THE NIGHT LISTENER (2006)

Directed by Patrick Stettner. Starring Robin Williams, Toni Colette, Bobby Canavale, Joe Morton, Rory Culkin, Sandra Oh, John Cullum. Drama. Synopsis:A talk show host is contacted by a sick young boy who has survived a traumatic ordeal and has written a book about it. After becoming close with the boy and his adoptive mother via phone calls, he begins to suspect that the voice of the boy and his mother are one and the same person.

This one was really interesting and different, which is one of the reasons why I would recommend that anyone who likes a good story take a chance on The Night Listener. All the more so because it is based on a true story, with the writers of the film having had the experience some years before.

The protagonist of the movie is Gabriel Noone (Robin Williams Insomnia), a radio host with a popular night time show who is going through a very difficult time with the breakup of he and his long time lover, Jess (Bobby Canavale). During this time, his literary agent (Joe Morton) gives him a manuscript that was authored by a 14 year old boy who was horribly abused by his parents and is now very ill as a result, the implication being that he has contracted AIDS. The boy is now living with his adoptive mother Donna (Toni Collette Shaft) in Wisconsin and develops a regular phone relationship with Gabriel, who begins to have a deep caring for the boy, whose name is Pete.

The plot thickens, as they say, when Jess hears a conversation between Gabriel, Donna, and Pete which occurs after Pete has been in the hospital. Jess offers his opinion that the voice of Donna and Pete are actually the same voice.  This doesn't go over well with Gabriel, especially in light of his break up with Jess, but upon further reflection, he begins to wonder why no one seems to have ever seen the boy, nor has the publisher of the book done any independent verification.

Gabriel travels to Wisconsin to meet with Pete and Donna in person. He gets there and finds that the situation in the midwest is pretty much the same. No one has ever seen Pete, but they are all very protective of him as no one will say exactly what hospital he is in. It is during this trip that he also learns that Donna is blind and, you might say, somewhat mercurial. I can't go much further with the plot outline without being a spoiler, but I will say that its the kind of film that takes you where you didn't think you were going.  

The way the movie concludes might leave some unsatisfied, but to me it was just an extension of the real question that was being asked throughout the film. Pretty ambiguous review, huh? Well, its meant to be enticing.

I've never seen Toni Collette like this before, she is genuinely creepy here. Robin Williams continues to amaze those of us who first knew him as "Mork" and one of the best-if not the best-improv comedians of all time, with this strength in dramatic roles (See Insomnia, Final Cut) For those who might wonder, the same sex relationship between him and Bobby Canavale's character is dealt with openly, but it is not the focal point of the film nor is there any controversial action between the two. (Think Antonio Banderas and Tom Hanks in Philadelphia)   For what that may be worth, either way, to whoever might be particularly interested in that aspect of the movie.

There are excellent supporting characters here as well, Joe Morton does well as always. Sandra Oh is also very good and, along with John Cullum, add some levity to the film. Yes, there are some laughs here-dark humor-and they surprisingly don't come from comedic genius Robin Williams.

Unlike some films that I feel comfortable predicting that you will either like or dislike, I can't with this one. But, I can tell you that it will tell you a story that will make you think about some things.

Whether that ends up being good or bad is going to depend on you. At least, that's what I think.