12:01 Uhr

This is my my second movie I saw where the day keeps repeating. The first one was a short on Showtime. It was a serious flick. In that one, it was worse; in that movie the same HOUR kept repeating as opposed to the same DAY repeating, not to mention that that flick was NON-comedy. Anyway, I was glad to see that that this film had some comedic elements. I like to find my favorite line in a movie. In this one, it would have to be where his mom calls, and Barry tells his mom "I can't talk right now, mom. The day's repeating" and hangs up. I saw it when it ORIGINALLY came on TV, so I don't remember it much, but I do remember I thought it was 2 hours well spent.

On a side note, I saw Groundhog Day after this movie. Groundhog Day is different enough from this movie so you can watch both and not feel like you're having the day repeat. (sorry, COULDN'T resist).

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...

I put a tape in the video machine one night to record this unknown film called "12:01" - the synopsis in the TV guide seemed interesting. I kept that tape for months, watching it over and over, just to see the subtle changes in each day being lived again. Brilliant.

Everybody seems to rave about how "original" Groundhog Day was/is but I saw "12:01" on UK TV well before Groundhog Day even hit the cinemas over here. "12:01" may have been a low-budget TVM and may have its flaws but the concept of the day after day scenario is just as good.

The sad thing is that I actually logged on tonight to order both "12:01" and Groundhog Day but I can't find a UK supplier of "12:01" and it would be such a shame if it were never seen again.

The HR clerk Barry Thomas (Jonathan Silverman) works in the office of a power plant with his best friend Howard Richter (Jeremy Piven) and has a crush on the scientist Lisa Fredericks (Helen Slater). One day, he wakes-up late and heads to the office. On the lunch time, he has a contact with Lisa at the restaurant and by the end of the day, Barry and Howard witness Lisa being assassinated by hitmen in a van. On the next morning, he wakes-up late and when he see Lisa, he realizes that the day is repeating. Soon he realizes that he is trapped on the same day and is the only person who knows it. What can he do to save Lisa and let life goes on?

"12:01" is an unknown little gem for many viewers and unforgettable for those who has seen it. Released in the same year of the blockbuster "Groundhog Day", the cute "12:01" is more engaging with nice characters and situations. Unfortunatelly this B-movie was only released on VHS in Brazil. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "12:01 - Meia-Noite e Um" ("12:01 - One Minute Past Midnight")

Note: On 08 Feb 2018, I saw this film again on DVD.

...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!