Review of Permanent Midnight (1998) by Miles S — 09 Feb 2011

There is very little ground that has yet to be treaded upon when it comes to movies about alcohol or drug addiction. They revolve around a simple concept of spending the daytime scouring for whatever substance is motivating them, and their life is either crumbling or being depicted in a comical and ecstatic way. However, just because there a structured formulaic way to depict these events does in no way mean that the film can't stand out from the crowd and wave you over.

Permanent Midnight is a true story that follows the maniacal period of writer Jerry Stahl's life led in double form. Making $5,000 a week is definitely an amount to be defined as "doing well," except for when there's a simultaneous $6,000 a week drug habit that's chasing you around town putting your life on the bench. The film's story is focused on his double life, balancing his job writing for hit sitcoms and a green card induced marriage to British wife Sandra (Elizabeth Hurley) while shooting heroin all day. It's exhausting just to watch, and painful at the same time but yet you'll find yourself unable to look away because of the depth and intricacy of this train wreck. The building momentum of his chaotic addiction reaches such intense heights, that by the time he shoots heroin into his neck while sitting next to his baby in the car, you'll be tested on just how far into the envelope you can be pushed.

Ben Stiller is not one to go hand in hand with serious roles in most minds, but his work and talent portraying his real life friend Jerry Stahl is shockingly gripping, it's difficult to decide which has more strength and potency, the drugs or Stiller's acting.

The one move by the director that I always felt awkward around was the constant shifting back and forth between the story and Stahl (Stiller) telling it to a ex-addict named Kitty in a hotel room. This wouldn't be so rough of a transition if the scenes in the hotel room were shot well and the chemistry was fluid, but sadly enough neither is true.

This is by no means the first movie of an addict suffering through his days, but it is one that takes a unique and effective stride with characters that have some unique flare and incredibly strong acting by Stiller. Showing the dark and horrible sides of addiction, Permanent Midnight is chock full of grit, gritty themes, and depravity, and stands above most films of this nature.