Forced Films 2019 – #6 – Greg’s 2nd Pick – After Hours (1985)

This is the 6th of 10 films that I was “forced” to watch by my fellow bloggers who participated in my 4800th review Contest last December.  This movie was the 2nd of 2 films chosen by Greg T. Paradise.

Tnx for the suggestion.  Let’s see what I thought of it….

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[after witnessing a murder through a window] “I’ll probably get blamed for that.” – Paul Hackett

Number of Times Seen – 1 (19 Feb 2019)

Brief Synopsis – An office worker has his life turned upside down after agreeing to meet a woman he met in a coffee shop at her apartment across town.

My Take on it – This is another film that I’ve been meaning to watch for years yet never got around to seeing it.

Griffin Dunne is superb in the lead and his performance makes the story so enjoyable to watch unfold since he plays the character so normal and down to Earth the entire time.

This also makes the character feel so relatable to the viewer as we see things move along.

The story itself goes in some crazy directions along the way yet despite this, it is somehow able to hold on to a very high level of believability because it shows how life can throw so many unexpected things at us especially when we least expect it to.

The chain of events of the film play out really well an they find a way to keep things interesting and engaging the entire time because the viewer gets drawn in so deeply to everything and we want to see what kind of resolution will come about to everything that occurs.

The supporting cast is also great and they help things move along even if the spotlight is solely on Dunne throughout.

Loved seeing Cheech and Chong in some great cameo roles that are quite significant.

Bottom Line – Dunne is superb in this film and he helps make it so enjoyable to watch because his character comes across as being so normal and relatable to anyone we might know.  The story moves in some crazy directions, but throughout it all, they still maintain a high level of believability even when things get to the extreme.  The chain of events is played out so well and that also helps keep us engaged in everything that happens because we want to see solutions to it all. Great supporting cast that helps keep things moving along. Love seeing Cheech and Chong in small yet significant roles. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The first thirty minutes of the film are based on radio artist Joe Frank’s 1982 N.P.R. Playhouse monologue “Lies”. Some of the dialogue and plot elements in the film are lifted verbatim from the program, including Paul meeting Marcy in the deli, the bagels-and-cream-cheese paperweights, Paul calling Marcy that same night to buy the paperweights, Paul losing his cab fare when it flies out of the window, Marcy being raped by a former boyfriend who came down the fire escape and falling asleep during said rape, Marcy being married to a man working overseas whom she writes to every day, and said husband’s sexual quirk. Joe Frank filed a lawsuit against the producers and was then paid handsomely in a settlement. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)

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