After Hours
AFTER HOURSÂ (15)
D: Martin Scorsese
Warner Bros. (Amy Robinson, Griffin Dunne & Robert F.
Colesberry)
USA 🇺🇸 1985
93 mins
Comedy
W:Â Joseph Minion
DP:Â Michael Ballhaus
Ed:Â Thelma Schoonmaker
Mus:Â Howard Shore
PD: Jeffrey Townsend
Cos: Rita Ryack
Griffin Dunne (Paul Hackett), Rosanna Arquette
(Marcy), Verna Bloom (June), Linda Fiorentino (Kiki), Teri Garr (Julie), John Heard (Tom), Cheech Marin (Neil), Tommy Chong (Pepe), Catherine O'Hara (Gail)
Fasten your seatbelts for a blackly comic walk on the wild
side in the sleazy SoHo district of New York City.Â
When office worker Paul Hackett makes a date with a
stranger he meets in a coffee shop his whole evening falls apart in an unimaginably awful chain of events including suicide, assorted kooks & lunatics, an angry mob and totally
off-the-wall experiences that have to be seen to be believed!
Losing his money and house keys is nothing compared to
losing his sanity, and that may just happen on his nightmare night packed with paranoia, ridiculous tragedy and side-splitting laughter.
Black comedy is an unusual choice for director Martin
Scorsese, but his low key direction keeps the story gritty and realistic. Joseph Minion's hilarious screenplay keeps the laughs coming and Griffin Dunne delivers a modest, witty performance
as an everyday man in extraordinary circumstances.
8/10
Did
You Know:
Martin Scorsese told Griffin Dunne to refrain from sex and
sleep during filming in order to get a more realistic feeling of paranoia.
Award Wins & Nominations:
MILSTEAD MOVIE AWARDS:
Wins: none
Nominations: 8 (Best Picture; Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Director; Best Ensemble Cast; Best Screenplay - Original; Best Cinematography; Best Film Editing; Best Original Musical or Comedy Score)
OSCARS:
Wins: none
Nominations: none
BAFTAS
Wins: noneÂ
Nominations: 1 (Best Actress in a Supporting Role)
OTHER WINS:
Cannes Film Festival (Best Director); Independent Spirit Awards (Best Feature, Best Director)