Starring Robin Williams, Toni Collete, Sandra Oh, Joe Morton, Bobby Canavale, Rory Culkin
Written By: Terry Anderson, Patrick Stettner, Armistead Maupin
Directed By: Patrick Stettner
Studio: Miramax/Disney
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Robin Williams and Toni Collete star in this mystery-thriller, based on true events, about a writer/radio show personality and the relationship he has with a boy and his adopted mother. In the style of a Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Night Listener is a creepy thriller that has interesting and unexpected turns.

Gabriel Noone (Williams) is a writer and a night time radio personality who gets handed an advanced copy of a manuscript, written by a 14 year old boy. After discussing the story on the air, Noone is contacted by the 14 year old boy and develops a relationship over the phone with him. Moved by his story, Noone takes much interest in Pete and even more so when friends tell him the boy certainly sounds like his adopted mother, Donna. Like any other thriller movie, Noone decides to accept an invite from Donna, (Collete) the boy’s adoptive mother to come out on Christmas. Things get questionable when Noone is led to a restaurant which was believed to be their address. He finally meets up with Donna, after following her home from a diner, they finally sit down to discuss Pete, the 14 year old boy that has written a manuscript about his traumatizing childhood. Donna is a bit peculiar as she is a blind women and Noone does not recall that ever coming up in conversation on the phone. Anyway, Pete is supposedly in the hospital for respiratory problems and that is why he is not around to greet Gabriel. Determined to find the answer, Gabriel searches all the hospitals in the area but to no avail finds him. Plus everyone in town is really protective of Donna and Pete and anyone that comes looking for him, gets the cold shoulder or good ass kicking.

Williams and Collete turn in great performances, especially Collete. She plays the creepy, psycho type real well and Robin Williams has a general somber role, and doesn’t really show too much extreme emotion. He suits the role of a night DJ on a talk radio station perfectly. The story is pretty close to home for the writers since it was based on something that happened to them ten years ago. Robin Williams reveals in the Featurette they received a letter from someone, only to believed to be from Donna or whoever she was. It gave them chills that she is still out there and who knows where she is today. I think it sounds more thrilling to know its a real story based on real characters than a made up story, but in the end it fell short as far as it being a thriller film.

Features:
– Deleted Scene
– “The Night Listener Revealed” – An In-Depth Look at the Movie’s Plot Twists

Audio:
– ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 CC

Video:
– Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic)

Subtitles:
– Spanish, French

Favorite Scenes: Journey to Wisconsin, House breaking, Buying a condo
Rating: R
Running Time: 81 minutes
Extras Rating:
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