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Permanent Midnight

R Released Sep 12, 1998 1h 25m Drama List
59% Tomatometer 54 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
As television writer Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller) becomes more successful, his heroin habit grows worse. Already using when he comes to Los Angeles, Stahl finds his problems intensify when he moves in with his friend Nicky (Owen Wilson), also an addict. Eventually, Stahl marries producer Sandra (Elizabeth Hurley) to help her get a green card, and she gets him jobs on top television shows. However, more and more, he is unable to separate his addiction from his working life.
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Permanent Midnight

Permanent Midnight

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Critics Consensus

Aimless storytelling undermines the gripping, unsettling subject of this film.

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Critics Reviews

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Globe and Mail Rated: 3/4 Jul 12, 2002 Full Review Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The movie gets credit for not making the high life seem colorful or funny. Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …while a little woolly in trems of narrative, Permanent Midnight does a persuasive job of depicting the high personal cost of addiction…’ Rated: 3/5 Jul 9, 2023 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Stiller's forceful performance does his character a solid. Rated: C+ Mar 6, 2017 Full Review Joe Leydon The Moving Picture Show Stiller's fearless performance makes it painfully and graphically clear that being a junkie is an exhausting full-time job. Jul 19, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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A M Elizabeth Hurley is good. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 09/13/24 Full Review Steve D Stiller and the script are great. The story is just too dark for me. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/20/23 Full Review Audience Member I'm surprised the ratings aren't good. Maybe because it's Ben Stiller and everyone's expecting a comedy. This remimds me of a California version of Bright Lights Big City. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/24/21 Full Review Audience Member Stiller is stellar, and Wilson has never been better, in this compelling character study about the intermingling of entertainment and addiction. Much too simple to really stick to the ribs, but nonetheless an undeniable piece of convincing anti-drug propaganda. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Not so much a comedy for Ben Stiller on this one. Sad. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review adam b A pretty gripping and disturbing turn for Ben Stiller and damn, the story is weird but I accepted it for what it was and throughly enjoyed it Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Permanent Midnight

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Cast & Crew

Permanent Midnight

Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Visiting Nina Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Visiting Nina 2:09 Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - A Typical Day Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - A Typical Day 2:13 Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Realism is Dead Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Realism is Dead 1:46 Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - We Get Under Each Other's Skin Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - We Get Under Each Other's Skin 2:50 Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Getting High Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Getting High 1:49 Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Rock Bottom Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Rock Bottom 2:43 Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Mr. Chompers Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Mr. Chompers 2:07 Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Baby on Board Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Baby on Board 1:39 Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Showing Up on Maury Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Showing Up on Maury 1:44 Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Moving In? Permanent Midnight: Official Clip - Moving In? 2:10 View more videos
Panic 91% 62% Panic Another Day in Paradise 57% 62% Another Day in Paradise One Night Stand 33% 39% One Night Stand The Blackout 0% 53% The Blackout Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis As television writer Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller) becomes more successful, his heroin habit grows worse. Already using when he comes to Los Angeles, Stahl finds his problems intensify when he moves in with his friend Nicky (Owen Wilson), also an addict. Eventually, Stahl marries producer Sandra (Elizabeth Hurley) to help her get a green card, and she gets him jobs on top television shows. However, more and more, he is unable to separate his addiction from his working life.
Director
David Veloz
Producer
Don Murphy, Jane Hamsher
Screenwriter
Jerry Stahl, David Veloz
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Artisan Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 12, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.2M
Runtime
1h 25m
Sound Mix
Surround, SDDS, Dolby Digital
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