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, Rory Culkin

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Toni Collette	...	Donna D. Logand
Robin Williams	...	Gabriel Noone
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:

telephone | talk show host | based on novel | john f. kennedy international airport | new york city new york | 

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Taglines:

You never know who's listening.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some disquieting sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

At 5 minutes and 58 seconds into the film, Armistead Maupin's real-life husband Christopher Turner appears, playing the part of Jess's (Bobby Cannavale) friend whom Gabriel (Robin Williams) facetiously refers to as "Lucifer." Jess corrects him and says, "Lucien. He's just a friend."

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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

Spun-off from More Tales of the City (1998)

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Soundtracks

Angels We Have Heard on High
Traditional, lyrics written by James Chadwick (uncredited)
[Incorrectly credited as written by Wendie Colter]
Performed by Studio Musicians
Courtesy of Killer Tracks

User Reviews

Surprisingly mediocre.

All of the elements of a fabulous film are in place: amazing actors, interesting true story, decent budget and set. Somehow, this movie falls flat and is quite forgettable.

I attribute this to the director. I've never seen his other movies, so I cannot compare. The movie was predictable, opportunities for some really great suspenseful moments were missed...like missing ten free-throws in basketball - painfully annoying...this director shot, and missed...a lot.

There's nothing inherently wrong with the film...it just screams, "Help me! Find me a fabulous editor to fix what this director missed!" This is the sort of movie one watches on HBO while folding laundry (since it wasn't compelling enough to see in the theater), and considers it "okay", but certainly not worthy of ones full attention...glad the laundry is done!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Night Listener

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,600,000, 6 August 2006

Gross USA:

$7,836,393

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,639,686

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