Recently added item(s)
- Book Store Admin
- DVD's
- Comments Off on The Night Listener
The Night Listener is a 2006 American psychological thriller horror film directed by Patrick Stettner and starring Robin Williams. The screenplay by Armistead Maupin, Terry Anderson, and Stettner is based on Maupin s 2000 novel The Night Listener, which was inspired by Anthony Godby Johnson.
Plot
Gabriel Noone, a popular gay New York City radio show host, is dealing with a separation from his partner, Jess. Noone is given a memoir written by teenager Pete Logand, which chronicles the many years of sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his parents and their friends. Diagnosed with AIDS, the youth has been adopted by Donna Logand, the social worker who handled his case.
Noone begins a telephone relationship with the boy and Donna. He and Pete become increasingly close and form a father-son relationship, much to the dismay of Jess, especially after he speaks to Donna and suspects that she was impersonating Pete in some of the telephone conversations. Noone s personal secretary Anna adds fuel to the fire by discussing her research into people who fabricate elaborate stories to get attention. Determined to prove the boy exists and his story is true, Noone decides to pay a surprise visit to Pete in his hometown in rural Wisconsin. Noone discovers the return address on Pete s correspondence is actually a mail drop. Soon after, while eating in a local diner, he overhears another patron and recognizes her voice as that of Donna. He is stunned to learn that she is blind and uses a guide dog. Noone follows her home and Donna senses he has followed her. She invites him into her home and talks openly about Pete, who she says is currently in the hospital undergoing tests. She assures him he can visit the boy the following day, then suddenly becomes angry and tells him she will not allow him to meet Pete. Increasingly suspicious, Noone contacts all the hospitals in Madison, the location of the nearest facilities, but none have the boy registered as a patient.
Noone s paranoia about the boy s existence grows and, hoping to find proof of his existence, he breaks into Donna s home. A police officer arrests him for breaking and entering and then, mistakenly believing Noone to be one of the boy s abusers, attacks him with a stun baton before taking him to the station. Noone convinces the police he meant no harm and is released, only to find Donna waiting for him with the news that Pete is dead; also, that he was in a Milwaukee hospital, and was never in Madison. Distressed that Noone doesn t believe her, Donna collapses in the middle of a road and tries to hold him with her in the path of an oncoming truck. She then moves everything out of her home and disappears before the police can question her. Noone is now convinced that the boy is a figment of the deranged woman s imagination.
In response to a phone call from Donna, Noone goes to a motel where she was staying, and finds Pete s stuffed rabbit and a videotape under a blanket. He plays the video of a child, who seems to be Pete, but who could have been anyone. The phone rings and the caller claims to be the boy (but sounds exactly like Donna now), waiting for his mother at the airport. The caller ends the conversation after Noone asks what happened in Donna s past and how she became blind and that Donna should get help. Noone just watches the video, deep in thought.
Noone returns to Manhattan and uses his experience to create The Night Listener, a new radio story. In the final scene, Donna is searching for a new home in a coastal town, telling the realtor she needs it for herself and her son, who has just lost his leg but will be released the next day. She has drastically changed her appearance and no longer has a guide dog or dark glasses, revealing her blindness was also an act. Gabriel concludes his show for the night by saying, As for Pete, there s a line in the Velveteen Rabbit that reads… Real isn t how you were made. It s the thing that happens to you. I m Gabriel Noone. Goodnight .
Cast
- Robin Williams as Gabriel Noone
- Toni Collette as Donna Logand
- Rory Culkin as Pete D. Logand
- Bobby Cannavale as Jess
- Sandra Oh as Anna
- Joe Morton as Ashe
- John Cullum as Pap Noone
- Lisa Emery as Darlie Noone
- Becky Ann Baker as Waitress
- Rodrigo Lopresti as Young Man at Party
- Guenia Lemos as Female Neighbor
- Marcia Haufrecht as Pant-Suited Woman (as Marcia Halfrecht)
- Nick Gregory as Flight Attendant
- Ed Jewett as Mail Clerk
- Billy Van as Taxi Driver
Production
|
This section does not cite any sources. (August 2017)
|
In The Night Listener Revealed, an extra on the film s DVD release, Armistead Maupin discusses the inspiration for his novel. In 1992, the author was sent the manuscript of a memoir allegedly written by fourteen-year-old Anthony Godby Johnson, who had been sexually and physically abused by his parents since childhood. Since the galleys included a foreword by novelist Paul Monette, a close friend of Maupin, and an afterword by Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers Neighborhood fame, he had no reason to doubt the story s veracity.
Maupin was impressed with the maturity of the boy s writing and called him. The two quickly developed a close telephone relationship, and Maupin frequently discussed the boy s various physical ailments (he had been diagnosed with AIDS) with his adopted mother, Vicki Johnson. Several months later, Maupin s then-lover Terry Anderson (who co-wrote the screenplay), who had spoken to the boy on occasion, had a conversation with his mother and was struck by how much she and the boy sounded alike. As he became increasingly suspicious about the situation, Maupin became more and more determined to believe the boy really existed. Only after Vicki repeatedly prevented him from visiting the boy did Maupin begin to think he was caught up in a scam.
Following the publication of the novel, a friend of Maupin s who wrote for The New Yorker instigated an investigation. The story was reported by 20/20, which revealed that the photo of Anthony that Vicki had sent to Anthony s supporters was a childhood photo of Steve Tarabokija, now a healthy adult and a New Jersey traffic engineer, who was shocked to find his photo being represented to people as the face of Anthony Godby Johnson.
Release
Box office
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival before opening on 1,367 screens in the US, earning $3,554,134 in its opening weekend. The film went on to gross $7,836,393 domestically and $2,785,502 in foreign markets for a total box office of $10,621,895.
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 40% of 136 critics reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website s consensus reads, This psychological thriller compels by blurring the line between truth and fiction; unfortunately, the film itself gets muddled in a hazy account of Maupin s original novel.
A. O. Scott of The New York Times called the film a well-meaning, flat-footed screen adaptation has its creepy, suspenseful moments … but it shrinks a rich, strange story to the dimensions of an anecdote … the psychological and intellectual implications that hover over the story are lost in the spooky atmospherics and overshadowed by Ms. Collette s off-kilter showboating. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle described it as a movie with lots of heart but no heartbeat … it feels infected by a malaise … yet the film has intelligence and integrity and cannot be dismissed. Michael Phillips of the Los Angeles Times said, It s a small but crafty and well-acted picture … The pacing and staging of the later scenes could use a little more electricity and momentum and a little less restraint. Yet The Night Listener keeps you watching. And listening. David Rooney of Variety thought it was tediously solemn and a dawdling mystery thriller manages to flatten two protagonists that had far more depth in the novel … Lenser Lisa Rinzler gives the film a somber, elegant look, and Peter Nashel s score adds a layer of intensity. But it takes more than a few brooding strings to make a film taut and tense. The pace drags increasingly, trudging through the protracted final reels to a clumsy wrap-up with too many concluding scenes, none of them effective.
| Year | 2006 |
| ReleaseDate | 2006-08-04 |
| RuntimeMins | 91 |
| RuntimeStr | 1h 31min |
| Plot | 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. |
| Awards | Awards, 2 nominations |
| Directors | Patrick Stettner |
| Writers | Armistead Maupin, Terry Anderson, Patrick Stettner |
| Stars | Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Rory Culkin |
| Produced by | Terry Anderson,Wouter Barendrecht,Daniel Feiner,Jill Footlick,Susy Giordano,John Hart,Michael Hogan,Caroline Kaplan,Robert Kessel,Armistead Maupin,Jonathan Sehring,Jeffrey Sharp,Michael J. Werner,Brett Williams,Nina Wolarsky,Jamie H. Zelermyer |
| Music by | Peter Nashel |
| Cinematography by | Lisa Rinzler |
| Film Editing by | Andy Keir |
| Casting By | Kerry Barden,Suzanne Crowley,Billy Hopkins |
| Production Design by | Michael Shaw |
| Art Direction by | Eva Radke |
| Set Decoration by | Rich Devine |
| Costume Design by | Marina Draghici |
| Makeup Department | Cheri Minns,Evelyne Noraz,Jeffrey Rebelo |
| Production Management | David Bausch,Christopher Kenneally,Seth I. Shire,Sean Cooney |
| Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | Carrie Fix,Lauren Guilmartin,Justin Ritson |
| Art Department | Rise Abramson,Jill Alexander,Jeremy L. Balon,Krzysztof J. Bratun,Peter Bundrick,Anna Butwell,Steve Cascarelli,Dominick Cocuzzo,William Depaolo,Katy Dilkes,Isaac Gabaeff,Emily Gaunt,Willie Groom,Richard Hebrank,T.W. John House,Robert Keller,Katie Kemsley,Brianne Maciejowski,Erin Manigault,Elizabeth Minot,Julio Palma,Paul Pitalo,Joseph Proscia,Kevin L. Raper,Kyle Salvatore,Malinda Savio,Jill Stern,Sylvia Trapanese,Jonathan Unger,James Bednark,Gabu Camilo,Terrell Long,Justin Rosen,Heather Wellik |
| Sound Department | Laura Civiello,Marko A. Costanzo,Dan Edelstein,Eugene Gearty,Anguibe Guindo,Detlef Halaski,Paul Hsu,George A. Lara,Marissa Littlefield,Eytan Mirsky,Sara Stern,Noah Timan,Larry Wineland,Joseph Adorisio II,Leslie Bloome,Phil Jeffers,Paul Pouthier |
| Visual Effects by | Janos Pilenyi,Ariel Enriquez Saulog |
| Stunts | Bill Anagnos,Jeffrey Lee Gibson,Janet Paparazzo,Manny Siverio |
| Camera and Electrical Department | Grady Bayersdorfer,Raymond Burgess,Divine Cox,Lamont Crawford,James P. Dolan,Jeffrey Dutemple,Kevin Fitzpatrick Jr.,Damien Gonzalez,Keith Gordon,Tim Guinness,Tom Hamilton,Petr Hlinomaz,Dave Isern,Gary Jackiewicz,Nils Johnson,Anne Joyce,Peter McEntyre,James McMillan,Tim McNulty,Iris Ng,Michael G. Philips,Patrick Stegall,Nathan Swingle,Craig Vaccaro,Nicky ‘Nuckles’ Vaccaro,Dave Isern,Justin Panzanaro |
| Casting Department | Paul Schnee,Ashley Springer,David M. Waldron,Luis Garcia,Grant Wilfley |
| Costume and Wardrobe Department | Arlynn Abseck,Ariel Bowman,Amanda Ford,Jacqueline Jones Gladis,Roseann Milano,Robin Sprance,Mikaela Wohl |
| Editorial Department | Fred Heid,Allyson C. Johnson,Josh Rappaport,Misako Shimizu,David A. Smith,Joe Violante,Steve Calalang,Chris Gennarelli |
| Location Management | Michele Baker,Shannon Causey,Hyo Park,Phuong-Thuy Pham,Teddy Yoon,John Perez,Michael Yoon |
| Music Department | Linda Cohen,Brian Deming,Andy Farber,Lawrence Manchester,Peter Nashel,Tony Volante |
| Script and Continuity Department | Anthony Pettine |
| Transportation Department | Bobby Alberga,Keith Bunce,Charlie Fay,Michael Fennimore,Parrish McLean,John Riggins,Matthew Schneider,Gabe Turiello |
| Additional Crew | Tobin Addington,Matthew Amenta,Barbara Austin,John Baker,Randall Balsmeyer,Joanie Bauret,James Berkery,Adam Bernard,Brette Billow,Jason Block,Bambi Brook,Adam Bryant,Tertius Bune,Brian Burkin,Kate Carcaterra,Betty Chin,Jennifer Cook,J. John Corbett,Ralph Costanza,Jacq Donegan,Kathy England,Natsu Furuichi,Jonathan Golfman,Louis Henley,Michael Hernandez,Andrew Johnston,Drew Johnston,Phil Johnston,Ben Cory Jones,Hollis McConnell Jones,Chris Leidy,Michael J. Linowes,Brianne Maciejowski,Patrick Mahoney,Hunter Marshall,Angela R. Matthews,Jason Michael Matthews,Kory O’Donnell,Tim Oakes,Luke Parker Bowles,Alex Reinach,Joe Robinson,George Sheanshang,Michele Soddano,Rebecca Erwin Spencer,Bill Stitt,Pat Tetrault,Clayton Thomas,Rob van de Laar,Nick Vanderpool,Michael J. Vitale Jr.,Joe Wehmeyer,Derek Yip,Louis Zuppardi,Henry Fernaine,Joshua Huffman,Michael A. Rizzo,Jonathan Starch |
| Thanks | Lauren Albright,Andy Bienen,Marty Bowen,Jennifer Cox,Sarah Durham,Kara Dusenbury,Erica Fae,Charles Ferraro,Scott Fleischer,Julie Fontaine,Dianne Orkin Footuck,Jerry Footuck,Anna Hall,Tanya Hamilton,Joanne Hogan,Myles Hogan,Quinn Hogan,Anne Hubbell,Andrew Hurwitz,Elaine Kessel,Mark Kessel,Raya Kessel,Rich Klubeck,Perry Lin,Laura Linney,Craig Marsden,Peter Mattei,Scott McGehee,Robert H. Nathan,Jamie Pallot,Christine Rollet,Gail Savarese,Owen Shaw,Adam Shulman,David Siegel,Issar Smith,Douglas Steinbrech,Susan A. Stover,Sabin Streeter,Alan Suna,Krista Whetstone |
| Genres | Crime, Drama, Horror |
| Companies | Hart Sharp Entertainment, IFC Films, Fortissimo Films |
| Countries | USA |
| Languages | English |
| ContentRating | R |
| ImDbRating | 5.9 |
| ImDbRatingVotes | 15497 |
| MetacriticRating | 51 |
| Keywords | new york city,telephone,talk show host,based on novel,john f. kennedy international airport |
