X
- 1998
- R
- Tubi TV
- 1 h 28 m
- 1998
- R
- Tubi TV
- 1 h 28 m
Directed By: David Veloz
Written By: Jerry Stahl, David Veloz
- 1998
- R
- Tubi TV
- 1 h 28 m
- 1998
- R
- Tubi TV
- 1 h 28 m
Permanent Midnight
57
7.8
Where to Watch
Directed By: David Veloz
Written By: Jerry Stahl, David Veloz
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or average
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
57
50% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
50% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or average
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
57
50% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
50% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Permanent Midnight is as enveloping as it is darkly cautionary, thanks to the effectively varied layers of Mr. Veloz's direction and the bitter intensity Mr. Stiller brings to his central role.
The movie gets credit for not making the high life seem colorful or funny. It is not. It is boring, because when the drugs are there they simply clear the pain and allow the mind to focus on getting more drugs.
The problem with most movies about junkies is that they're really not about anything but getting high, crashing and screwing up. The problem with most movies about writers is that they can't demonstrate a writer's talent. Put the two together and you've got Permanent Midnight. [18 Sep 1998, p.H6]
The framing device, which has Stiller recounting his tale to a fellow recovering addict (Maria Bello) over the course of a weekend sex session, stops Permanent Midnight dead in its tracks every time it pops up, but Stiller alone is almost enough reason to check out the film.
In short, Permanent Midnight is about what you would expect from a mild-at-heart movie that wants to titillate with a fallen artist story that has a wholesome outcome. [18 Sep 1998, p.D9]
Permanent Midnight never shows us who Jerry Stahl was before he began shooting junk, and so we have no real stake in what the drugs did to him. He’s a case study in search of a movie.
Perhaps if Jerry were a three-dimensional character, or the movie had focused on one plot instead of trying to do it all, Permanent Midnight might have been engaging. But in the end, all you see is another rich spoiled brat shoving tar up his arm, and at this point it's just too hard to care.
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