Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  A television writer's heroin addiction sinks his career goals and his marriage. Usually I give no credence to people who say that a protagonist needs to be "likable." No, s/he doesn't have to be likable; s/he has to be interesting. But after watching… More
  A television writer's heroin addiction sinks his career goals and his marriage. Usually I give no credence to people who say that a protagonist needs to be "likable." No, s/he doesn't have to be likable; s/he has to be interesting. But after watching <i>Permanent Midnight</i>, I can at least see an example of why likable protagonists make storytelling a little easier. Jerry Stahl, as played by Ben Stiller, is a morose heroin addict who does anything to get his fix. Unlike other depictions of addiction, <i>Permanent Midnight</I> doesn't romanticize any aspect of Stahl's life, and as a result, there's nothing to like about him. I'm left wondering why people like him or want to hire him for anything. Sandra, Stahl's wife, comes off as a dull, blind idiot, as portrayed by the film. Because we in the audience can see no redeemable quality in Stahl and because the film's characters don't point out anything unique about him, it's easy to give up on his plight. Stiller does play a convincing dramatic part, but he fails to lend his natural good humor to this character. Overall, there's nothing new about heroin addiction or Hollywood in this film, but it did teach me a little something about whether or not I should dismiss most of what is said in a creative writing workshop.

• Universal D

  
  Stiller in a darkly dramatic turn as a successful Hollywood writer undone by heroin use, and the fact that no one takes him seriously, least of all himself. It proves to be an enigma, hard to care about, and Stiller (oddly typecast) struggles with this contradiction. Moments of… More
  Stiller in a darkly dramatic turn as a successful Hollywood writer undone by heroin use, and the fact that no one takes him seriously, least of all himself. It proves to be an enigma, hard to care about, and Stiller (oddly typecast) struggles with this contradiction. Moments of truth, like scoring while babysitting, raise this Hollywood message ("just say no to drugs") piece above typical movie of the week exploitation, but only just.

• William D

  
  "Permanent Midnight" is one of the shallowest movies I've ever seen. It is also bizarrely off in tone and pitch. It is based on a memoir about massive drug addiction, but it's directed as if it's a comedy. Ben Stiller gives an atrociously nonchalant,… More
  "Permanent Midnight" is one of the shallowest movies I've ever seen. It is also bizarrely off in tone and pitch. It is based on a memoir about massive drug addiction, but it's directed as if it's a comedy. Ben Stiller gives an atrociously nonchalant, smirky performance as the drug addict. A couple of female characters stand around in the background with absolutely nothing to say. Owen Wilson also appears every now and again with nothing to say. I imagine that the memoir upon which the film is based has some value. My guess is that the film version fell apart not because the book was so bad but because the project fell into the hands of first-time director David Veloz, who not surprisingly has never done another film. Veloz just seemed to have no idea how to handle material like this. Perhaps he was trying to do something radical by approaching it tongue-in-cheek. But it is a colossal failure.

• Michael G

  
  Pretty well done, but incredibly dry. The scene where Stiller is having sex with the German woman is surreal.

• Erin C

  
  Parts of this movie were really shocking, such as Stiller's character bringing his baby daughter on drug runs and driving her around while high. I thought Stiller did a phenomenal job in his portrayal of Jerry Stahl - very convincing. It showed he can do more than comedy. Good… More
  Parts of this movie were really shocking, such as Stiller's character bringing his baby daughter on drug runs and driving her around while high. I thought Stiller did a phenomenal job in his portrayal of Jerry Stahl - very convincing. It showed he can do more than comedy. Good cast and great story!

• Kevin L

  
  Unlike a movie Ben Stiller has ever been in.He is of course best known for his stupid humor style of comedy.Permanent Midnight brillantly showcases his more serious/darker side.He plays a heroin who writes comedy,go figure.. Being a drug movie it wasnt all that dark. Sure certain… More
  Unlike a movie Ben Stiller has ever been in.He is of course best known for his stupid humor style of comedy.Permanent Midnight brillantly showcases his more serious/darker side.He plays a heroin who writes comedy,go figure.. Being a drug movie it wasnt all that dark. Sure certain scenes where like when he shoots up in front of his infant daughter. However the scene when he's tripping on drugs,pitching his ideas to his boss at work,well lets just say I was having a hard time not pissing my pants,haha There were certain scenes that stuck out to me. The sex scene with the German,the way it was shot...loved it. Its diffucult to discribe its power( they were intoxicated with heroin while they were screwing. For an independent film there are alot of well known faces. Of course at the time they were fairlly unknown. Owen Wilson plays Stiller's drug friend,we get the beatifull Brit Eilzabeth Hurley,and one of favortie blondes Maria Bello ;) I recommend this film too anyone that thinks Stiller is a one-track actor. He might surprise you with this....

• Christopher B

  
  Saw this at TIFF and had to be at the theater by 9 in the morning. This is after working the 4 to midnight shift for years, so I didn't even know what 7 in the morning looked like unless I was still awake. But the movie sounded awesome, the biography of the writer of Cafe Flesh… More
  Saw this at TIFF and had to be at the theater by 9 in the morning. This is after working the 4 to midnight shift for years, so I didn't even know what 7 in the morning looked like unless I was still awake. But the movie sounded awesome, the biography of the writer of Cafe Flesh and Alf? Tell me where to sign up! Turns out I should've slept in.

Read all 7 featured audience ratings