Meia-Noite e Um

This is a made-for-TV movie with all the earmarks of Hallmark. It is not cheesy, just low budget with actors that cross over between television and movies. Who can forget Martin Landau in Space: 1999 (1975) ?

See the original story in the book "Before...12:01...and After" by Richard Allen Lupoff (Author), George Barr (Illustrator) ISBN-13: 978-1878252234

You know the story before it starts. Time loop stories have been presented long before this and many after. However, if you missed this one you have missed a rather good presentation with a time loop story that doesn't try to be too cutesy or too heavy.

Slob and sluff off Barry Thomas (Jonathan Silverman), finds himself the victim of time loop technology that is gone awry. At first, he finds this quite annoying. Soon he realizes he has a second chance to save the life of the one that he loves from afar, Lisa Fredericks (Helen Slater.)

The film is noticeably short; so, will he find time to grow a social consciousness get close to the girl find and fix the problem and so forth? Or is he destined to repeat his slovenly ways over the same day forever and ever and ever?

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.

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.

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...

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.