In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2007)

Broke and alone on New Year's Eve, Wilson just wants to spend the rest of a very bad year in bed. But, when his best friend convinces him to post a personal ad, he meets a woman bent on finding the right guy to be with at midnight.

Director:

Alex Holdridge

Writer:

Alex Holdridge

Stars:

Scoot McNairy, Sara Simmonds, Brian McGuire

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scoot McNairy	...	Wilson
Sara Simmonds	...	Vivian
Brian McGuire	...	Jacob (as Brian Matthew McGuire)
Kathleen Luong	...	Min (as Katie Luong)
Robert Murphy	...	Jack
Twink Caplan	...	Wilson's Mother
Bret Roberts	...	Bui
Ann Chatterton	...	Neighbor #1 (as Annie Chatterton)
Cindy Drummond	...	Neighbor #2
Giorgio Pierangeli	...	Maitre d'
Michael Pierangeli	...	Young Boy
Bruce Jay	...	Stevie
Stephanie Feury	...	Jacob's Mother
Julie Levin-Pierangeli	...	Wilson's Sister
Kennedy Rich-Collins	...	Vivian's Mother

Storyline

On New Year's Eve, Wilson, a twenty-nine-year old guy has just had the worst year of his life. He emigrated to Los Angeles, has no date, no concrete plans and every intention of locking the doors and forgetting the last year ever happened. That is until his best friend, Jacob, browbeats him into posting a personal ad on Craig's List. When Vivian, a strong-willed woman hell bent on being with the right guy at the stroke of midnight responds, a chaotic, sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching journey through the black and white streets of L.A. begins. In the waning hours of the year, emotional vulnerability and bitterly honest humor seem to be waiting around every corner.

---

Plot Keywords:

midnight | new year's eve | bed | kiss | time in title | 

---

Taglines:

It's not just another kiss

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Anazitontas ena fili ta mesanyhta

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,385, 3 August 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$172,177, 16 November 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Midnight Kiss Productions (II)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the scene at the New Years' party with Wilson and Vivian are on the roof with Jacob, when Wilson tells Jacob that Vivian hit him, the couple have cans of beer. However, in the next shot, Jacob asks them both if they would like a drink, and neither of them have cans in their hands.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Wilson: The midnight kiss. It's not just another kiss. It's all the hope of romance of the year culminating in just one moment. And that over-hyped kiss, in which there is so much calling, texting, I.M.-ing, planning, hurrying, drinking to make happen, is set at a moment when time itself takes center stage, when you can palpably feel the weight of the year to come, mix with the loneliness and missed opportunities of the years gone by.
[pause]
Wilson: For years I used to work at a video store, and ...
[...]

---

Connections

References All About Eve (1950)

---

Soundtracks

Wind of Change
Performed by Sybil
Written by Scorpions (as The Scorpions)

User Reviews

A positive surprise

To tell the truth I wasn't really expecting much from this indie romantic comedy. Much in the line of other great indie movies like "Clerks", "Before Sunrise" or "Walking and Talking" nothing much happens in this movie apart from a lot of talking. Wilson (Scoot McNairy), a scriptwriter going through a terrible patch in life, is caught jerking off to his best friend's girl photoshopped picture. This naturally is the newest low in his disastrously low last three months. More entertained than mad his pal convinces Wilson to sign up to a dating service as 'The Misanthrope' in an attempt to avoid him having to spend New Year's alone. His first hit is Vivian (Sara Simmonds), a Texan girl, who has just left her man and is out to dominate in an attempt to have a fun night out. After a not-so-good initial meeting the pair suddenly seem to start hitting it off... but will they last till midnight and the midnight kiss? Funny, honest and filled with those awkward moments that populate any real conversation this is a refreshing change of pace from most American movies. There is absolutely nothing to distract you from the picture in the shape of cinematography (which is adequate and somewhat amateurish), music and other such typical movie filler. Therefore the dialogues and interaction of characters has to work in order for the movie to hit home. Several times I felt the movie is close to falling off the edge, but time after time it miraculously pounces back to make a heartwarming and almost perfect finale. I must admire the script as a whole, although not all of the conversations really seemed to work and some scenes seemed forcibly overcooked.

Scoot McNairy almost singlehandedly keeps this picture together with a commanding if reserved and exceptionally natural performance. The rest of the cast is OKish with Sara Simmonds sometimes giving in a strong performance, but multiple scenes she borders on being irritating and unlikeable. Somehow even when in danger of that happening the director with the aid of McNairy manages to put the movie back on track. And the last 15 minutes or so are really poignant and make the whole experience extremely worthwhile.