Synopsis
In the midst of his crumbling relationship, a radio show host begins speaking to his biggest fan—a young boy—via the telephone. But when questions about the boy's identity come up, the host's life is thrown into chaos.
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Cast
- Robin WilliamsGabriel Noone
- Toni ColletteDonna D. Logand
- Rory CulkinPete D. Logand
- Sandra OhAnna
- Joe MortonAshe
- Bobby CannavaleJess
- Rodrigo LoprestiYoung Man at Party
- John CullumPap Noone
- Lisa EmeryDarlie Noone
- Guenia LemosFemale Neighbor
Recommendations
- 75
The A.V. Club
Williams delivers a solid, twinkle-free (though closed-off) performance, but the film as a whole can't decide what it wants to be. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Plays like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller but is nevertheless a movie of ideas. It bristles with intriguing thoughts about the realm of fiction, how one loves, issues of identity and questions concerning how one transfers a real-life incident into big-screen fiction. This is a film that can crawl inside your skin. - 70
Village Voice
Even when the script overstates the obvious, Stettner mines every nuance of unease from the head games between Williams and the unnerving Collette, who embodies the moment passive aggression stops being passive. - 67
Austin Chronicle
It's unlike anything else out now, and Williams, to his credit and our immense relief, has for the moment foresworn his usual giddiness in favor of a muted, hunched acting style that befits both the character of Noone and the overall tone of the film. - 50
Variety
Aiming for unsettling atmosphere over character definition, the dawdling mystery thriller manages to flatten two protagonists that had far more depth in the novel. - 50
Entertainment Weekly
Is The Night Listener a wintry drama with a few schlocky jolts, or an underdone psychological thriller straining for some dramatic heft on the side? Hard to tell, but either way, the movie doesn't cohere. - 50
L.A. Weekly
As a performer, Robin Williams has a wonderfully volatile range; as an actor, he commutes uneasily between over-sincere and over-sinister. Both modes are on full monochromatic display in this stolid noir thriller. - 50
New York Daily News
Casting Williams in this thriller, adapted from Armistead Maupin's novel, was a bigger mistake than the actor's performance.
