That Night

I was flipping through Hulu and found this "coming of age" movie made in the early 90's about the early 60's, and thought, why not? I haven't been too thrilled with a lot of the current stuff being churned out, after all. And what do you know, it wasn't too bad. Sort of cute...charming...a little funny...with a great sound-track and wonderful "period piece" feel. (The clothes were fantastic, too...way better than Mad Men fashion)!

The movie is narrated by a cute, very believable ten or eleven year old girl named Alice (Ally, played by Duskhu who does an amazing job) from Long Island on the verge of discovering her own place in the world when it comes to boys and sex and all that usual "coming of age" fodder. After all, her friends talk about that sort of stuff all the time... often putting Alice down for being so clueless about everything.

Enter Sheryl (Juliette Lewis) the seventeen year old flirty girl who lives next door to Alice. Evidently, she's got all this sex and boys and attraction stuff locked down with her endless parade of dates, flirty moves, captivating perfume, etc...

Alice secretly watches Sheryl from her bedroom window and wishes she could be her. She emulates Sheryl's scarves from Woolworth's...the music Sheryl listens to...her perfume. Needless to say, she is obsessed with her seventeen year old neighbor.

Then we have Sheryl's new boyfriend (played by C. Thomas Howell)...a guy with a shadowy past (wrong side of the tracks, and all that) who works (where else?) at the bowling alley. Sheryl and her new boyfriend are "in love" despite Sheryl's mom not approving of this relationship. Alice, of course, is infatuated with the union...believing in "true love". She ends up befriending Sheryl...helping to keep her "secrets" about the relationship, and growing more and more obsessed with, not only the girl next door, but the girl next door's love life with her bowling alley boyfriend.

Okay, at this point, you can probably figure out that this movie is cliche with a capital "C." And yes...you are right. It is an incredibly cliche and contrived plot...not really an ounce of originality in it, aside from the young girl next door being obsessed with it all and narrating about it...including her own feelings about life and love (along with her own parents apparent lack of love life), etc. But this is what saves the movie; this unique element of the young girl narrating what is, otherwise, a very thin-plotted cliche of a story.

Aside from all that, the movie is quite enjoyable to watch. It's almost refreshing, with all the newer in-your-face garbage that's out nowadays. But don't expect anything really deep, or any sort of wow-like twist at the end. It's just a "slice of life," plain and simple. With some good period music and decent acting. And charm. Charm which is hard to come by these days, so yea...that's worth something. I definitely do recommend the movie...

I only gave the movie a seven, though, because I think it all seems a little too contrived sometimes and there should have been some more depth. Like...why was Sheryl's mom so upset her daughter was seeing this guy? Honestly, he didn't seem like such a bad guy, so it didn't make a lot of sense.

And why does Alice keep hanging out with these kids (the ones who are her own age) who aren't very nice to her? One boy even forces a frog into her mouth at a birthday party! So that didn't seem entirely genuine, but oh well.. (All I could wonder was, did the actress really have that frog in her mouth)? And here's something else I wondered: Why don't these girls have any hobbies or interests (painting, music, sports) aside from sex and boys?

Suffering from insomnia and looking for something to watch in the dead hours of the night, I stopped when the satellite guide told me 'That Night' would be on. I wanted to see it because I like Juliette Lewis but had never got around to renting this movie. I got the strongest sense of deja vu when young 'Alice' showed up on screen for the first time and that clinched it, so I settled in to watch. Set in 1961, this is a better than average execution of an entirely cliched plot. Well-off, popular good girl (Sheryl) meets and falls in love with a sensitive bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks (Rick), everyone else disapproves, she gets pregnant, etc. The couple's only ally is Alice, a young girl who lives across the street from Sheryl. She is a lonely soul- tormented by her "friends", ignored by her father, talked down to by her mother, and obssessed with the idea of a love that will transcend her own, rather unhappy existence. She escapes through Sheryl, whom she idealizes- and who she ultimately is able to help in very important ways. This movie wouldn't really work if not for a nice period feel, very likable, sympathetic main characters and strong performances from the actors playing them. Juliette is as compelling as ever and young Eliza Dushku (who was giving me deja vu, I realized when I saw her name in the credits, because I had seen 'Bring It On' only two days before!) is terrific in her very first role as story-teller Alice. 'That Night' is by no means a great movie, but it is a good one, and well worth seeing.

I love this movie so much. Its in my top three of my favorite movies of all time. I remember the first time I saw it. I was fumbling around late at night trying to find something to watch. Then there it was. A cute little movie of a young girl discovering things about the world. I was like..hmmm well maybe. So I watched it. Fell in love! Not only was it one of the best love stories I had seen in awhile, but its was made in a fashion that was real. A bit taboo for the time its set in.. but thats what makes it really great. If you have never seen this movie.. I definitely suggest you buy it.. rent it.. borrow it from someone.. Whatever. Just see it. Its so cute. And the music isn't bad either.. Its a great movie and I had a great time watching it. Thanks.. Lilly

this is one of the best movies i have ever seen. i have watched it for over 12 years and i never get tired of it. c Thomas Howell is gorgeous and Juliette lewis is amazing in it. i would recommend everyone take the time to see it. well worth watching!!!! it will make you laugh and cry but will leave you with a feeling of happiness at the end. not a predictable ending. it is far better than recent girlie movies out and i would recommend it for men as well. it really is up there with my other favourites like dirty dancing, flash dance and Bridget Jones diary. not much more i can really say about this except if you haven't yet seen this then go and try and rent a copy today. i promise you won't be disappointed.

In her screen debut, a pre-vamp Dushku plays Alice, an 11ish girl who makes friends with an older girl on the other side of both puberty and the street of her Long Island neighborhood. "That Night" is a sweet little slice-of-life flick which tells of the lessons about growing up which Alice learns through her friendship with neighbor Sheryl (Lewis) and her boyfriend (Howell). A journeyman flick but a slow starter worth the wait, "That Night" is a charmer with a 50's flavor, some solid performances, an okay screenplay, and will be most enjoyed by teens and more mature adults.