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In Search Of a Midnight Kiss (2008)

Director: Alex Holdridge

Time Out rating

Average user rating

11 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

This debut indie flick is a crude, funny and tender riff on romance with a script that crackles with deadpan, spiky humour. It’s New Year’s Eve in Alex Holdridge’s monochrome, nouvelle vague version of Los Angeles. The day starts badly for aspiring, late- twentysomething screenwriter Wilson (Scoot McNairy) when his best friend and housemate Jacob (Brian McGuire) catches him masturbating to a Photoshop mock-up of his girlfriend, Min (Kathleen Luong). Neither laidback Jacob nor his girlfriend mind very much, and neither do we: we’re too busy sympathising with likeable, wry Wilson to find this episode anywhere near as vulgar as it sounds.

We’re with Wilson from the off: this young man, all week-long stubble and indie threads, looks like he’s got the world on his shoulders. He’s hurting over the girlfriend he’s left behind in Texas and worried about spending New Year’s on his own. It’s that fear of loneliness that drives him to put an ad on Craig’s List calling himself a misanthrope who’s seeking the same.

Within hours he’s at a local French café being interrogated by self-styled steely vixen Vivian (Sara Simmonds) who underneath her dark sunglasses and callous put-downs (‘I’m not going to waste my New Year’s Eve on some total fuck-up’) is as vulnerable as Wilson. While she and Wilson walk and talk about downtown LA, each of them fronting and flirting and joking in their self-protecting way, we hear the endless voicemails from her boyfriend who’s crying about her unexplained disappearance.

The heart of the film unfolds on the streets as Wilson and Vivian wander about the city. This is the central LA of abandoned theatres, tired pavements and office plazas – miles from Hollywood – and Holdridge does a great job of turning it into a theatre and sucking up all that it has to offer. He reminds us how lonely the city can be. As we look at Wilson and Vivian standing in an empty theatre, marvelling at the ceiling and enjoying each other’s company, we thank God for Craig’s List, even if he’s trying to discuss art and she insists on talking about the cool rooftop pool at the Standard Hotel.

There’s some Texan folk on the soundtrack that Holdridge uses to anchor this chatty, often laddish film, in a quieter emotional reality. You’ve got to hand it to him for daring his men to speak their minds without coming across as unlikeable stereotypes. It’s amusing and spot-on when Jacob reduces humans to the level of beasts, telling Wilson not to be afraid to carry a condom on a date because ‘we’re animals, we’re apes, we stick bits of plastic into us so we can come’.

Much of the movie plays out like this: someone says something filthy and personal and we’re hooting with laughter and nursing a little heartbreak from the truth of it. A few other films come to mind – ‘À Bout de Souffle’, ‘Before Sunrise’, ‘Knocked Up’, even ‘Manhattan’ – but finally ‘Midnight Kiss’ achieves a laidback, Los Angeles hipster charm all of its own.

Author: Dave Calhoun 2008-06-10 11:15:05

Time Out London Issue 1973 June 10-18, 2008

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User reviews of this film

Vee said...

Posted on Nov 22 2008 10:17 We rented this movie last night on Cable, hadn't read a single review, in fact, never heard of the movie before. It was shot in Black and White to outstanding quality. Very creative scenes and some of the lighting really was mindblowing. We loved it!

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Sutton said...

Posted on Jul 28 2008 13:24 Enjoyable and funny indie love story of sorts. Some amusing, if close to the bone... excuse poor pun. The male lead was excellent, unlike the supporting male role.

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Kate said...

Posted on Jul 08 2008 13:26 This movie is totally overrated and vulgar. No need to compare this to Before Sunset or Before Sunrise that would not be affording those two films their achieved hale, but I would compare this to the boring American potty-mouth indie scene. What is it with American films and their desperate need for attention? I wanted to leave the theatre as did a handful of the other disappointed patrons did..., but I stayed to bare the bit. Horrible. Agreed the others: BLAH to the HYPE!

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Madison said...

Posted on Jun 29 2008 19:42 I fell in love with these characters. This film made me laugh out loud and cry. The dialogue is sharp and funny, its beautifully shot and fans of "Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset" will love this. The answer machine moment had me in tears, Heartbreaking but hopeful. Go see.

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fred said...

Posted on Jun 20 2008 17:10 This film is really trying to be smart and achieves nothing. It's attempting to be before sunrise but ends up like a low budget elizabethtown. Trite, predictable schtick. And the two main actors were so annoyingly bad at acting. Several people walked out of the cinema I was in. Don't bother, it's shite.

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Julie Levin said...

Posted on Jun 18 2008 19:00 This film was an accurate portrayal of Love and reality in the 2000's computer age. I haven't laughed so hard out loud in a film since I can remember! Fabulous cinematography and Direction. The actors were so likeable and funny. A10 out of 10!

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The Truth said...

Posted on Jun 17 2008 21:03 Very enjoyable experience. Some real laugh out loud moments and a little bit of pathos. The low budget made it a tight production. Recommended for those with big hearts.
More importantly it gives hope to film makers how have a low small budget.

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micmac said...

Posted on Jun 16 2008 21:56 DO NOT BE FOOLED by the 5 star hype on this one ! Listen to a Cine-ass who is here to warn you that this above average indie date movie is two and a half stars tops ! Yes, it has moody black and white photography of LA which is fine but, the dialogue is low on wit, high on low brow references to vaginas and masturbation.
Why are these indie films so frequently overrated ?

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Will said...

Posted on Jun 15 2008 20:23 I saw this last night and really enjoyed it. The review describes hooting with laughter and that was exactly what happened in the cinema - this film got more audience reaction than I've seen for a long time. I did have mixed feelings while watching it however. After the very funny opening the middle section of the film started to get me thinking it was going to be a bit schmaltzy. I couldn't help but compare it to films like 'Lost in Translation' (two strangers, big city, lots of flirting) and I thought that where 'Lost in Translation' was effective in leaving things very open and ambiguous, 'Midnight Kiss' seemed to be a little bit too 'fairy tale romantic'. The Wilson of the first few minutes of the film ("all week-long stubble and indie threads") seems to transform into a suave, flirty man-about-town a little too easily as the two characters wander around LA. However, there are some great little stings in the tail, and I thought the ending was great - it made me reassess my mid-film judgement and think that this really is a realistic and honest film after all. Very highly recommended,

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Kasia said...

Posted on Jun 15 2008 18:33 I saw the film last nite, didn't really expect it to be great as read some one bad review before... But it was better than I expected. Actually, much better. The actual story is quite simple, but the director shows and tells it in a very interesting, original and moving way. Great characters, way of filming and brilliant music too. Worth seeing!

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nef said...

Posted on Jun 15 2008 17:00 I went to see this film last night, really not knowing to expect. The verdict... it was really funny, moving, arty and inspiring all at the same time!! The characters are brilliant, the acting superb and you will finding yourself laughing throughout it. You will not be disapointed, it is awesome!!

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