That Night (1993)

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Sweet, feel-good movie. A growing-up drama (sort of Wonder Years-like) with some great humour and some romance thrown in. The main adult characters are played by Juliette Lewis and C Thomas Howell, who put in decent performances. However, it is 11-year old Eliza Dushku, in her first movie, who steals the show with a sweet, remarkable performance. Supporting cast includes 13-year old Katherine Heigl, also in her first movie. Interesting to see the humble beginnings of these now-stars.Great 60s soundtrack.

This film is something in the tradition of "Stealing Home" or "The Year My Voice Broke." Set in 1960s New York is the story of a young suburban girl (Dushku)and her rambunctious teen neighbor (Juliette Lewis) who falls in love with the town "roughie" (C. Thomas Howell). Like many films of this kind, in that Romeo and Juliette sense, a tragedy is the result of their relationship.The tag line for this movie is "In every life, there's a friendship you'll never forget." We learn which one that is for Alice. The story is told from the point of view from the young neighbor, Alice Bloom, played quite well by Eliza Dushku. Her story is more interesting and less predictable than that of the lovestruck teenagers. Because of her neighbor's (Lewis) bold persona, she serves as Alice's vicarious (and soon, real) escape from a somewhat clueless family and a bunch of friends who tease her quite a bit. But, as the neighbor and her boyfriend began to get more serious in their relationship, the neighbor's mother (and the rest of the suspicious neighborhood) forbids her from seeing the boy. Soon enough, Alice becomes involved in the situation.This turned out to be a better movie than I expected, but only because of the innocence and somewhat naivety of the ten-year-old protagonist, Alice (Dushku), who seems to survive among a wave of loveless households and idiotic playmates. She's a reminder to all the confusion and awkwardness of that age, as well, which adds to much of the humor. And, she is even invited to a sort of teenage underworld (under the boardwalk). The love story, however, between the neighbor and her boyfriend just seemed to be boilerplate. Not to mention, some deadpan acting by Howell, which detracted from much believability. But Eliza Dushku really steals the show for this one and I would highly recommend watching it.

In her screen debut, a pre-vamp Dushku plays Alice, an 11ish girl who makes friends with an older girl on the other side of both puberty and the street of her Long Island neighborhood. "That Night" is a sweet little slice-of-life flick which tells of the lessons about growing up which Alice learns through her friendship with neighbor Sheryl (Lewis) and her boyfriend (Howell). A journeyman flick but a slow starter worth the wait, "That Night" is a charmer with a 50's flavor, some solid performances, an okay screenplay, and will be most enjoyed by teens and more mature adults.

Suffering from insomnia and looking for something to watch in the dead hours of the night, I stopped when the satellite guide told me 'That Night' would be on. I wanted to see it because I like Juliette Lewis but had never got around to renting this movie. I got the strongest sense of deja vu when young 'Alice' showed up on screen for the first time and that clinched it, so I settled in to watch. Set in 1961, this is a better than average execution of an entirely cliched plot. Well-off, popular good girl (Sheryl) meets and falls in love with a sensitive bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks (Rick), everyone else disapproves, she gets pregnant, etc. The couple's only ally is Alice, a young girl who lives across the street from Sheryl. She is a lonely soul- tormented by her "friends", ignored by her father, talked down to by her mother, and obssessed with the idea of a love that will transcend her own, rather unhappy existence. She escapes through Sheryl, whom she idealizes- and who she ultimately is able to help in very important ways. This movie wouldn't really work if not for a nice period feel, very likable, sympathetic main characters and strong performances from the actors playing them. Juliette is as compelling as ever and young Eliza Dushku (who was giving me deja vu, I realized when I saw her name in the credits, because I had seen 'Bring It On' only two days before!) is terrific in her very first role as story-teller Alice. 'That Night' is by no means a great movie, but it is a good one, and well worth seeing.