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Movies / On DVD / The Good Night
The Good Night

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The Good Night (2007)

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Reviews Counted:41

Fresh:12

Rotten:29

Average Rating:4.8/10

Consensus: That The Good Night is the work of a first-time writer/director is apparent, as the story feels disjointed and never connects with the audience.

Rated: 15

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:18-01-2008

Synopsis: Jake Paltrow directs his sister Gwyneth in this take on the midlife crisis. Gary (Martin Freeman) was once riding high as the member of a successful pop band. Now, seven years later, the band is no... Jake Paltrow directs his sister Gwyneth in this take on the midlife crisis. Gary (Martin Freeman) was once riding high as the member of a successful pop band. Now, seven years later, the band is no more and he pays the bills by composing mediocre music for commercials. To further add to his unhappiness, his relationship with his girlfriend, Dora (Paltrow), appears to be on its last legs. The only thing Gary looks forward to anymore is sleeping--so that he might have a reoccurring dream about a beautiful mystery woman he calls Anna (Penelope Cruz). He even goes so far as to take dream workshops taught by a scruffy eccentric named Mel (Danny Devito), in the hopes of prolonging his experiences in his subconscious. He soon becomes obsessed with escaping into his dreamworld, and his real life begins to fall apart. Depressed and confused, he finally has a revelatory dream wherein he realizes he needs to make a major change and return to reality. He plots a grand romantic gesture to get his life back on track, but the plan backfires with rather shocking and tragic results. Martin Freeman gives an endearing performance as the befuddled Gary, and Gwyneth Paltrow is splendidly obnoxious as the nagging, frowning Dora. Viewers should take note, while THE GOOD NIGHT is billed as a romantic comedy, it's definitely not standard fare. It certainly has its share of laughs and feel good moments, but it also has some pretty dark undertones that one doesn't usually find in the rom-com genre. [More]

Starring: Martin Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz, Simon Pegg

Starring: Martin Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz, Simon Pegg, Danny De Vito, Keith Allen, Michael Gambon

Director: Jake Paltrow

Director: Jake Paltrow
Screenwriter: Jake Paltrow
Producer: Donna Gigliotti, Bill Johnson
Composer: Alec Puro
Studio: Yari Film Group

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Reviews for The Good Night

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
10/18/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

If the hero has trouble dozing off, that's not a problem which will affect many viewers of this movie.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
01/18/08
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

Despite some wry humour, the miscast leads and sour tone are as out of place in this Woody Allen landscape as Gwyneth’s silly wig.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/18/08
Kat Brown
Kat Brown
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As a comedy of male delusion, Night seems to shrink from its flimsy dramatic subtexts; as a probing of dream and reality in love, its pretensions to depth suggest a neutered comedic courage: Woody Allen-lite.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
01/18/08
Kevin Harley
Kevin Harley
Total Film

Sadly not the stuff of dreams.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/18/08
Laura Bushell
Laura Bushell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Good Night toys with some interesting ideas but it never quite works, largely because none of the characters are particularly likeable.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
01/17/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

An all-star cast and Pegg's larger-than-life turn can't stop this offbeat yarn being a bit of a snooze.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
01/18/08
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A mish-mash of secondhand ideas, with some real misfires.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
01/18/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Such a big grey blanket of misery it should have been called "Eternal Cloud Cover".

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
01/18/08
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Skimming through comedy, satire and cautionary tale, it’s all somewhat vague – exasperatingly so when suggestive artiness seems to have been intended. Not as clever as it thinks.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/18/08
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What comedy there is fails to ignite and the romance is stillborn since we don’t care who sleeps with whom or whether they do it in real life or the dream world.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
01/18/08
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
04/03/08
Boxoffice Magazine
N/R

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Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
09/26/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

The movie drags on.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
11/02/07
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

The material is often too bizarre and esoteric for ordinary people to be able to relate to any of it.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
10/02/07
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

Feature debut of Jake Platrow (brother of star Gwyneth Paltrow, who co-stars) is a disappointing meditation on the danger and seductiveness of dreams, a pale imitation of Woody Allen's edgier urban comedies.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
10/31/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Remains aloof and cold throughout, despite the best efforts of its cast to bring some life to the proceedings.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
10/04/07
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International

Unsympathetic characters, a lead performer that does not register, and a script that comes across like improvisations do not bode well for Jake Paltrow's debut feature.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
10/01/07
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

As thin and wispy as a dream you can't quite remember in the morning.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
10/05/07
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News

The Good Night has flashes of bookish wit, but never quite recovers from the metronomic monotony of its first half.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
10/04/07
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday
 
 
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Latest News for The Good Night

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This week at the movies, we've got honeymooners (The Heartbreak Kid, starring Ben Stiller and Michelle Monhagan), teenage heroes (The Seeker, starring Alexander Ludwig),... More...

September 30, 2007: This sleepyhead Prince Charming is in for a rude awakening when the choosy, chain smoking Anna, actual female that she is, finds him an annoying loser, and at best undesirable. Au revoir, unconditional love. Someone wake me when it's over. Opens in new window
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August 23, 2007: Kid brother Jake Paltrow gets behind the camera to direct celeb sibling Gwyneth in a cerebral yarn about a failed musician who compensates for a bummer of a life by falling in love with the woman of his dreams literally, that he visits in his sleep. Opens in new window
More...

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