Night Owls (2015) Reviews

• Original and refreshing take on romantic comedies

  Rabbit-Reviews2015-12-16

  Night Owls is a good and refreshing flick and if you already have to watch something in this genre, it might as well be the best that the genre has to offer at this time. Very strong slapstick vibe and raunchy jokes will make you forget that at its core Night Owls is a classic romance movie. And this is not a bad thing, it's just there have been so many of them and almost all of them were horrible and generic, made just to milk the audiences for more money. This one takes things in a different direction. Kevin is one those guys who just work and work, with occasional outburst intended to prove that he's still alive. This time that outburst involves Madeline, a troubled girl who likes Kevin and the two of them spend the night together. Next thing you know Kevin finds Madeline lying unconscious in the toilet... Another thing that will entertain you is the fact that the movie is happening in almost real-time. This adds more tension to the atmosphere and a deadline that you see coming as the movie progresses, making time go faster and faster. Dynamic relationship between Kevin and Madeline is the core of this movie. They transition very quickly from strangers, friends, lovers, enemies and whole bunch of other stuff, keeping the movie interesting and further examining their relationship. How do you test a hypothesis: you take it to the extreme. This time the setup was a bit extreme, but still well thought out so our characters have lot to deal with, making Night Owls a movie you should check out.

• A modern retake on the classic The Apartment (1960)

  EddieRade2015-12-21

  For anyone who saw the movie I mentioned, The Apartment with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, this movie will strike a clear resemblance. Sure, it has it's slight alterations to make it a little different and original, but the story itself is quite common. For who it may concern, I truly recommend seeing The Apartment first and then this one. You'll see the common ground on which the story revolves and the similarities that make this movie and the classic one bound. I'll end my review by saying that it's a good movie, in it's own right, very well acted and put together. Make this and the 1960's movie a duplex with your loved one around these holidays. You won't regret it.

• Rosa Salazar saves this picture for me... only very mild spoilers

  witster182016-07-25

  She's great. Her dialog and character has depth and impact, and she does a fantastic job with the physical nature of her role here. Night Owls isn't a new formula.. it's basically "The Apartment" from 1960 with a modern "Very Bad Things"/"The Overnight" kinda vibe to go along with it. The lead actor here is also fine, but maybe a bit too obtuse, weak, and perhaps gullible to be a likable character. The other issue I have is his job. The whole sports theme, for me, seemed like a bad idea. I wish they would have made the role of "Will" a white collar financial type or something a bit more of a 'professional' dynamic. For me that whole sub-plot is kinda weakened by making him a college football coach. Even some of the writing there is a little sloppy. Like if he's such a legendary coach with such a flawless track record, then why is he at such a small school. That's a minor quip, but it's more of a dynamic thing, as the film has that high-brow look and feel, and that dynamic just doesn't work for me. All nitpicking aside. The leads here have some chemistry, and there's some decent laughs(mostly physical comedy). I did feel some emotion and their connection. The film isn't overlong or fancy. An adult-indie that is pretty fun for the first hour. The ending is a bit predictable but not terrible. Wouldn't mind seeing Rosa in some bigger roles. 59/100

• mostly two hander

  SnoopyStyle2017-04-16

  Kevin (Adam Pally) is looking to have a hot drunken one-night stand. Madeline (Rosa Salazar) takes him to a house but he discovers that it's the home of his boss, famed football coach Will Campbell. He calls Peter who informs him that she's Will's mistress. Peter tells him to keep her there until he arrives in the morning. She has taken pills but Peter stops him from calling the ambulance. This is mostly a two-person play. It's a low budget indie taking place almost entirely in a house. It rely solely on the two actors and their connection with each other. There is a good back and forth, but it never feels unwritten. It probably would serve well to have some music or a traveling montage or an excursion. It starts to feel a bit claustrophobic hanging out in that house for the whole movie. Overall, it's nice work.

• Good Movie

  davidjanuzbrown2015-12-25

  I never saw The Apartmentthis movie is compared to, but this is a good movie. Rosa Salizar is beautiful. And I could watch her any day. Madeline ( Salizar) is a train wreck of a woman and Kevin ( Adam Pally) is a workaholic. Both are used by his boss (and her three year lover Will). What you see is two people who really do not like themselves. She tried to kill herself with pills and he tried years earlier by crashing a SAAB into a tree. Spoilers ahead: it is a very ambiguous ending where Kevin finds out from a Coach named Peter that something bad will happen to Madeline ( I suspect they will try and get her locked in. Mental Institution), and walks away from a Coaching position with Will and Madeline goes after him and asked him if he wants a ride and you do not know what direction he will choose. That said, I think he will walk away and she will go with him. Why? He learned from her that he was a coward clinging on to Will hoping to find the level of success he should have had ( he was High School Valvictorian). In her case she knows Will is no good, and her only hope is to go with him. Does this mean a "Happily Ever After" ending? Maybe Maybe not. But they need each other. Especially when it comes to the Will's of the World who has no respect for either ( he thinks Kevin will come back and Madeline will do whatever he wants). Life with Madeline will not be easy, she is bad tempered and yes, violent, but she is exactly what he needs ( some one to give him the swift kick he needs), and she needs Kevin someone who can keep her grounded: 9/10 stars.