THE GOOD NIGHT
US, 2007, 93 minutes, Colour.
Martin Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz, Simon Pegg.
Directed by Jake Paltrow.
An odd kind of film. More than a bit of the glums. Some dashes of glamour. A mid-life crisis fantasy.
During the final credits, a man in our audience stood up and yelled at the screen, several times, ‘Rubbish’. He was wrong but he was certainly making the point that if anyone was wanting a nice light night out, The Good Night was not a good night for them. It has a frowning, serious tone, the characteristic of its leading man, Martin Freeman.
The basic plot is quite familiar. A middle-aged musician who has greater hopes for his life is stuck composing jingles for commercials. This kind of thing does not worry his money-oriented womanising agent and friend (played by Simon Pegg). It does worry his girlfriend who has ambitions of her own in mounting an art exhibition – and she feels that they should take time out. She is played quite unglamorously by Gwynneth Paltrow.
In compensation, the musician starts having a series of dreams in which glamour personified by Penelope Cruz appears, communicating without words (while we have subtitles) and leading our hero on and on to compensatory fantasies. Then he meets her in real life and discovers that reality is more down to earth and ordinary than exotic dreams.
The film is well acted and mounted. It is just that it is all rather downcast – and could be mistaken for a European film which might get it a larger audience prepared to take it seriously. It was written and directed by Jake Paltrow, Gwynneth’s brother.
1.The impact of the drama, focus on relationships, midlife crises, dreams, fantasy and reality?
2.The title, Tom and his nights, dreams?
3.The New York settings, the world of commercials and scoring for commercials, agents, apartments, restaurants, models and shooting sets, the contrast with the beach and the fantasy world? Musical score – especially for Tom and his compositions?
4.The opening interviews, the comments, the former girlfriend, the musicians, the agents – their perspective on Tom, his character, behaviour, work, the band, going to the United States, relationship with Dora?
5.Tom, British, going to America, the relationship with Dora, seeing him at home, their lifestyle, reading, at nights, lights out, Dora saying that she loved Tom, his response? The ordinariness? His works, hopes, the commercials, the scenes in the studio, the recording? The past with the band? The agent, his friendship, push? Issues of money? Tom and his drab life, frustrated?
6.The character of Dora, plain, her life with Tom, the exhibition, the nightly ritual of saying she loved him? The meals, her friendship with the agent’s wife, the shock about the affair? Her personal tensions? Arguments, going to live with her friend? Going to Venice, the exhibition, her return? Not coming back to Tom?
7.Tom and his dreams, Penelope Cruz as the ideal fantasy? Not talking, the subtitles expressing what she was thinking, the lure, seductive, beautiful, the kiss? Tom and his other self? Waking?
8.The agent, his friendship, British, attitudes, his wife, affairs, seductive with women, his anger at his wife, reacting like a spoilt child? The recordings? Discussions with Tom, his insensitivity?
9.Dora’s return, meeting Tom, the exhibition, his going to the exhibition, the bond between them?
10.Tom meeting the Penelope Cruz fantasy as a real model, his reactions, the set-up, the agent’s interventions, the restaurant, his coming on, her resistance, her behaviour and leaving him stranded? His seeing the posters on the bus? Realism and fantasy?
11.The effect on him, his decision to compose something special, playing it for Dora during the exhibition, following her into the street, the accident? Hospital?
12.The post-accident situation, the reality of his life, the limits, reconciled with Dora, his agent? Showing the possibilities for his future life?
