THE NIGHT LISTENER

"You have to let me see him"

Struggling to cope with the end of his relationship, Gabriel Noone's (Williams) work on his national radio show is suffering. Famed for his late night stories, Gabriel is introduced to a young author's novel by his publicist Ashe (Morton). Discovering that the fourteen year-old writer has suffered unimaginable abuse and is now dying from AIDS, he contacts Pete (Culkin) and starts a telephone friendship but as Pete becomes more and more ill, Gabriel becomes concerned. Trying to contact his adopted mother Donna (Collette), he realises that there maybe a little more to Pete's story than he first thought.

Robin Williams dons his dramatic cap again to bring us an investigative drama that will have you guessing all the way to the end.

Even though he made his name as a comedic actor, Robin will is no stranger to playing more dramatic and challenging roles, in fact he has won an Oscar doing just that. He also has a passion for playing darker roles that really challenge his talents and give him the chance to prove that he deserved that golden statue. His career of late has been a bit of a mixed bag however as he continues to make brave and unexpected choices. In both 'Insomnia' and 'One Hour Photo' is played the villain and revealed the darker side of his acting ability. He also returned to lighter roles in more family oriented fair in 'RV' and 'Robots' but none of these movies where commercial smash hits, even though his performances were critically acclaimed.

'The Night Listener' sees him return to the type of character that drew him to the attention of the academy. Based on the novel by Armistead Maupin, which was written from his own experiences, the movie is about a writer and radio broadcaster called Gabriel Noone whose life is falling apart after his relationship ends. When his agent gives him a manuscript to read, he cannot believe that a fourteen-year-old boy has written it. The terminally ill boy, who is called Pete, then contacts him and the pair strikes up a telephone friendship but as Pete becomes more and more ill, his adopted mother Donna starts to shut Gabriel out of his life. Not wanting to let Pete down, Gabriel starts to investigate but can find any record of Pete ever existing.

This intriguing plot draws you in from the off. The fact that Gabriel only has a picture of the boy, his manuscript and the telephone conversations as proof that Pete even exists is what keeps you guessing until the very end. The plot twists and turns until the last scene, where unfortunately instead of leaving you to make up your own mind, it does suffer from the usual Hollywood problem of wrapping things up too nicely.

As well as another fine dramatic performance by Robin Williams, the supporting cast is also good enough to draw you in. Toni Collette is really making a name for herself as a fine actress who can turn her talents to any kind of role. As Donna she creates a character that is instantly distrustful and because of this, adds to the mystery of the plot. Sandra Oh and Bobby Cannavale are just as good as ever in their smaller roles as Gabriel's friends Anna and Jess.

'The Night Listener' is a twisting and turning thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. If it wasn't for the forced Hollywood conclusion, this would have been a movie you would have been talking about for a long time but this should not put you off watching this intriguing story.

Insomnia

One Hour Photo

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2006