The Night Listener Review
by Clint Morris
Watching Robin Williams of late is like watching a usually
vigorous cat after the pet has been given a shot of drugs before an
operation. You know he wants to just explode, run about, go crazy and
jump on and off a few couches – and possibly groom that hair – but
something’s holding him back. In the case of Williams, it’s
an injection of muchmorethanacomic serum – comic actors always want to
branch out and show us they can do much more meaty stuff – but thing
is, he’s had so much of the stuff that he doesn’t allow himself enough
time to come down from the first dose before taking another shot.
If
Williams must be the acting equivalent of Prozac – and well, yes, maybe
he did need a little something to chill him a bit; but not this much –
let it be for films like The Night Listener. Though still not a shade on his comedy hits like Mrs Doubtfire, Good Morning Vietnam, or The Birdcage,
the film - Based on the novel by Armistead Maupin- has significantly
more enthuse in it than Williams past few films – again, mostly dramas
– which did little more for an audience than help them catch up on
sleep.
Williams leaves the funny bone at home – again – to play
Gabriel Noone, a homosexual talkback radio announcer who develops, over
the telephone, a relationship with a young boy, dying from AIDS, who
has written a manuscript for a book based on the youngster’s years of
being abused. A black cloud begins to hover over the relationship
though, when someone questions the authenticity of the boy.
As good as it is to see Williams back in something reasonable again – he gets to actually act here, in contrast to say The Final Cut or Insomnia,
where he just strolls about with a frown on his face or acting maniacal
for no other reason than to prove to the sceptics that he can go two
hours without cracking a funny – the actor is still too good for the
material. In the same way that World Trade Center
was something that didn’t deserve a proficient vet like Oliver Stone as
its captain, this one didn’t need Williams in it. It’s a vanilla film
that could have been headlined by anyone. Having said that, take
Williams out of the picture and chances are, you’d be seeing it on
Hallmark.
Also dissevering of better material is Toni Collette, as
the boy’s mother, who makes the most of her relatively underwritten
role by unleashing a performance that’s as spooky as it is intriguing.
So,
what is the problem with the material? Well, besides the fact that
there’s just not enough here – the film runs only 81 minutes – and that
it ends way too abruptly and unsatisfying, the film doesn’t seem to
know what it wants to be. It starts off as a nice little character
drama examining the relationship between a young boy and an older,
meekly unhappy, man but then transforms into a spine-chilling thriller,
along the lines of Rob Reiner’s Misery. At the same time, and despite the fact that it is inspired by a true story, the story seems a little been there – done that.
If
you’re keen to see a couple of good performances though, and a nice
glossy directing gig (Patrick Stettner serves up a very good looking
film), then this isn’t a bad way to pass the time while your other half
is in the centre, shopping. Not that it goes without saying that Mrs Doubtfire 2 couldn't come any sooner. 3 out
of 5 The Night Listener
Australian
release: 15th March,
2007
Cast: Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh, Rory Culkin, Joe Morton
Director: Patrick Stettner
Website: Click
here.
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