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Michelle Pfeiffer: Into the Night


Revisiting—or in a few cases, watching for the first time—and celebrating the work of Michelle Pfeiffer, the best actress of my lifetime.

I love Into the Night (1985) so much it's nearly impossible to be objective about it. Truly sublime, the film is lost 1980s classic that rarely gets its due when people are listing greatest films from that decade. John Landis's crowning achievement (yes, better even than Animal House, An American Werewolf in London, The Blues Brothers, and all the rest) is a testament to the power of film to transport us, to make us feel like we're on an adventure with the film's characters. Of course, when one of those characters is portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer, it's all too easy to tag along with her anywhere.

Jeff Goldblum is an unhappy insomniac named Ed Okin whose life is turned upside down one night when Michelle’s beautiful and charming jewel smuggler Diana hops in his car. She's on the run from the Iranians (it's a long story). Hair shorn into a beautifully disheveled bob cut, flashing that thousand-megawatt smile, and wearing a red leather jacket better than even Michael Jackson ever did, Pfeiffer is simply electric. Her natural-born charisma bursts forth in every scene. Her performance is so full of life, so beautifully wounded and soulful, that you don't know whether to laugh or cry, so you just do both.


Traversing a surrealistic landscape during one wild night in Los Angeles, Landis introduces us to an assortment of eccentric oddballs, including David Bowie, Jim Henson, David Cronenberg, Rick Baker, Paul Mazursky, Amy Heckerling, and many, many more. Throughout all of the screwball shenanigans, and while avoiding copious amounts of gunfire, Pfeiffer and Goldblum share a wonderful chemistry, both touching and hilarious together. They're extraordinary as two achingly sad people who find in each other a connection they'd been yearning for but not found previously. The film's most beautiful scene is when they take a brief respite at an all-night restaurant. Eating ice cream sundaes and taking a moment to breathe. They talk, really talk, and get to know one another, which allows us to know them better as well. It's beautiful and heartbreaking. Pfeiffer’s eyes (those eyes) let us see how Diana's life has taken a toll on her, but that she's still hopeful, still dreaming of something better.


When assessing Pfeiffer's early career work, Into the Night must rank among her very best performances, not only of that period but also spanning her entire career. From her iconic look in the film to her magnetic screen presence, from her innate kindness to her sardonic wit, she's simply irresistible.



Comments

  1. I love this post. I love Into The Night. It’s a film that had everything, from the unequalled chicness of Michelle's red leather jacket to the many great cameos. I especially enjoyed seeing Michelle's sister Deedee turning tricks outside Frederick's of Hollywood, Amy Heckerling playing a waitress and Bruce McGill in his Elvis memorabilia adorned apartment.
    Keep up the good work. Into the Night is a masterpiece, part of the holy trinity of '80s "into-the-night movies" alongside After Hours and Something Wild. Hopefully one day it will get it's just due, until then I'll never tire of pulling this one off the shelf. I might have to do it again this weekend.

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