Midnight Clear (2006)

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 ... See full summary »

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 | christmas eve | convenience store | gas station | brain damage | 

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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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Noite em Branco

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

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: Midnight Clear (2017)

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Soundtracks

Frosty the Snowman
Written by Jack Rollins (as Steve Rollins) & Steven Nelson
Arranged by Jeehun Hwang
Performed by Dallas Jenkins

User Reviews

5 stories-1 great 2 good 2 bad.

I just saw Midnight Clear at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose and there's a lot I like and a lot I don't. 2 of the stories are from the original short story (written by the director's father) and you can tell they have been constructed with a lot more time and love. Those two stories are of Lefty and Eva, lonely individuals contemplating suicide.The story of Eva is almost unbearably sad and acted perfectly. The Lefty story has a few campy lines, but is still passable. Another good story is that of Mitch, a leader of a youth group wondering if he holds purpose. It's probably the shortest story in the film and the one with the least satisfaction in the end. The other two stories are of a gasoline attendant and a mother, married to a brain dead man. The story of the gas attendant is fine at the start but suffers when the mother enters his story. The dialog for the mother is extremely hokey and cliché and brought the score down a good 2-1.5 stars. Overall I would say there's both great and horrible acting. The direction is the most consistent thing in the film. The script is well constructed but contains a lot of corny dialog. 6/10