SXSW Movie Review: Night Owls

By Brad Henderson

It seems that more and more independent filmmakers are grasping the concept that if you have a great script, good chemistry between actors, minimal locations, and a somewhat intriguing story you can still make a really great film without anything revolutionary. Night Owls is a prime example of a film that does so much with so very little by grabbing and holding the audience’s attention. It uses a basic idea but with such great execution.

Night Owls starts with Kevin (Adam Pally) and Madeline (Rosa Salazar) pulling into her driveway and going inside the house for some drunken, late night sex. After sexy time is over, Kevin finds out that the house they’re in isn’t Madeline’s, but that of his boss, one of the most respected coaches in college football. On top of that, Madeline spirals into a bit of depression and slams back a bottle of pills that knocks her out. Kevin frantically calls a business partner and they get a doctor over right away. Once he examines her and she regains consciousness, the doctor tells Kevin that he has to keep her up all night because if she falls asleep her heart will stop.

Even with this simple plot Night Owls is one of the smartest films I’ve seen in a long time. The comedy and drama is written to near perfection and has such a realistic feel that we connect very quickly to its characters. Although it’s not a teen comedy, it has the same kind of charm that ‘80s films like Valley Girl and The Sure Thing possess. Between the witty dialogue and the down to earth feel, Night Owls comes across like an unproduced John Hughes flick.

Personally, I’m not that big on comedies because I feel that they either try too hard or go to extremes with dick, fart, and semen jokes. I think that toilet humor is one the of cheapest forms of comedy and that’s primarily why I stay away from those films.

Even though Night Owls is a sex comedy it isn’t raunchy. It’s way too smart, using real-life situations and feelings that almost everyone can relate to. Night Owls is a film about relationships with your fellow humans and the bullshit you go through to find love.