Midnight Clear (2006)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Dallas Jenkins

Writers:

Wes Halula (writer)
Jerry B. Jenkins (short story)

Release Date:

2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

For many people, the holidays are the loneliest time of year. Merry Christmas.

Plot:

A recently homeless and jobless loser, a senior citizen estranged from her family, a mother of one dealing with her husband's brain damage...

Plot Keywords:

Brain Damage | Christmas | Gas Station | Loneliness | Christmas Eve

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Stephen Baldwin	...	Lefty
K Callan	...	Eva
Kirk B.R. Woller	...	Kirk
Mary Thornton	...	Mary
Mitchell Jarvis	...	Mitch
Richard Fancy	...	Pastor Mark
Victoria Jackson	...	Margaret
Richard Riehle	...	Tommy
Diane Delano	...	Trudy
Wren T. Brown	...	Dale
Dominic Scott Kay	...	Jacob
Loren Lester	...	Gordon
Patricia Rae	...	Samantha
Nikki Boyer	...	Megan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ron Bath	...	Doctor
Dave Chivvis	...	Gary
Hannah Cowan	...	Caroler
Lisa Dalton	...	Elderly woman #1
Shelly Desai	...	Factory Worker
Kevin Downes	...	Rick
Faline England	...	Heather
Wayne Grace	...	Hungry Old Man
Chad Gundersen	...	Greg
Brad Heller	...	Convenience store customer
Hope Angelica James	...	Sleepy Church Girl
Dallas Jenkins	...	Dad
Ken Kerman	...	Conveniece store keeper
Michael Krawic	...	Police Officer
Denise Lee	...	Receptionist
Billy Joe Martinez	...	Pedestrian 1
Chris Murphy	...	Customer #2
Heather Okun	...	Girlfriend
Todd Peters	...	Boyfriend in car
James Preston	...	Carl
Hope Elizabeth Reeves	...	Tardy Church Girl
Rhonda Reeves	...	Tardy Church Mom
Shaina Sandoval	...	Caroler
John Snelson	...	Boyfriend in car
Briton Swiercinsky	...	Church Attendant
Caprice Swiercinsky	...	Mother in Church
Lexie Swiercinsky	...	Church Attendee
Niki Swiercinsky	...	Church Attendee

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic elements.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Clear Midnight

Movie Connections:

Version of Midnight Clear (2005/II)

Soundtrack:

Oh Holy Night

Pretty good holiday film that needs a better script

I saw this at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan.

This was an okay film, but I felt with a better script it could have been a lot more engaging. It takes place on Christmas Eve in a small town in Arizona. Following a lonely old woman, a jobless man, a gas station worker, a grieving mother, and a young depressed youth pastor, the film shows them crossing paths and experience the holiday evening in different ways.

The problem with the film is that some of the story lines aren't as interesting as the others and some of them aren't as developed. I personally preferred the jobless Lefty (played by Stephen Baldwin, in a well acted dramatic role) and the old woman (wonderfully played by K Callan). There wasn't enough time spent on the youth pastor thus making his story seem unfinished. And there was too much time spent on the mother and the gas station worker, it wasn't a very interesting story.

The ending was nice, in fact, a little too nice, it seemed like everything came together too perfectly. But it wasn't that bad of a film. If during the holiday season, you're looking for a film to watch, I'd recommend this film before recommending one of those studio films that get released every holiday season to make big bucks.