Midnight Clear (2006)

Faith Comes in Unexpected Places. Based on the story by the New York Times Best-Selling Author of the Left Behind Series, Jerry B. Jenkins.

Director:

Dallas Jenkins

Writers:

Wes Halula, Jerry B. Jenkins (short story)

Stars:

Stephen Baldwin, K Callan, Kirk B.R. Woller

6 wins.

Cast

Credited 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, Jacob's Teacher
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Angie Bolling	...	Caroling Shut-In

Storyline

On Christmas Eve, Lefty is a homeless and unemployed alcoholic loser that will lose the right to see his son. In despair, he trades a gun and is ready to heist a convenience store and commit suicide. Eva is a lonely old lady estranged from her family that is ready to commit suicide. Kirk is the owner of a convenience store and gas station that feels stranded in his work. Mary is a mother that is raising her young son alone after the accident of her husband that has brain damage. Mitch is a youngster that belongs to a Christian group of youths that does not understand the reason why they should visit lonely old people of his community in the Christmas Eve. The lonely and depressed persons have their lives affected for good by minor acts of kindness and sympathy and Mitch realizes how important his assignment has made the difference.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas caroling | fired | elderly woman | title based on song | christmas | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic elements

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: Midnight Clear (2017)

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Soundtracks

O Christmas Tree
Traditional tune, lyrics by Ernst Anschütz (uncredited)
Arranged by Shawn Allen Klaiber (as Shawn Klaiber) & Mark Jean
Performed by Shawn Allen Klaiber (as Shawn Klaiber)

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Midnight Clear

Filming Locations:

Roanoke, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clear Midnight, Jenkins Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1