The Night Listener (film)

Last updated
The Night Listener
The Night Listener movie poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Patrick Stettner
Screenplay by Armistead Maupin
Terry Anderson
Patrick Stettner
Based on The Night Listener
by Armistead Maupin
Produced byRobert Kessel
Jill Footlick
Jeffrey Sharp
John Hart
Armistead Maupin
Starring Robin Williams
Toni Collette
Bobby Cannavale
Joe Morton
Rory Culkin
Sandra Oh
CinematographyLisa Rinzler
Edited byAndy Keir
Music by Peter Nashel
Production
companies
Distributed by Miramax Films
Release dates
  • January 21, 2006 (2006-01-21)(Sundance) [1]
  • August 4, 2006 (2006-08-04)(United States)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million
Box office$10,639,686

The Night Listener is a 2006 American psychological thriller 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.

Contents

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 that chronicles the many years of sexual abuse that 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 with Donna and suspects that she is impersonating Pete in some of the telephone conversations. Noone's personal secretary Anna adds fuel to the fire by discussing her research of people who fabricate elaborate stories to get attention.

Determined to prove that the boy exists and that his story is true, Noone decides to pay a surprise visit to Pete in his hometown in rural Wisconsin. Noone discovers that the return address on Pete's correspondence is actually a mail drop. While eating in a local diner, he overhears another patron and recognizes her voice as that of Donna. He is surprised to learn that she is blind and uses a guide dog. Noone follows her home, and Donna senses that 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 that he can visit the boy the following day but suddenly becomes angry and tells him that 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 but, mistakenly believing that Noone is one of the boy's abusers, attacks him with a stun baton before taking him to the station. Noone convinces the police that he meant no harm and is released, finding Donna waiting for him with the news that Pete is dead; also, that he was in a Milwaukee hospital and not in Madison. Distressed that Noone does not believe her, Donna collapses in the middle of a road and tries to hold him with her in the path of an oncoming truck. Donna 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 could be anyone. The phone rings and the caller claims to be the boy (now sounding exactly like Donna) waiting for his mother at the airport. The caller ends the conversation after Noone asks what happened in Donna's past, how she became blind, and suggests that Donna get help. Noone 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 that 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 nor dark glasses, revealing that 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

Production

In The Night Listener Revealed, a special feature 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's, and an afterword by Fred Rogers (of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ), he had no reason to doubt the story's veracity. [2]

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 lover Terry Anderson (who co-wrote the screenplay), who had occasionally spoken with the boy, 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 increasingly determined to believe the boy really existed. It was only after Vicki repeatedly prevented him from visiting the boy when Maupin began to think that he was involved in a scam.

Following the publication of the novel, a friend of Maupin's who wrote for The New Yorker initiated 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. [3]

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." [4]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times called the film a "well-meaning, flat-footed screen adaptation [that] 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." [5]

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." [6]

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." [7]

David Rooney of Variety thought it was "tediously solemn" and a "dawdling mystery thriller [that] 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." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armistead Maupin</span> American writer

Armistead Jones Maupin, Jr. is an American writer notable for Tales of the City, a series of novels set in San Francisco.

<i>Bridge to Terabithia</i> (novel) 1977 childrens novel by Katherine Paterson

Bridge to Terabithia is a children's novel written by Katherine Paterson; it is about two children named Leslie and Jesse who create a magical forest kingdom in their imaginations. The book was originally published in 1977 by Thomas Crowell, and in 1978, it won the Newbery Medal. Paterson drew inspiration for the novel from a real event that occurred in August 1974 when her son's friend was struck and killed by lightning.

<i>Tales of the City</i> Series of novels written by Armistead Maupin

Tales of the City is a series of ten novels written by American author Armistead Maupin from 1978 to 2024, depicting the life of a group of friends in San Francisco, many of whom are LGBT. The stories from Tales were originally serialized prior to their novelization, with the first four titles appearing as regular installments in the San Francisco Chronicle, while the fifth appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. The remaining titles were never serialized, but were instead originally written as novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JT LeRoy</span> Literary persona adopted by writer Laura Albert

Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy, or simply JT LeRoy, is a literary persona created in the 1990s by American writer Laura Albert. LeRoy was presented as the author of three books of fiction, which were purportedly semi-autobiographical accounts by a teenage boy of his experiences of poverty, drug use, and emotional and sexual abuse in his childhood and adolescence from rural West Virginia to California. Albert wrote these works, and communicated with people in the persona of LeRoy via phone and e-mail. Following the release of the first novel Sarah, Albert's sibling-in-law Savannah Knoop began to make public appearances as the supposed writer. The works attracted considerable literary and celebrity attention, and the authenticity of LeRoy has been a subject of debate, even as details of the creation came to light in the 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia</span> 1972 ballad by Bobby Russell

"The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" is a Southern Gothic murder ballad, written in 1972 by songwriter Bobby Russell and first recorded by his then-wife singer, comedian, and actress Vicki Lawrence. Lawrence's version, from her 1973 album of the same name, went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart after its release. Of several cover versions, the one recorded by Reba McEntire for her 1991 album For My Broken Heart peaked at number 12 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Anthony Godby Johnson is the subject and supposed author of the 1993 memoir A Rock and a Hard Place: One Boy's Triumphant Story. Subsequent investigations suggest that Johnson may have been the literary creation of Vicki Johnson, who purported to be Johnson's adoptive mother.

<i>The Night Listener</i> (novel) 2000 novel by Armistead Maupin

The Night Listener is a 2000 roman à clef by Armistead Maupin. The novel's plot is based on the author's interaction with Anthony Godby Johnson, the purported author of a book, A Rock and a Hard Place: One Boy's Triumphant Story, both before and after Anthony is suspected of being a hoax.

The Night Listener may refer to

<i>Tales of the City</i> (1993 miniseries) Television miniseries directed by Alastair Reid

Tales of the City is a 1993 television miniseries based on the first of the Tales of the City series of novels by Armistead Maupin.

<i>Tales of the City</i> (novel) 1978 novel by Armistead Maupin

Tales of the City (1978) is the first book in the Tales of the City series by American novelist Armistead Maupin, originally serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle. Set in 1970s San Francisco, it follows the residents of a small apartment complex at 28 Barbary Lane, including the eccentric landlady, Anna Madrigal.

<i>Michael Tolliver Lives</i> A novel

Michael Tolliver Lives (2007) is the seventh book in the Tales of the City series by San Francisco novelist Armistead Maupin.

<i>Maybe the Moon</i> 1992 novel by Armistead Maupin

Maybe the Moon is a 1992 novel written by San Francisco novelist Armistead Maupin.

<i>The Hi-Lo Country</i> 1998 film by Stephen Frears

The Hi-Lo Country is a 1998 American-Western film directed by Stephen Frears, starring Billy Crudup, Penélope Cruz, Woody Harrelson, Cole Hauser, Sam Elliott, Patricia Arquette, Enrique Castillo, and Katy Jurado. It is set in post-World War II New Mexico and is based on the Western novel by Max Evans.

<i>Blood Work</i> (novel) 1997 novel by Michael Connelly

Blood Work is a 1998 mystery thriller novel written by Michael Connelly which marks the first appearance of Terry McCaleb. The character McCaleb later returns in A Darkness More Than Night (2000).

<i>Mary Ann in Autumn</i> 2010 novel by Armistead Maupin

Mary Ann in Autumn (2010) is the eighth book in the Tales of the City series by San Francisco novelist Armistead Maupin. It was released on November 2, 2010.

Patrick Stettner is an American film director and writer. His first film, Flux, was released in 1996 as a short, and starred Allison Janney in an early role. He went on to direct and write the screenplay for The Business of Strangers in 2001, which earned him a Grand Jury Prize nomination at the Sundance Film Festival of that year and earned lead actress Stockard Channing an AFI nomination for Best Female Actress. In 2006, he then wrote and directed The Night Listener, an adaptation of Armistead Maupin's eponymous semi-autobiographical 2000 novel, which landed less-than-stellar reviews from critics. He has not directed any films since The Night Listener.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Barton</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Ross Barton is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, portrayed by Michael Parr. He made his first appearance in episode 6600 of the soap, broadcast on 9 July 2013. Ross first appears as the carjacker of Laurel Thomas, before being revealed to be the nephew of Moira Barton. The character is initially characterised as a bad boy and a "nasty piece of work". The softer side of Ross' personality is explored when he enters a secret relationship with police officer Donna Windsor, who has terminal cancer. When Donna dies, Ross bonds with her daughter April Windsor.

<i>Dead Girls</i> (book) 2002 short story collection by Nancy Lee

Dead Girls is a Canadian short story collection by author Nancy Lee and was originally published in 2002 by McClelland & Stewart Ltd. Each story in the collection stars different characters, and all deal with the themes of eroticism, destruction, power, and loss. Dead Girls is Lee's debut novel and draws its inspiration from the missing women of Vancouver between 1978 and 2001.

<i>Tales of the City</i> (2019 miniseries) American LGBT drama television miniseries

Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City is an American drama television miniseries that premiered June 7, 2019, on Netflix, based on the Tales of the City novels by Armistead Maupin. Laura Linney, Paul Gross, Olympia Dukakis, and Barbara Garrick reprise their roles from previous television adaptations of Maupin's books: the original Tales of the City in 1993, and the sequels More Tales of the City (1998) and Further Tales of the City (2001). The series was Dukakis's final television role before her death.

References

  1. "The Night Listener". 22 January 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  2. Publishing, Here (2006-07-18). The Advocate. Here Publishing.
  3. "BoxOfficeMojo.com".
  4. "The Night Listener". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved January 5, 2022. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  5. Scott, A. O. (February 7, 2005). "New York Times, August 4, 2006". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  6. LaSalle, Mick (August 25, 2010). "San Francisco Chronicle, August 4, 2006". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  7. "Los Angeles Times, August 4, 2006".
  8. Rooney, David (January 22, 2006). "Variety, January 22, 2006".