The Night Listener (2006) - LightShed 10

Good movie. 

In The Night Listener, Robin Williams is a late night radio show host who develops a long-distance friendship with a 14 year old. 

The boy is played by Rory Culkin, he is sick, and he wrote a book that is about to be published.  In that book Rory describes the abuses he suffered before Toni Collette took him in. 

The gay content was present throughout the entire movie.  Robin Williams' character is gay and his sexual orientation is never a secret. 

Robin's heart is broken -- his 8 year relationship with Bobby Cannavale is falling apart.   

Early on, when Bobby is getting ready to move out of Robin's apartment, Robin mentions Rory and how smart and good he is, and Bobby starts to doubt whether Rory really exists.  Robin becomes suspicious too, and before you can say Hitchcock, he is in Wisconsin investigating the matter.

I believe the two greatest things about the portrayal of the gays in The Night Listener is the fact that Robin has a great relationship with a teenager; and a discussion Robin has with his father, played by John Cullum. 

The teenager, played by Rory Culkin, calls Robin a dick-smoker (it's all just a joke) and plays a lot with him, asks about Robin's relationship with Bobby Cannavale, all very natural.  Rory looks up to Robin.  Kudos!

In a discussion with Robin, his father implies that a male adult who abuses a boy is gay.  Robin, appalled, says that a pedophile and a gay are two very different things, and that most pedophiles who abuse boys are actually straight.  Go Robin!

I thought The Night Listener had excellent acting across the board.  Initially, I was afraid Robin was going to pull one of his bad gay impersonations.  The type of impersonation that reflects those tired gay stereotypes and is just boring.  But we see nothing like that in The Night Listener.  Robin's performance as a gay man is excellent.  Bobby Cannavale is also very good, and hot.  This is not Bobby's first gay role, and he gets the hang of it.  And Toni.  Oh Toni.  She was brilliant as usual.

The one problem I had with the gay content?  Robin never really kisses Bobby.  I mean, there is one small fast kiss but you can only see the back of Bobby's head.  I guess a reason could be that the couple was breaking up, they no longer had a love relationship, but they could have shown some action, don't you think?  Or are gay men "sterile eunuchs"?

Oh, and of course, The Night Listener was based on the book by out gay author Armistead Maupin.

Comments

[zooplah]

Hmm... I wonder if hottie Bobby is starting to be typecast as the gay man.

[Queer Beacon]

Bad movie adaptations always leave room for additional movies. That's good, right?

Maybe some other screenwriter will do justice to Maupin's story. In any event, although I expected more, I thought the movie was pretty good (especially if you forget about the book).

[Greg]

I was disappointed with the movie, as well. The relationship between Gabriel and Jess has no real impact on the story. And the resolution of thge events with Peter, Donna and Gabriel winds up being a sentence from another minor character.

[Matt]

I was so disappointed in the movie. The amazing book took its time to carefully develop the relationship between Gabriel and the boy while the movie rushed right into wanting to be a "thriller". I'm really shocked they showed the boy in the movie at all! Why?

[Augusto]

Hey Marcus, welcome back. My review for The Break-Up is here:
http://queerbeacon.typepad.com/queer_beacon/2006/06/the_breakup_200.html

[RIC]

I like this «place» for one reason among others: I can change my opinions and ideas (prejudices?). Since the «Dead Poets Club» I haven't seen Robin Williams again. I don't enjoy that easy way of him of becoming a jerk. But now? Well, I think I'm going to listen to the night... Thank you!

[Marcus]

Hey guys, I'm Back!
:-)

Well, I don't like Robin Williams very much. Sometimes I think he plays for kids. I don't know.
But I'll see this one. I hope he surprizes me.

Last Night I saw "The Break-Up" with Vince Vaughn (the ugliest hands in America and the more disgusting actor in Hollywood) and Jennifer Aniston (ok, she's pretty, but she has no sex appeal. Mr Pitt made a good choice with Angelina)

The movie is soooooooooo boring!
Man! I almost slept on the Theater! There's some gay content (some homophobic).

Wow, i'm so acid today! LOL

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