Review of Permanent Midnight (1998) by Jonny B — 06 Jun 2011

Not as graphic as Jerry Stahl's novel, and the major problem with the movie is that it should have been, I guess it was too much for an R rating. So what Veloz has done is take bits from the novel and some of the addiction problems and make his own film that, while not as much of an exploration into the subject as I wanted, is entertaining, has tremendous acting, good soundtrack choices, and laughs that the source material is lacking, plus is very accurate about opiate addiction.

Critics and general movie-goers that I have talked to find 'Permanent Midnight' to be minor, plotless, and that it's a run-of-the-mill film on opiate addiction and they are about half right.

The key to making a good or great film on the subject matter is not having more plot (it fails on most cases) but to have a convincing actor in the lead role and to show what the addiction can do to the people you know or love, your work, and personality while not relying solely on visuals.

'Permanent Midnight' is a damn good movie and is very truthful in its handling of addiction and earns a spot up on the list of 'junkie' films, close to the adaptation of 'Jesus' Son'.

Ben Stiller fan? Don't expect a lot of laughs.