Movie Review: A Perfect Day & Midnight Clear

By Donald James Parker  

I'll give you two short reviews this month.  Neither of these flicks had the feeling of a full-meal-deal to me, so I'll give you two paragraphs on each.

When I read about the topic of A Perfect Day, I knew I had to see it.  The main plot deals with a husband/father who loses his job on the day he was supposed to be promoted. What does a red-blooded American do when faced with this sudden loss of income, security, and self-esteem?   Easy answer: he writes a novel, becomes an instant celebrity, and then has to deal with the success that follows, though not immediately since it takes a few weeks. (talk about fairy tales).  Our fearless hero turns to digging ditches  to support his family.  Fate in the form of an angelic agent saves him from the muddy trenches.  How does he repay the supportive agent after he hits it big?  I'll not tell you.  I have to wonder where I can find an agent like this one. She goes to his wife's aunt's funeral, which he doesn't even attend because of book promotions.

Rob Lowe, the hero/zero is a real heart throb.  His wife, played by Paget Brewster is a sweetheart who is very supportive of his attempts to break into the world of high roller publishing. In fact she supplies the original material for the book.  She is no female version of Walter Mitty, however, and sparks fly when hubby becomes a jetsetter.  Christopher Lloyd plays – well, I won't tell you what he plays, but he does it with his usual panache. (Why do I keep waiting for him to yell "Marty?")  And everybody watching the movie is standing in line to yell at the novelist to get his act back together.  It's amazing to see the transformation that takes place as success finds him. This movie is a real primer on how not to act if you ever find that fifteen minutes of fame people keep talking about (a phrase drummed up by Andy Warhol).  Of course the dilemma he faces is the challenge to swim back upstream against the compelling lifestyle of the rich, famous, and unfaithful to win back his family. That part of the story is definitely not original.  This was an OK movie, but I won't be forwarding this review to my mother.   

Midnight Clear comes from a short story by Jerry Jenkins of Left Behind fame.  Originally this movie was made as a shortie and then later was reshot as a feature film, directed by Dallas Jenkins.  I'm of the opinion that making it a full length film might have been a bit of a stretch.  This movie did a wonderful job of selling me on the hopelessness in life.  When one of the leading characters puts a gun to his mouth to end his misery, I almost felt like it would be better for him and the world if he pulled the trigger.  Believe me, I had to chastise myself over that attitude. I always wanted to be the kind of guy who would try to convince anyone that life is worth living and that you're never beat till you quit .  But the tone of this movie was so heavy that there seemed to be no joy possible in Mudville.  I'd almost reached a point where I was ready for him to hand me the gun, so I could escape from this dreary world.  In effect, without God, many of us would be living lives of quiet desperation. How non-believers cope is beyond me.  Not only did Christ bring us eternal life, but he also provided for a meaningful existence on Mothership Earth.  

This is a character based drama, so luckily the acting in this movie was its strong point. Stephen Baldwin, a seasoned pro, played the loser whose life was falling apart before his eyes.  K. Callan as his mother was superb.  Mary Thornton was simply loveable as the wife of a former youth leader who had been severely injured in a car accident the Christmas before.  Mitchell Jarvis did a great job as the youth pastor who could only see hopelessness in performing the duty of Christmas caroling and passing out a Christmas card with a twenty dollar bill in it to people who closed their doors and hearts.  One of the twenty dollar bills help start a chain reaction that leads to an ending that presents a harbinger of hope.  The action in this flic but minimal, making it basically a dark portrait of life without hope offset with a subtle trace of light, giving us a glimpse of what the world could be like if people gave God a real chance. Some people may want more than this subtle beam. I have to say I did like it better the second time through, but this was not one of those movies that left me glowing after I watched it.  That might not be all bad if it makes the viewers think and engenders more appreciation for the light in their lives.  I have read a couple of reviews on this movie (one emailed to me by proud papa Jerry Jenkins (I belong to his writer's guild).  Those were both five star reviews – based on the observation that this movie presents reality.  It certainly did – but this viewer wants more resolution along with the realism in order to consider it worth spending money on. I can be depressed by realistic circumstances for free.

About the author:  Donald James Parker is a novelist and computer programmer who resides in Puyallup, Washington.  Check out his website at www.donaldjamesparker.com?tcp.

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