The Night Listener (2006)

Robin Williams
Toni Collette
Sandra Oh
Rory Culkin
Joe Morton
Bobby Cannavale

Directed by Patrick Stettner

Plot: A psychological thriller that revolves around the celebrated writer and popular late-night radio show host, Gabriel Noone, who develops an intense relationship with a young listener named Pete and his adopted mother, just as his own domestic life is undergoing changes. When a troubling question arises regarding the boy's identity, it causes Gabriel's ordered existence to spin wildly out of control as he sets out on a harrowing journey to find the truth.

Review: I haven’t seen a Robin Williams movie in the theater since One Hour Photo. I loved that film and it made me love Robin Williams in creepy dramatic roles. I knew nothing of this film other than hearing Howard Stern talk about it. I went to the theater on the fly and decided to just see what was playing, The Night Listener was the closest thing starting, so I took the chance.

I really enjoyed this film, but this is not for everyone. The move is dialogue driven and very anti-climatic. When I say anti-climactic, I mean there is no fight scene or any real confrontation that wraps the story. You basically find out what happened and the characters go back to their lives. To me this worked, but will probably tick some people off. I felt that Robin Williams performance was extremely good, but not necessarily the best of his career. The supporting cast was all good as well, being very involved in the story, but never overshadowing the main character. The movie will be considered slow moving to a lot of people and is one of those films that people will either like or dislike. I felt the story was really good and intriguing. Although it’s not hard to figure out, it does leave some unanswered questions at the end. This bothered me at first, but as we left the theater I found myself making my own theories of what happened and realizing that was the point. Do I think this is one of the best movies I have ever seen? No, but I really enjoyed it and hope to see more Robin Williams films in this genre.
 

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