe’s superiors decide to not publish the book and Gabriel feels guilt for possibly ruining the literary dreams of a dying boy. He tries to call Pete but the phone is disconnected. Gabriel is worried about Pete and goes to Wisconsin to finally lay eyes on the mysterious author.
The film is based on a novel by author Armistead Maupin - who had a telephone relationship with a fourteen year old boy. It wasn’t until his partner (at the time) Terry Anderson noticed that the boy’s mother and the boy seemed to sound alike. Anderson had never spoken to the mother, but answered the phone one time when it was the mother and was shocked by similarity in their voices.
Anderson told Armistead about his suspicions, but the author was reluctant to believe him. Armistead would later go on to write a novel about the experience and they both went back to the story (over the ashes of their relationship) and fashioned the screenplay for the movie version.
If my memory serves the trailer for the film (it’s not on the disc) plays the movie up as a “Silence of the Lambs” like suspense thriller. That’s a little untrue, as some trailers are. Yes there is suspense and thrills, but the show is rather slow moving. That means it takes its time to build the suspense not that it’s boring.
There’s an undercurrent of suspense that slowly builds to the films climax (even though Maupin never really got concrete information that his phone friend was not real). This is going to turn some people off since they want thrills and chills quickly - just FYI.
Donna is a character we're unsure of
Robin Williams plays his role well, and at times comes off as almost a stalker. His performance is under the radar and the actor is very laid back in the role. The acting honors go to Tony Collette who gets to add mystery, pathos, and the possibility of deception to her role. Much of the film’s success should be credited to her performance and the way she keeps the audience wondering just what is the truth.
The Night Listener is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include the 11 minute “Night Listener Revealed.”
It has interviews with co-screenwriter/executive producer Terry Anderson, author/co-screenwriter/executive producer Armistead Maupin, producer Jeff Sharp, Robin Williams, and producer John Hart. There’s also a 3 minute deleted scene that has a 30 second introduction by director Patrick Stettner. The scene fits in with the rest of the picture, but also takes away with some of the pace that they were setting for the characters.
The Night Listener is a good film, but unveils its secrets at a slow pace. This might not appeal to some who were expecting something more from the trailer. However, those who are willing to give the film a chance will find a compelling thriller. It is made even more compelling in the fact that it really happened, to a degree, to the author.
Pete
The Night Listener is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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