The Night Listener review

A noirish thriller taken from the novel of the same name by Tales of the City author Armistead Maupin, The Night Listener looks at the topical subject of authorship, and has parallels with the recent case of James Frey, the best-selling American writer whose recent memoir, A Million Little Pieces, was largely discredited as lies.

Robin Williams takes on the low-key role of Gabriel Noone, a late night radio dj specializing in folksy feelgood stories that warm the hearts of his lonely listeners. A publishing friend gives him the galleys of a forthcoming account of a 14-year-old boy's harrowing story of child abuse, and suggests that Gabriel might want to contact the family.

After reading the boy's book, Gabriel decides to follow the suggestion, and soon he is having phone conversations between the boy (Rory Culkin) and his guardian (Toni Collette). They seem nice, truthful and happy to speak to him, and it is only when Gabriel's partner notices some inconsistencies in the story Gabriel is being told that things take a turn for the mysterious.

This is Williams on quiet form and he gives an impressive, histrionic-free performance. Collette gives another accomplished and watchable turn as the young boy's keeper, while Rory Culkin adds another decent credit to a growing list that includes Mean Creek.

But while the movie works for a good deal of its running time, it begins to unravel towards the end, and leaves us with a climax that is both dissatisfying and a bit of a con. This is a shame since what has gone before is intriguing and interesting: but the ending really borders on the insipid.

Paul Hurley