Midnight Clear (2006)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Dallas Jenkins

Writers:

Wes Halula (writer)
Jerry B. Jenkins (short story)

Release Date:

2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

For many people, the holidays are the loneliest time of year. Merry Christmas.

Plot:

A recently homeless and jobless loser, a senior citizen estranged from her family, a mother of one dealing with her husband's brain damage...

Plot Keywords:

Convenience Store | Christmas | Gas Station Attendant | Fired | Divorce

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Stephen Baldwin	...	Lefty
K Callan	...	Eva
Kirk B.R. Woller	...	Kirk
Mary Thornton	...	Mary
Mitchell Jarvis	...	Mitch
Richard Fancy	...	Pastor Mark
Victoria Jackson	...	Margaret
Richard Riehle	...	Tommy
Diane Delano	...	Trudy
Wren T. Brown	...	Dale
Dominic Scott Kay	...	Jacob
Loren Lester	...	Gordon
Patricia Rae	...	Samantha
Nikki Boyer	...	Megan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ron Bath	...	Doctor
Dave Chivvis	...	Gary
Hannah Cowan	...	Caroler
Lisa Dalton	...	Elderly woman #1
Shelly Desai	...	Factory Worker
Kevin Downes	...	Rick
Faline England	...	Heather
Wayne Grace	...	Hungry Old Man
Chad Gundersen	...	Greg
Brad Heller	...	Convenience store customer
Dallas Jenkins	...	Dad
Ken Kerman	...	Conveniece store keeper
Michael Krawic	...	Police Officer
Denise Lee	...	Receptionist
Billy Joe Martinez	...	Pedestrian 1
Chris Murphy	...	Customer #2
Heather Okun	...	Girlfriend
Todd Peters	...	Boyfriend in car
Hope Elizabeth Reeves	...	Tardy Church Girl
Rhonda Reeves	...	Tardy Church Mom
Shaina Sandoval	...	Caroler
John Snelson	...	Boyfriend in car
Briton Swiercinsky	...	Church Attendant
Caprice Swiercinsky	...	Mother in Church
Lexie Swiercinsky	...	Church Attendee
Niki Swiercinsky	...	Church Attendee

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic elements.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Clear Midnight

Movie Connections:

Version of Midnight Clear (2005/II)

Soundtrack:

O Christmas Tree

Stephan Baldwin's Magnum Opus

Stephan Baldwin redeems himself by logging in one of the best performances of 2007; and no, no I'm not on crack.

The story is simple: Lonely people on Christmas Eve. Nothing fancy, nothing pretentious, nothing deep, and yet it's the most amazing small film I've seen in a long time.

The production values were on par with anything showing at your multiplex, the scriptwriting was very good, and Stephan Baldwin, wow. I thought the guy was a joke of an actor who had ridden on his more famous brother's coat-tails. How wrong I was, and boy oh boy do I owe him an apology. Stephan puts on a shocking performance as the helplessly pathetic Lefty; he practically runs an acting clinic during the entire film, and had this been released in theaters nationwide, I think he would have been in the running for some kind of recognition, ie Golden Globe perhaps.

Yes it's a Christian film, but only by the hair of it's chinny chin chin, which is to say it's barely existent, and only for the last couple minutes of the film. If you didn't know it was Christian, you'd probably miss it because it's basically about mankind's need for companionship and redemption. That's it. No bible thumping, no preaching, no gospel.

Is it the best film of 2007? No. Is it the best Direct to Video film of 2007, absolutely.