The Good Night (2007)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Jake Paltrow

Writer (WGA):

Jake Paltrow (written by)

Release Date:

15 November 2007 (Israel)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

A comedic fantasy.

Plot:

A former pop star who now writes commercial jingles for a living experiences a mid-life crisis.

Plot Keywords:

Dream | Friend | Lucid Dreaming | Band | Female Nudity

Cast

Keith Allen	...	Norman
Steffan Boje	...	Karlheinz
Penélope Cruz	...	Anna / Melodia
Danny DeVito	...	Mel
Sonia Doubell	...	Shawna
Martin Freeman	...	Gary Shaller
Michael Gambon	...	Alan Weigert
Stephen Graham	...	Victor
Kate Harper	...	Ballet Teacher
Juliana Kiehl	...	Naresta
Bruno Lastra	...	Italian Slickster #2
Martino Lazzeri	...	Italian Slickster #1
Meredith MacNeill	...	Tica
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Dora Shaller
Simon Pegg	...	Paul

Also Known As:

The good Night - Träum weiter... (Germany) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | USA:R | South Korea:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

Good Night Productions

Quotes:

Mel: Sometimes I wish that you could just hit the sack and never wake up. If your favorite song never ended, or your best book never closed, if the emotions mustered from these things would just go on and on, who wouldn't want to stay asleep? The guy who discovers that perpetual dream, he's my man.

Movie Connections:

References Shane (1953)

Soundtrack:

The Universal

Excellent, well done !

I see that this movie isn't well-received. . .? . . . ---I loved it!

I like dark humor, and subtlety, and a script that trusts the viewer enough to simply suggest what's happening, and this movie satisfies all of that. Written and directed by Jake Paltrow, starring a mostly British cast of Martin Freeman, sister Gwyneth, Penelope Cruz, Simon Pegg, and Danny DeVito in a strange ensemble none of whom seem to really know one another. There's a sense that this movie isn't really happening, that the characters aren't sure who or what they are to one another, that the action may or may not be delusional: dream? not-dream? the boundary edges of reality have been softened or erased to the point of ambiguity. I believe this is what the director was striving for, and he got it perfectly.

I am still reeling by the few comments I saw that disliked this movie--- --were we watching the same flick?

Jake has captured the ennui and uncertainty of intimate relationships, especially when artistic personalities are involved. Wishes are faded, hopes for success, mega- or otherwise, are withering or stunted, and the concept of "dreaming" becomes itself part of the uncertainty of the storyline---an uncertainty purposefully part of the script. We live our dreams, we get caught up in our dreams, yet our dreams exist often aside from how we live. And who's to say what's real? Is night consciousness less or more than daytime consciousness? Nothing is 100% real.

I don't want to give anything away. I hate spoilers if I haven't seen a movie, and don't want to even accidentally mention something that would detract from another's enjoyment of discovery. Freeman's character is going through a minor meltdown, his life increasingly one on the outside looking in. He's "married," but the love and desire has diminished for both of them. He seeks help from a most unlikely (and most unprofessional) pseudotherapist, DeVito, and the reality of his life begins to unravel as he struggles the more to make sense of it all. It is a brilliant study of a mentally ill and conflicted world with pervasive fears and worries. The cast is excellent. Couldn't be better.

I love this movie. I love dark humor, and subtlety. Well done, Jake!