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The Night Listener Our rating: Your rating: 1 2 3 4 Your Comments: see all MPAA rating: R (for language and some disquieting sexual content) Genre: Drama, Thriller Theater release: August 04, 2006 by Miramax Films Directed by: Patrick Stettner Runtime: 1 hour 22 minutes Cast: Robin Williams (Gabriel Noone), Toni Collette (Donna), Rory Culkin (Pete), Sandra Oh (Anna), Bobby Cannavale (Jess), Joe Morton (Ashe), John Cullum (Noone�s Father) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

I know lots of people who work in radio, but still often find myself wondering about some of the on-air talent I regularly listen to. Have you ever tried to guess what they look like, before looking for their photo on a website? Are they more polite and professional when they're broadcasting? Is their everyday life a reflection of their radio personality, or are they altogether different in person? Is their on-air persona an extension of their reality or a complete fabrication?

Consider the reverse perspective—the callers that these radio personalities interact with—and the same questions generally apply. Are they genuine or are they simply looking to get on air? Do they have a reason or passion for calling, or do they simply crave the attention? Who are these people phoning in with requests and opinions, and what are their motivations?

Robin Williams as radio storyteller Gabriel Noone

It's this somewhat hazy perception of reality unique to radio (and also writing) that inspires The Night Listener, based on the novel by Armistead Maupin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Terry Anderson and director Patrick Stettner. The film's being marketed as a thriller in the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock, but really it's closer in tone to the work of David Mamet—a quiet, sometimes compelling mystery in the tradition of House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner, and Spartan.

Robin Williams returns to his serious side of acting as Gabriel Noone, an acclaimed author working as a late-night NPR-styled radio host ("Noone at Night") discussing books and reading stories on his program. But his work is suffering, uninspired by his radio work and not having written anything new in years. On top of that, his younger aged boyfriend Jess (Bobby Cannavale) is moving out and considering ending their relationship.

Rory Culkin as Pete, a young listener

Then Ashe (Joe Morton), a friend in publishing, gives Noone a galley copy of a new book for his show. It's by a 14-year-old, HIV positive boy named Pete who used writing as therapy to overcome years of sexual abuse in a child pornography ring. Noone is immediately drawn to the power of Pete's story, as well as the quality of the writing. It isn't long before Pete, a fan of the radio show, begins to call at home, and Noone quickly develops a phone relationship with the boy and his adoptive guardian, a social worker named Donna (Toni Collette).

Things seem simple enough until Noone tries to meet Pete and Donna in person. Attempts to return phone calls lead to a disconnected number, and the mailing address turns out to be phony. There are also no online legal records to prove Pete's background or existence. The more Noone tries to track them down, the more he begins to question the identities of Pete and Donna. And yet the explanations given to him are certainly plausible enough. Are these people simply private and secretive, or is there something more mysterious to be uncovered?

The Night Listener is a compelling enough mystery as it goes along, establishing a good sense of eerie dread, particularly when Noone leaves the comfort of his Manhattan existence to the dreary small town in Wisconsin where Pete and Donna supposedly reside. And unlike many mysteries, it never really demands the viewer to do more than follow along, leaving you unsure of the initial direction and the eventual outcome.

Toni Collette as a social worker who helps Pete

But things get a little absurd shortly after Noone leaves for Wisconsin midway through the film, which runs a scant 82 minutes. Noone's actions become uncharacteristically desperate the more he tries to uncover the truth. He seems to go to great lengths for someone he barely knows, and a half-hearted attempt on his life later on seems more clumsy than suspenseful.

Because the film is so short, it doesn't take any time to establish the bond between Noone and Pete, and it suffers for it. Yes, we know Noone is lonely, sympathetic, and full of admiration, but the personal interaction between them amounts to a couple of aimless (and vulgar) phone conversations. Yet from this we're to believe that Noone would argue with his friends over the matter and ignore his everyday responsibilities for the sake of his relationship with Pete, the son he never had? It causes the character to behave irrationally or else give that appearance since the script is so threadbare.

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