12:01 (1993)

Sadly Over-hyped

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Based on the short story "12:01 PM" by Richard A. Lupoff, this is a fabulous film.The protagonist witnesses the murder of a woman he secretly likes. She is killed in front of him and he is unable to do anything to save her. That night he goes to a bar to drown his sorrows and mourn her death. And as he is returning home, there is a storm and he gets an electric shock at exactly 12:01 AM.The next morning he heads to office and is stunned to see the same girl he had seen murdered last evening. She's alive, and hale and hearty! How?He now realizes that the day hasn't moved on. It's still the previous day! And that evening he sees her gunned down yet again!The next morning he wakes up eagerly and sees it's the same day again and the woman is alive and will be killed as expectedly in the evening. And she is gunned down again and again and again, repeatedly, at the same time, again and again. So now he has all the time in the world to stop the murder of the love of his life, and it's not as easy as it sounds. In fact, it's going to be hell for him. I found this better than Groundhog Day, and I mean it.

Don't let the premise fool you into thinking this is a rehash of Bill Murray's movie - this is a GREAT little story unto itself. It's closer to Office Space & Back to the Future than to Groundhog Day.With a well-constructed plot & engaging characters, you can ignore the obvious writing & cinematography constraints of working on a TV budget. Watch for the pearls: Jeremy Piven & Marin Landau will sneak through with their organic performances if you're not paying attention. But everyone from the office dominatrix to the wiry assassin are well-developed; I even felt like "Mom" was part of the cast! So what IS the story about? A hard-working downtrodden everyday guy with a little tardiness problem. On the day that he FINALLY works up enough nerve to talk to the office cutie that he's had a crush on for longer than his mother can stand, she gets killed. And he has to watch it happen. ...again. And if he doesn't figure out what to say & do, he'll have to keep watching it. But the key is to figure out who ELSE is watching her, and why his interest in her has caused our hero to wake up Tuesday after Tuesday after Tuesday...12:01 is definitely worth watching again, and again, and again, and...

Excellent film - better than groundhog day and other similar time loop stories. Well acted and easy to follow. Sometimes the TV films are the best ones as they don't have to pander to the masses. The writer managed to get inside the heads of the two main characters illustrating their good points and flaws, and showing how both changed in the process. Also lives out people's aspirations of trying to get things right given a 2nd or 3rd or 4th chance. Whereas films like The Butterfly Effect and Groundhog Day are very watchable, it seems much easier to identify with the more realistic characters in 1201. The time loops seem to be just right in length - their variability keeps the watcher interested. The ending was excellent and although predictable - it rounded off the story nicely.

...out of all the good reviews from people that liked this film, a crummy review was displaying on the main page.This movie stuck with me, and every time I watch it I enjoy it all the more. As with Groundhog Day, I enjoy watching this movie over and over. But they are two different movies, altogether.I must say (without spoiling) that the scene in the office where Jonathan Silverman tells Slater how he feels about her is one of the most touching, romantic, well-played scenes I have ever seen.I thought the underplayed comedy was great and perfect for Silverman's abilities, and as for Slater and her performance, all I can say is: YUMMY!