That Night

Of note is that I am decades older than these folks, no longer drink, and am resistant to identifying with the pitfalls of the youth. This was not supposed to be my jam. Still, I liked everyone, cared about what happened to them, and even remembered all their names, which never happens. Trussell has a magic knack for making you give a s**t, which is no small feat in this world. Also, there is some excellent humor to be enjoyed. Good gags are allowed to run free and come back right when it matters. The middle sequence that alludes to The Warriors is priceless as it pays off in dividends.

The performances throughout That Night range from broadly comic to straight-faced dramatic, which is the perfect mix for a picture like this. Alexander does a great job of earning our sympathy, even if most of it is feeling sorry that he has such wretched morons for friends. Gester’s turn is very realistic and recognizably complex, exactly what her role called for. Mansky plays it wild and fast for maximum yucks. Williams plays it even wilder, almost going over the line several times, which works for some reason.

“…belly achingly funny.”

The Chicago locations are well-picked and capture the neighborhood bar scene nicely. The cinematography shows off the real city nicely. Also of note is the fancy footwork of the editing by Kevin Seeman. There is this nifty trick where he pulls off a seamless jump cut when leaving and arriving at locations. Yes, seamless and jump cut contradict each other but look at those snazzy snips, and you will see what I mean. There are also some animated transitions later, like those in the 1960s Batman show involving a fluffy dog that are belly achingly funny.

That Night is the kind of movie you used to come across on cable that sucks you in while casually watching it. As that kind of viewing is disappearing, we have to rely on reviewers like myself to let you know to give this flick a spin. This movie hits like that third shot of whiskey that came from the high shelf at the bar.