After Hours
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Movie Reviews of After Hours
Movie Review: Genious
Summary: 5 Stars
Tops on my list of 10 favorite films. See if you can find a younger Martin Scorsese as he plays a brief Hitchcock-ian cameo role. A must-see for any fan of The Big Apple.Movie Review: Outstanding!
Summary: 5 Stars
A genuinely unique film. Bizarre, twisted, at times even verging on cruel; but hilarious. If you like Hitch-Hiker's Guide-type coincidence, this film is for you.Movie Review: If you think you had a bad day...watch this.
Summary: 5 Stars
Absolutely hilarious! This poor guy has the worst luck ever all in a 12 hour period.Movie Review: Warning: Do not read "Tropic of Cancer" after hours in NYC!
Summary: 4 Stars
What happens to others when our eyes close at night? Does a city really sleep, or are there adventures to be had even after the latest bar closes? New York City is one of those towns (if that word can be used) where a happy citizen could meet random strangers who are have equally fun nights, connect with hijinks throughout, and finally return back after this sed night to report around the water cooler with co-workers the next day. New York City - a hell of a town. When NYC turns its lights off at night; that is when famed director Martin (or Marty) Scorsese decides comedy would ensue. When "The Last Temptation of Christ" fell through, Marty needed a project to lift his spirits, make him laugh, bring back his respect for filmmaking, and put his dream project behind him for now - so he decided to jump headfirst into "After Hours". This is a small, probably unseen gem which demonstrates quite a bit of talent, some humorous moments, but mainly soul, rhythm, and excitement. "After Hours" was a surprise, because I think I had heard a joke about Scorsese and comedy, but he pulled this one through, providing classic cinematography, that darkened edge that was enjoyed in "Bringing out the Dead", and a solid character to lead us through the night. "After Hours" gave Marty the inspiration he needed to continue to make films, and it is a little gem he should never be afraid of.
This film takes place during the course of one night. As a series of unfortunate events happen to our lead, Griffin Dunne, we watch as he encounters bar keeps, ice cream truck drivers, papier-māché bagels, 50s-style waitresses, Cheech and Chong, Mohawks, and finally an aging woman at a bar who also loves, you guessed it, papier-māché. While it seems like the night comes full circle, the events that occur during the 97-minutes are pure entertainment as well as pure Scorsese. From an acting standpoint, only one character needed to be developed enough to enjoy. Dunne is reminiscent of a young Gene Wilder in this role with his passionate rants and witty retorts. Dunne is also easy to follow through this journey, as he is the quintessential "joe-shmoe" with the go-nowhere job looking for a night on the town. As he gets wet, hit, excited, and nervous, the audience can relate to him. He is perfect for this role, and his mannerisms fit with his character. Those surrounding Dunne also create their own "oddities" of the city. Rosanna Arquette is mesmerizing as a woman with potential burns and non-cohesive tendencies. We never know if she is the truth or instigator of this evening. Linda Fiorentino is decent, but John Heard punches in the laughter, as does Teri Garr and Catherine O'Hara. The cameo by Cheech and Chong may date this film, but it added to the inconsistent chaos that transformed "After Hours" from mediocre intertwined story, to independent cult classic.
Outside of the quirky characters that Scorsese has ideally placed throughout this film, the cinematography also is an element to enjoy with this film. Scorsese doesn't just sit back and film with generic stock footage; he uses his patented techniques to give us his own signature film. The scene with the keys was impressive (as well as added to the overall oddities of Dunne) as well as the scene near the end where Scorsese takes us around Dunne's office in a swooping visual treat. These are two to watch, but also look at the smaller moments. Scorsese proves in this film that he can handle singular shots as well as full-framed moments with hordes of people. His talent behind the camera isn't wasted or misused; he takes what could have been an average zany night out using Hollywood recycling, and transforms it into a Scorsese picture worthy of his repertoire. Let us not be mistaken, this is a Martin Scorsese picture, and one should not neglect it when mentioning the others in his award winning portfolio. Scorsese isn't known for his comedy style, but with both this and "Bringing out the Dead", he really creates his own type of comedy and dives headfirst into the darker element of the trade.
On a very small note, Scorsese's use of mythology is slight, but intensely focused in "After Hours". The fact that this entire evening happens with the dropping of a set of keys, the opening of a large gate, like a boy heading into manhood or to his first adventure is enjoyable. This film was the study of a man entering life, going from death (the working at a dead-end job) to a life full of adventure on the streets (perhaps not paying the river-man the right amount due to him driving too quickly and his $20 flying out the window), and finally back into death (the swooping final scene) is highly symbolical of the circle of life. Only Marty could give us this deeper meaning on a comedy. "After Hours" is a perfect pairing with "Bringing out the Dead" with its focuses on life versus death. A side note, but well worth mentioning.
Overall, this was a welcomed surprise. I wasn't familiar with Scorsese's "After Hours", but it was obviously his film with signature cinematography, apparent cameos, and dedicated characters. This feature has just as much heart, soul, and energy as any "Mean Streats", "Goodfellas", or "The Last Temptation of Christ", and honestly should be credited with giving Mr. Scorsese the inspiration to keep working. Without "After Hours", our cinematic theaters would never have known Christ's final thoughts. If you are looking for a comedy, a late night snack, or a great project for your final film class, this is the perfect film to use. It is often overlooked, but should be catapulted into cult classic status. It had everything from monumental lines (who can't laugh at the plaster of Paris cream cheese bagel?), amazing scenes, and characters that kept you glued to the screen. Watch it. I promise a great night out exploring the lonely streets of New York - that side we never see because it is ... "After Hours".
I know, laugh, but it was worth the corny, albeit cheap, shot.
Grade: **** ½ out of *****
Movie Review: "Boy, I'm sorry. I guess I've really been runnin' you through the mill tonight."
Summary: 4 Stars
"After Hours" is an anomaly among the works of Martin Scorsese. That's because it's a comedy, albeit one of the darkest variety. After Hours concerns the worst night of ordinary word processor Paul Hackett's life. Hackett, played by "An American Werewolf in London"'s Griffin Dunne, meets a woman at a cafe in New York one evening. She gives him her phone number, and that night at 11:30 Hackett gives her a ring. The woman (Rosanna Arquette) asks him to come over, and naturally he complies.
But he gets more than he bargained for. By the end of that night (if he lives to see it), Hackett will have been responsible for one suicide, drawn the attention of a number of bizarre women including "Miss Beehive 1965" (Teri Garr), an artist with kinky tastes (Linda Fiorentino), and an obnoxious ice cream vendor (Catherine O'Hara), been chased by an angry and determined mob looking for blood, and wind up being "stolen" by two thieves (Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong) while encased in papier-mache. Early on in the film, Paul apologizes to someone: "Boy, I'm sorry. I guess I've really been runnin' you through the mill tonight." Paul has no idea that he's about to get run through the mill himself, and experience more in one incredible night than most people would in their entire lives.
"After Hours" is a great concept, turned into a stellar script by Joseph Minion. But it's the massive talent of director Scorsese and a delightful cast that turn that stellar script into a stellar movie. It's ironic that one of Scorsese's lesser-known projects (by which I mean one which doesn't rank among the annals of the greatest films ever made), a comedy, no less, features some of his best work. Scorsese directs the picture with the flowing skill of Alfred Hitchcock; if Hitchcock himself directed a modern comedy, it would no doubt turn out like this. Scorsese is obviously very amused by what's going on here. He transforms the amusing into the hilarious by making the many absurd turns of the film as plausible as possible. At the same time, he turns this night into a nightmare. SoHo becomes like the forests of Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" movies, an ominous, claustrophobic, inescapable force. All the forces of nature seem to be against poor Paul Hackett.
Paul is an impressively fascinating character as rendered by Griffin Dunne. There's just the slightest air of eccentricity about Dunne's performance; otherwise, Paul Hackett seems like an ordinary guy, one with good intentions at that, and therein lies the appeal of the character. He's not some jerk who deserves all this tumult; he's a nice guy who's having an inconceivably horrid night and just can't get home. As such, the audience sympathizes, and rather than just sitting back and laughing at this poor sap, we're drawn into his plight to get home. At the end of it all, we hope he does.
The supporting cast is very strong. Their characterizations are simply wonderful. Thanks to Scorsese, they're believable people, but they're also very, very odd. It's clear that Paul is completely on his own, further accenting the nightmarishness of it all. Even when he finds a friend in sweet bartender Tom (John Heard), fate intervenes. Particularly interesting is Marcy, Rosanna Arquette's character, who initially draws Paul into Soho. After doing some snooping around her bags, Paul discovers a tube of cream for severe burns, and beside that a book designed to help burn victims recover. He gets a little frightened, and we wonder just what Marcy's hiding. Later, Paul looks over Marcy's naked body and discovers no sign of any burns whatsoever. More Hitchcockian moments, courtesy of Mr. Scorsese.
"After Hours" has stalwart photography by Michael Ballhaus. A number of shots are pretty as a picture. The way it's filmed, with Scorsese's pitch-black approach to the material, has a faint noirishness about it. Yet although "After Hours" would fit in well with Scorsese's other dark portraits of life in the Big Apple, there's nothing in the film to suggest Martin Scorsese had a hand in its making. Surprisingly, considering the un-Scorsese-like material, Scorsese's hand is deep in the project. Likely he identified with his protagonist. Scorsese's most personal project, an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel "The Last Temptation of Christ," had just been abruptly cancelled a mere four days before filming was scheduled to begin, so it's understandable that Scorsese should feel that, like Paul Hackett, his life was out of his control and in the hands of others. (Scorsese finally made "The Last Temptation of Christ" three years later.)
"After Hours" doesn't deserve a spot among pictures like "Raging Bull," "Goodfellas," or "Taxi Driver," but it deserves a lot more appreciation than it gets. It's a Scorsese masterwork, albeit of a very different variety than his usual works. Like the night depicted in the film, "After Hours" ends eventually. Anyone who appreciates film will be wishing it didn't.