Review of Overnight (2003) by Lorenzo V — 05 Dec 2011

"There's More Than One Way To Shoot Yourself".

A documentary on the rise and stumble of Troy Duffy, the bartender-cum-filmmaker who was swept up by Miramax's Harvey Weinstein to turn his script for The Boondock Saints into a feature film.

REVIEW.

Overnight follows Hollywood urban legend Troy Duffy, a guy who went from bartender to the "next big thing" in the late 90s literally overnight with a prospective deal with Miramax for his cult script The Boondock Saints. Duffy was a member of a creative group who called themselves The Syndicate and two of the members were lucky (and smart) enough to document this period. They thought they were making a documentary about a unheard of rise to fame but instead chronicled the deranged dealings of an egomaniac unleashed. Some of the scenes in this movie are so cringe inducing (like nearly every frame Duffy is in). How a guy who has absolutely nothing to show for it can ramble on and on about how he is the impetus for all things positive happening and not to blame for anything negative is beyond me. How anyone listened to him after a series of self induced setbacks is even stranger. As the film progresses, the viewer is basically treated to a visual display of career suicide. Filmmakers Tony Montana and Mark Brian Smith are interviewed on the disc and asked why no one ever took Duffy aside and told him he was ruining his big break. They answer that about midway through their experience that they decided the only thing salvageable from this destructive situation would be this documentary. They were right and this is an amazingly candid peak into the world of show business.