12:01 Uhr

This isn't as good as "Groundhog Day," but it's not bad. I compare it to that film because a similar storyline with each day repeating itself. The main difference in this story is that it's a crime story in addition to the romance, and it doesn't have the likable lead characters the much more famous Groundhog Day had. Here, we get Jonathan Silverman, not exactly Bill Murray. Helen Slater, meanwhile, should have terminated her career after Supergirl. The movie also could have used a little better humor.

Despite all these negatives there is something appealing about the film. Maybe it's just the interesting premise that once it hooks you in, has you to stay just so you can see if the hero is going to make everything right. For that, it gets five points but only a point for the rest. Still, if you see it on TV, check it out.

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.

SPOILER: Barry Thomas is having one. The really bad news is it keeps coming back.

Barry starts out as a likable, well-intentioned goofball marking time in a dead-end job. Underutilized, doing his best but going nowhere fast under the heel of the department head from Hell. A lot of people can empathize when he writes on his calendar: "Get new job or die!" Jonathan Silverman does a good job as Barry, making him sympathetic (maybe a little pathetic, as well) and vulnerable, but his unique circumstances eventually bring out a steely determination born of sheer frustration.

Unlike "Groundhog Day," there's a lucid explanation for why this is happening to Barry and the film revolves around how he tries to "get off the hamster wheel," as he puts it. "Groundhog" seems to offer an almost divine explanation, that all would progress once Bill Murray's character got things right. Barry was trapped in a self-perpetuating science experiment gone awry and he knew early on how to get out of it. Too bad it's easier said than done.

Helen Slater basically reprises the role she played six years earlier in "The Secret of My Success." Attractive, driven, young prodigy, brilliant beyond her years, emotionally cold in the beginning, worshiped from afar by a kind, wisecracking young man who eventually wins her heart and turns her into a giggling schoolgirl.

The plotting is intricate and it's fun to watch how each cycle changes even without Barry's direct intervention. Some things, like the coworker getting splashed with hot coffee, seem unavoidable in the grand scheme.

The editing in the home video edition is exceptionally fluid. Unlike most TV-movies available on tape or laserdisc, it's nearly impossible to remember where the commercial breaks were.

Still, if there were one flaw, it would be that Barry should have waited through one more cycle before breaking out. He'd only gone through four or five repetitions; one more wouldn't have been so bad. Getting out when he did left one of the good guys irrevocably dead.

It's interesting to see how many of this cast went on to NBC comedies. Silverman went on to star in two seasons of "The Single Guy." Paxton Whitehead and Robin Bartlett had recurring roles in "Mad About You." And Helen Slater had a guest role as a pyromaniac on "Caroline In the City," finally playing a role other than harmless ingenue.

One possible in-joke. Lisa confides to Barry that her favorite music is from the Carpenters. Coincidence? Or was this story originally called "Yesterday Once More"?SPOI

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.

12:01 is one of those movies that no one ever heard of but if they see it will remember it forever. In the same vein as Groundhog Day but with a much more interesting plot, 12:01 is the story of someone caught in a time bounce who must live the same day over and over and each day see the woman he secretly adores killed before his eyes. Silverman plays the part beautifully from answering his Mothers pointed questions to his impatience to finally get it right. Helen Slater is also wonderful as the love interest killed each day.

The movie moves quickly through the days and provides all sorts of interesting little moments as Barry Thomas tries to stop the bounce while saving his girl.

A beautiful story acted out by excellent acting and directing. I strongly urge you to find it in a video store or tape it off late night TV if you have the chance. Once you have seen it you wont forget it.