In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2007)

Just what I expected

As Good As It Gets

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

'In Search of a Midnight Kiss', the third film from writer/director Alex Holdridge feels like a breath of fresh air in the romantic comedy genre. From the beginning, it becomes apparent that you've got something separate from the majority of modern movies in the genre, as Wilson (Scoot McNairy), a miserable 29-year old, plans to spend New Year's Eve alone and is caught masturbating to a Photoshopped picture of his best friend's girlfriend, by said friend Jacob (Brian McGuire). Consequently, Jacob browbeats Wilson into a posting a dating request on Craigslist and soon after, he ends up on a date with the brash and abrasive Vivian (Sara Simmonds), but remains skeptical as to whether this blind date will be successful.There are numerous aspects of this film that make it quite singular – the black and white visuals that some have likened to 'Manhattan' or the sense of humour that Holdridge described as "perverted, dark and twisted". In my opinion though, one of the most individual things about the film is how its characters feel like real people. Much of this is down to the two highly impressive performances at the centre of it all; McNairy and Simmonds have fantastic chemistry together, holding conversations that feel entirely natural and add depth and nuance to their respective character. They anchor the drama, proving to be very likable despite their flaws and give the film its heart. One of the best romantic comedies of recent years, 'In Search of Midnight Kiss' is bittersweet, genuinely funny and extremely charming, with excellent work from Holdridge, particularly the writing, which not only features a number of relatable characters and situations, but also excellently balances the comedic elements with the more serious.

This movie grows on you, so I recommend that you give it a chance. You may well find yourself initially annoyed by the main characters, but after a while they become sympathetic and even, in their own way, heroic. The main female character especially has more depth and insight than you might credit her with having on your first impression. The dialogue is good, as is the acting, and the plot turns are surprising. The scene that takes place in an old movie theater reveals the beauty of a bygone era. The couple in the supporting role bring their own complications and thereby add to the drama and fun. Altogether, an engaging movie.

I watched 5 minutes and couldn't really handle the vibe It felt very low-budget, it actually looked like they were just messing around with the camera? I can't judge fully due to not watching the whole movie, but it really didn't make me want to continue watching I'm giving it a 2 because I feel mean giving a 1 I have watched some movies lately and judged them by their ratings, was that a bad idea! I wouldn't go by the rating for this one the cover also made it look better than was so as the saying goes never judge a book by its cover and yeah i'm now trying to fill the lines up so i can post this and yeah hopefully this review will be helpful to some that is all

The "Mumblecore" genre refers to a relatively recent wave of ultra low budget films which explore relationships between young adults, utilise 16mm or digital cameras, and copy the styles of Cassavetes, Fassbinder, Crowe, Linklater and Kevin Smith.In an attempt to draw mainstream attention, most of these films hide a rather saccharine, Hollywood plot beneath their gritty exteriors, and "In Search Of A Midnight Kiss" is no different. Written and directed by Alex Holdridge, the film follows a 29 year old guy called Wilson (endearingly played by Scoot McNairy), a failed screenwriter whose friends set him up on a blind date with Vivian (played with vulnerability by Sara Simmonds), a failed actress.Upon meeting Vivian, Wilson is initially put off by her rock hard exterior. Their first encounter plays like an audition or business meeting, Vivian quickly sizing Wilson up and then offering him 24 hours with her. If they don't hit it off by then, they'll cut the ropes. No questions asked. Wilson agrees.Gradually, however, the external defences of both characters are broken down. It becomes clear that they're both lonely, neither wanting to be alone at midnight as its New Years Eve. And so we watch as they walk and talk (shades of "Two Days In Paris", "Four Nights Of A Dreamer", "In The City of Sylvia", "Before Sunset", "Before Sunrise" etc), eavesdropping on their conversations and sharing their intimate moments.The film's surface romance is cute and engaging, Holdrige inserting enough raunchy jokes to undercut any gooey sentimentality and enough emotion to elevate the crassness. But it's the stuff behind the surface plot that's more interesting. For example, the film is implicitly about the romance of film-making and the pain of being stuck in the world of low budget indies. Holdrige's film is subconsciously autobiographical, romanticising theatre houses, cameras and his love for actresses, but juggling these pleasures with a kind of grungy cynicism, the lowly screenwriter stuck with a pregnant actress in an LA filled with derelict theatre houses. Despite its grasps for mainstream attention, this is a sad film about being resigned to the fate of the lowly digital camera.Which is why it is bizarre that every review of this film praises its black and white photography. There are two versions of "In Search Of A Midnight Kiss", one in supposedly "ugly" digital colour and one in supposedly "beautiful" and "glossy" black-and-white, which reviewers inappropriately compare to Woody Allen's "Manhattan". But the truth is, it is the colour version of the film that is far more beautiful. The digital footage looks poorly lit, grungy, flat, but conveys an intimacy, a special ambiance, reality and rawness which the slick, glossy black-and-white version, which was cynically calculated to appeal to mainstream audiences and art house crowds, does not.8/10 – Though too heavily indebted to Linklater (amongst others), the film nevertheless works well. Note - stick to the colour release. Sensualists like Mann and Lynch have proved the powers of digital. Audiences need to catch up to digital's intimacy and stop avoiding it.Worth one viewing.