This film was alright... the script was pretty weak. Ana De Armas character seemed shoe-horned into the story just to fill up time. Rarely is one actor's performance a big deal for me- actor's are tools that a director uses. Sometimes there are performances that outshine every other aspect of the film, and this is one of those performances.
I've worked for over 6 years with special needs individuals, one in particular is diagnosed with Asperger's. Tye Sheridan's performance is so dead on that I know he a) researched real people with Asperger's extensively, and b) has the skills and confidence to incorporate that into his work here. Sheridan, along with Christopher Abott and Caleb Landry Jones, and a few others I'm probably forgetting, are among America's finest young actors
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cjamesdueck7 June 2020
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fallyhag21 February 2020Both the male and female leads were superb. Very talented actors who have huge careers ahead of them. The film was okay. His character was interesting. But the way he filmed guests was a little unbelievable and didn't make sense. But I could ride with that. The story was a gentle run but with nothing of note to remember. I probably wouldn't watch it again but I will be keen to see both the actors in something new. I recommend this film for a relaxed afternoon. Oh, and I think Helen Hunt is in it. Or someone who looks a bit like her.
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jtindahouse21 February 2020The problem with 'The Night Clerk', and I've seen many films fall into this trap, is that it gives itself a really annoying lead character for the audience to have to follow and side with. Now there are two sides to that coin. One is that the character is unique and interesting to watch from a medical point of view, and that's why the movie puts him there. But the other side of that coin is that it becomes really frustrating and hard to watch very quickly. It gives the film a point of difference, but a point of difference for the sake of it isn't always enough.
Tye Sheridan does a fantastic job playing the lead role. He nails Aspergers syndrome. Before it was ever mentioned in the film I was 100% certain that was what I was looking at. He keeps it up for the entire movie and never drops a scene either. The other cast member who really impressed me was Ana de Armas. I came to learn of her acting talents in 'Knives Out' and she has impressed me again here. She didn't have anything overly special to do in the film, but you could still tell she was a class above the rest.
The film itself is a little obvious in what it is trying to set up and surprise the audience with. There's one scene in particular that they thought they were being subtle with, but in reality it put all the cards on the table and gave the game away. Also there is a mystery element of sorts to the film that, had it been handled differently, could have been really interesting. Instead it was just clunky and petered out to dust by the end. I think the thing to watch this film for is Sheridan's performance and as a character study of an Aspergers syndrome. Otherwise there isn't a whole lot going for it. -
Gordon-1129 February 2020Tye Sheridan really impressed me with his portrayal of a man with Asperger's. He is very convincing, from the lack of eye contact to his mannerisms. The story itself is a little slow, and lacks an emotional climax.
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It's a very interesting story, which develops well. Bart is a fascinating character, who's motives for doing what he does are sincere and innocent in his own way, buy invasive and voyeuristic.
The ending should have been so much better, if anything I thought it spoiled what was otherwise a very good film, the story builds and develops gradually, but the ending was harsh and abrupt.
Always great to see Helen Hunt, but the star of the show is of course Tye Sheridan, who's performance is actually captivating, what an amazingly talented young man he is. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of him in the future.
Boy oh boy this was good, 7/10. -
mckennapaul6 August 2020Tye Sharidan did a great job of playing someone with ASD! The film steered away from all the usual short sighted clichés depicted in the media and its clear the actor and director did their research. All the small awkward movements likes he's super aware of every body part. With the way he stops and starts the conversation. And Bart had me laughing with his regular quirks. Hats off, well done!
The story really rings true to how people with Autism are taken advantage of, and suspected as the culprit because they act differently. It's difficult to watch in many parts of the film but that's because of the severely awkward social behaviour of Bart. Which I think is what the director wanted to convey, and that will probably put many people off which is a shame. The crippling loneliness of Bart comes through in the film even if the character doesn't obviously express it. The scene when he came up to share dinner with his mum was well communicated it was a huge step for both of them. And it shows throughout the film how difficult the relationship is between Bart and his mum. The situation Bart finds himself in is a little dramatic to compare to real life but it made for and entertaining story. Nicely done with respect to the ASD condition. Cudos! -
patrickkeown25 February 2020This movie has an identity crisis; it can't decide if it's a thriller, mystery, drama, comedy or romance! As a result, it's somewhat of a mess and difficult to sit through. It's a shame because the acting is really good; the script just can't keep up.
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Floated230 January 2021Having not heard of this film until deciding on watching. With no expectations or not knowing exactly the type of film it was (not watching any trailers either). Relatively a slow paced story but overall was intrigued with the story and fascinated by the character of Tye Sheridan (a young actor who continues to shine).
The Night Clerk plays out like a mystery but doesn't provide many thrills or suspense as expected. It is more of a drama and occasional romance story.
Ana De Armas plays the love interest and steals her scenes with given not too much but does what she's capable of. Her star power and ranking has most certainly risen within these last few years, and it is great to see as she deserves her success.
Relatively predictable story telling but the ending felt quite rushed and that they could have possibly added about 10-15 minutes more to expand on the story.
This film was less than 90 minutes of run time and it did feel short. It was entertaining for what its worth but there could have been more added.
What we see in the ending was slightly confusing. At first it appears that it was all a dream but then when the male victim was spotted, it was shown to be the same guy whom killed the initial blonde woman.
What was most confusing is in the final scene we see Tye Sheridan at a mall walking around (when it seemed as if he had shot himself- it was off screen where we just heard the gun shot). So apparently he did not shoot/kill himself but shot the gun to get the police to the house and he was somehow able to escape without being noticed.
We then see a scene with Ana de Armas with the guy in the car and the police coming behind them. Overall it was slightly confusing and felt rushed as the recap was shown with flashbacks. Perhaps they could have paced it slower and showed it in a breakdown each step.
Otherwise the film was relatively unique and intriguing all the way through. It's IMDB score is quite low for what the outcome was. Would recommend. -
venividivintage22 February 2020This one is a head scratcher....and by head scratcher i mean after the film is over you will scratch your head wondering why anyone would sign onto this movie. To say that the story was poorly conceived would be a an understatement. The movie goes absolutely no where and ultimately you're left with a feeling of regret for how you chose to spend the last hour and a half of your life
The Good : Tye Sheridan's performance as a high functioning man with Asperger's , seeing John Leguizamo in something since John Wick Chapter 2 and a briefly topless Ana de Armas
The Bad : Everything else
TLDR: Skip this one for sure -
shady-4299425 February 2020Before watching any movie, i'd always set lower expectation for the movie and it usually pays off. This movie is like that. You have to know what you're getting into and you must know what your expectation.
If you expect full blown mystery thriller like Primal Fear, prepare to be disappointed. But if you expect something to pass your free time with a short linear mystery thriller, this is the movie for you.
The plot is quite monotonous with the only twist was at the end but it is what i'm expecting by reading the synopsis. It's about an MC who have an asperger syndrom accused of murder. The focus is not whether he did it or not because i think it is pretty self explanatory during the scene. If you as many people expect this as the main focus of this movie, again, prepare to be disappointed. It is about how the MC want to prove that he's innocent without the help of police, how he trapped all who's involved or related to the murder that want to set him up but actually he know's all along and how he set them up again.
All in all, it's not really that bad. -
mrwarcriminal10 June 2020This post isn't intended to just attack Helen Hunt but its truly difficult to watch her. Im not sure what shes done with her looks but knowing what she looks like from all of her past movies to this movie is jarring. While she may not be a favorite of mine shes played some great parts my favorite being in As Good As it Gets. Her face is emotionless, stiff & shes unrecognizable in many shots. Theres a scene where shes trying to be uplifting to her son but it comes across flat & scripted because there's nothing on her face no emotion. I truly think she hurts the film but im sure her name was a big get & initially helped. The story is a tad silly but it could of been better w/better acting. John Leguizamo was fine & Tye Sheridan was somewhat convincing & funny at times. I did believe Ana de Armas. Overall watchable but theres many other films to see before needing to watch The Night Clerk.
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xenafanok21 February 2020It's rare you i find a movie i watch all through, let alone recommend to anyone, with that in mind, if you want to see a movie that is well acted, has a story that keeps your interest, is not predictable and has twists in the tale, you will find this worth a watch as a minimum.
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jean-guy-365-33269629 February 2020Good cast and nice narrative buildup, slowly brewing. Works fine.
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pete1-222 February 2020The night clerk is socially awkward yet not very convincing as a person with Asperger's syndrome. The story is dull, predictable and plods along at a snail's pace. The poor acting of the lead, the silliness of the script and bad editing all combines to make this film difficult to watch through to the end. Very amateurish.
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Those who are creeped out by Tye Sheridians character watching the hotel guests are looking at this act through the wrong set of eyes. His character Bart says he has to practice to be social so he is learning and mimicking what people say to be able to fit in better. It's more cerebral and those who don't like to think will not
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windsorenquirer24 February 2020This movie wasn't bad, slow but interesting. But the end??? So rushed. It spoiled the whole movie, what happened? How? Why?
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darncrow17 July 2020Make no mistake, The Night Clerk is not a groundbreaking film. There aren't loud explosions or jump scares or gory violence people overusing profanity to try and force the characters on you. In other words, you can put this on for just about anybody and they won't be screaming for you to turn it off. Of course, if you need all those things to be entertained you will be extremely bored watching this. The film centers around our main character and the entire plot builds around him. I won't go into any details because you can read the synopsis. I though the 2 lead actors did a great job. There were some issues with pacing in the mid to second half of the movie and pretty much all the other actors were either passable (detective) or useless (mother, husband, shift change guy). All in all though the ending was satisfying for what you started. Again, this will not win many awards. But it's a decent family friendly or date night movie that kept my wife and I entertained.
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blackholeearth-0975824 July 2021Enjoyment: 7/10 Ending: 4.
Why did boy wait , till the end , to give video to police ?
He could give the video to police right away!?
Film tried to make ending cool/intelligent. But its stupid. -
akpanemmad22 February 2020Slow movie but the acting was alright. The two lead actors were average but did well for a movie with a dull script
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jtags-8405925 February 2020No idea why they made this movie. It was slow, boring and predictable which is a kinder way of saying stupid.
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danbaig27 June 2020After reading the low scored reviews, I've realized that so many people want movies with more action & less intellectual stimulation. The dumbing down of 'Merica.
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josephbadge15 September 2020For starters I'm doing my honours in psychology and have learnt a lot about autism and this portrayal of the disorder is just so inaccurate. It's like the producers read a list of symptoms and have them all to a character that couldn't act.
One minute his symptoms are severe and he can't touch or look at people, next minute he is spooning his girl friend.
They pick and chose, it's almost disrespectful.
IT WASN'T A THRILLER!
The only thing scary about it was the acting and the plot. -
DickScrapshaw17 August 2020I have never written a film review before but I felt I must write one for this amazing piece of work because I could not believe some other reviewers were giving scores like 2 out of 10. The acting and direction is incredible with a perfect ramp up to give time to learn about the lead character's back story. From there a compelling story unfolds and I'll leave you to watch and enjoy for yourself. Anyone who watches this and gives it a poor score is clearly watching the wrong film for them. May I suggest something less emotionally challenging, for instance, anything starring Dwayne Johnson.
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ops-5253521 February 2020Its a film about autism spectrum disorder, a young man with high but ever so locked up mental capasity, who has vast compications connecting to other åeople. working as the night clerk at a hotel, he feels that he can control and surveil the environment, and as part of his self therapy, uses hidden cameras in the hotel rooms, just to practice how to interact with people, especially the female part of the guests. but as a crime occurs on his night watch, things become very dire for him.
its a strange study into the head of a complicated person. its kinda rainman feeling rendering you while watching, at the same time its not. there are some confussionin the plot, the characters are pretty undeveloped, and its hard to say what reaaly happened in the end..seems to me they were in a hurry to get an end to the story,it could have been much better....
the grumpy old man gives a 6 for the main cast, its a small recommend, and a joyridee if youre in the trade of working peoples heads.. -
liberty_lee27 February 2020Firstly looking at some of the other reviews makes me think, what?? (I have aspergers and I run a shop and people saying why would you want to work in a customer service industry with a "social malady" well firstly, you dont feel like you have a social malady at the sort of age!! Plus, you know you need a job to earn money and you get into what you can!)
Anyway, back to the film... people are saying the tye Sheridan nailed aspergers, but in my opinion, he didnt. Hes acting like an intelligent idiot, and that's not someone with aspergers... just because people feel we dont interact well, doesnt mean we spout nonsense all the time. Or hide in basements watching people on camera. Very bizarre. And offensive to those with autism. Why couldn't they cast someone who was autistic? Or at least get assistance from autistic people.
Just watched the scene where he meets the girl in the supermarket, and she says "my brother had it" as if it's an illness, so offensive. And then she says "it was worse, he couldn't function" ...worse for u!! High functioning means we appear this way to neurotypicals, not that are struggle is less. Urgh, this movie is offensive to autistic people.