Always an untrustworthy bunch, writers have proven to be especially shady of late. Best selling memoirist James Frey (A Million Little Pieces) is guilty of numerous mistruths including an invented prison stay and a root canal administered without pain medication. Even worse, JT Leroy, the author of harrowing autobiographical fiction endorsed by numerous celebrities, turned out to be an all out hoax.
In The Night Listener, based on the novel by Armistead Maupin (based on a real experience in the life of Maupin), gay radio show host Gabriel Noone (Robin Williams) becomes overly attached to a young fan. The fan is a dying fourteen-year-old by the name of Pete (Rory Culkin), whose shocking memoir of childhood abuse is soon to be published. Noone latches on to the gifted young writer--the only problem is, maybe the kid doesn't exist. He might be the fabrication of a desperate blind woman in Wisconsin (Toni Collette). How can this be? Noone has a photo of a disarmingly handsome boy in a striped sweater. He talks to the boy on the telephone. As members of the audience, we see and like this boy--after all, it's hard not to like Rory Culkin. Rather than focus on the grief of a failed relationship, Noone sets out on difficult journey to find they boy.
Patrick Stettner's first film was the razor-sharp drama The Business of Strangers; this follow-up is a lean thriller. Robin Williams, close friend of Amistead Maupin and an often histrionic performer, does not seem like the best casting choice. He could have been a disaster in the role, but instead gives an effective muted performance (though perhaps a little bit too muted.) Toni Collette is creepy (perhaps a little bit too creepy) as the author's over-protective, adoptive mother. Sandra Oh's role as trusted friend and accountant is, unfortunately, minimal. But at only eighty-two minutes long, the film zips along--and keeps you guessing.
