The Night Listener (2006)

In the midst of his crumbling relationship, a radio show host begins speaking to his biggest fan, a young boy, via the telephone. But when questions about the boy's identity come up, the host's life is thrown into chaos.

Director:

Patrick Stettner

Writers:

Armistead Maupin (screenplay), Terry Anderson (screenplay),

Stars:

Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Joe Morton

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Williams	...	Gabriel Noone
Toni Collette	...	Donna D. Logand
Joe Morton	...	Ashe
Bobby Cannavale	...	Jess
Rory Culkin	...	Pete D. Logand
Sandra Oh	...	Anna
Rodrigo Lopresti	...	Young Man at Party
John Cullum	...	Pap Noone
Lisa Emery	...	Darlie Noone
Guenia Lemos	...	Female Neighbor
Marcia Haufrecht	...	Pant Suited Woman (as Marcia Halfrecht)
Nick Gregory	...	Flight Attendant
Ed Jewett	...	Mail Clerk
Becky Ann Baker	...	Waitress
Billy Van	...	Taxi Driver

Storyline

Gabriel Noone is a late night radio-host in a big city, specializing in spooky tales culled from his active imagination. When Gabriel's lover decides he needs some "space" and moves out, Gabriel descends into a funk until a publisher friend brings him a manuscript written by 14 year-old Pete Logand, a troubled young fan. Pete's story touches the vulnerable Gabriel deeply. Pete was severely abused by his parents and is now under the care of his former social worker, Donna Logand, who has adopted him. Pete is very ill and he and Donna are keeping a low profile in a small town in Wisconsin to avoid discovery by Pete's mother. Gabriel develops an unsettling long-distance telephone relationship with the boy and his guardian. Nothing is as it seems and the skepticism of friends causes Gabriel to become suspicious of Donna and her motives, so he tries to resolve the loose ends by traveling to Wisconsin to confront Donna and Pete. But this effort is largely unsuccessful and we are left ...

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Plot Keywords:

boy | telephone | wisconsin | social worker | radio show | 

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Taglines:

Listen for the truth.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some disquieting sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

BV Entertainment [us] Official site [uk]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Voces en la noche

Filming Locations:

Montgomery, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£314,078 (UK) (15 September 2006)

Gross:

£616,071 (UK) (22 September 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hart-Sharp Entertainment, IFC Films, Fortissimo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 81 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stars Rory Culkin and Robin Williams share the same birthday (July 21st)

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Goofs

The zip code for the Montgomery, Wisconsin address starts with a '2', but all Wisconsin zip codes start with 5.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gabriel Noone: [Black screen. Sounds of squeaking chair as someone sits down, microphone squealing, paper rustling, and a thump] Ready?
[Sound of one breath blown into microphone]
Gabriel Noone: [Unknown woman mumbles]
Gabriel Noone: Yeah, let's try it like that.
[Paper rustling]
Gabriel Noone: [Unknown woman mumbles again]

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Crazy Credits

The production wishes to thank ... the residents of 95th Street, NYC ...

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 5 August 2006 (2006)

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Soundtracks

"La Judia Del Albayzin"
Written by Juan Martin
Performed by Studio Musicians
Courtesy of Killer Tracks

User Reviews

I spent my life selecting only the parts that glitter

There are many illnesses born in the mind of man which have been given life in modern times. Constant vigilance or accrued information in the realm of Pyschosis, have kept psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists busy with enough work to last them decades. Occasionally, some of these mental phenomenon are discover by those with no knowledge of their remedy or even of their existence. That is the premise of the film entitled " The Night Listner." It tells the story of a popular radio host called Gabriel Noon (Robin Williams) who spends his evenings enthralling his audiences with vivid stories about Gay lifestyles. Perhaps its because his show is losing it's authentic veneer which causes Noon to admit he is no longer himself. Feeling abandoned by both his lover Jess (Bobby Cannavale) and his and best friend (Joe Morton), he seeks shelter in his deepening despair and isolation. It is here, a mysterious voice in the night asks him for help. Noon needs to feel useful and reaches out to the desperate voice which belongs to a 14 year old boy called Peter (Rory Culkin). In reading the boy's harrowing manuscript which depicts the early life and sexual abuse at the hands of his brutal parents, Noon is captivated and wants to help. However, things are not what they seem and Noon soon finds himself en-wrapped in an elusive and bizarre tale torn right out of a medical nightmare. This movie is pure Robin Williams and were it not for Toni Collette who plays Donna D. Logand, Sandra Oh as Anna and John Cullum as pop, this might be comical. Instead, this may prove to be one of William's more serious performances. ***