Skip to main content

Journey Into the Night with Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Goldblum


One of the best movies of 1985 came and went without a lot of fanfare from critics or audiences. Then it did what all great cult films do: it endured. Today, that film, Into the Night, remains a favorite among cult movie lovers, especially those of us with a serious affection for the underappreciated "one crazy night" sub-genre. Think Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985), or Adventures in Babysitting (1987). "One crazy night" films typically involve a character, or characters, journeying "into the night" and experiencing the kind of wild adventures that can only be found in large urban centers after dark. This style of film was especially prevalent in the 1980s.



With Into the Night, writer Ron Koslow and director John Landis turned in one of the sub-genre's best efforts, and a personal favorite of yours truly. The film revels in that after hours "anything goes" style necessary for any "one crazy night" film to succeed. It's set in Los Angeles and populated with cameos by an endless parade of filmmaking friends and colleagues of Landis's, including Amy Heckerling, Paul Mazursky, Jim Henson, Lawrence Kasdan, Paul Bartel, Rick Baker, and too many more to note here. Yet the key ingredient to the film's everlasting appeal lies in the pitch-perfect casting and performances of the two leads: Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer.



Goldblum is ridiculously good as the depressed insomniac Ed Okin. Miserable at his aerospace engineering job and growing more distant from his wife every day, things come to head when he discovers his wife's been cheating on him. It's late at night, he hops in the car, and simply drives off, with no destination in mind. He just needs to get away—from work, his wife, his life. Every movement or line delivery of Goldblum's is informed by Ed's catatonic existence.



Ed winds up at the airport, where drop-dead gorgeous jewel thief Diana (Pfeiffer) hops into Ed's car and tells him to floor it because the Iranians are trying to kill her—yup, we're definitely in the 1980s! Ed and Diane drive off—into the night!—and what follows is a series of madcap encounters with bumbling yet ruthless killers (including David Bowie as a mustachioed, eccentric hitman) and a wild assortment of kooky Angelenos, with the action jumping from one late-night spot to the next. All of this insanity allows Goldblum and Pfeiffer to show off their strong comedic skills.



The chemistry between Pfeiffer and Goldblum is palpable from their first enounter. We believe their romantic attraction, but its the even-deeper connection between two lost souls that really sells it. Diana and Ed may seem different on the surface, but they share an understanding of what it's like to feel worthless and unloved. In each other's eyes, they see a new hope, for something more, something better. It really is one of the most beautiful cinematic representations of how two people can connect on such a deep level that it almost feels mystical.



I'm a firm believer that Diana is one of Pfeiffer's greatest performances. Here's what I wrote last year:
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.
Her performance is so electrifying that any male lead might suffer in comparison. Not Goldblum, though. He looks at Pfeiffer throughout with great affection, and makes Ed's reawakening resonate with great clarity. As the night progresses and the mayhem builds, Goldblum masterfully moves us through Ed's reemergence from the depths of depression. Towards the end of the film, Ed is trying to talk a terrorist out of shooting Diana in the packed Los Angeles International Airport. It's the sort of thing we can't imagine the character doing before Diana dropped into his life, but by this point, thanks to Goldblum's performance, we believe it.



There are few movies that hold as special a place in my heart as Into the Night. It's one of those comfort food movies that I always reach for, over and over, no matter my mood. If I'm feeling content and simply want to extend those good vibes, I'll watch and revel in the extraordinary performances and Landis's gloriously surrealist-absurdist tone and style. And if I'm depressed, throwing on Into the Night reminds me that if Ed and Diana can make it, then dammit so will I.

*****



Just a quick note on the film's current availability. Shout Factory! released it on Blu-ray just about two years ago now, and it's well worth the twenty bucks or whatever it might cost now. The transfer is beautiful, and special features include a B.B. King music video—featuring costars Pfeiffer, Goldblum, Dan Akroyd, and for reasons unknown Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, vamping as King's backup band!—and an extended, brand-new interview with Goldblum, who, it should be noted, looks as sartorially sharp as ever. The actor provides great insight into where he was at in his career at the time he made Into the Night, plus offers fun tidbits about making the film. But the crown jewel of the interview has to be when Goldblum extemporaneously spins an impromptu sequel out of thin air! As Goldblum tells it, Diana and Ed share a moment after the end of the movie, but then move on. Ed is crushed. Diana starts singing with the Baker Boys, changing her name to Susie Diamond. Ed stumbles on his muse performing at a jazz club. After mentioning how he plays a little piano, he and Diana/Susie begin performing music together. How badly do you want that film to exist now?!? The entire bit is an astonishing bit of improvising from the master storyteller, Goldblum, and highly recommended for fans of the actor and the film.

This post is part of the Jeff Goldblum Blogathon, 2019.



Comments

  1. Aw, the romantic in me so wants to see Goldblum's sequel.. that would be fantastic, as long as he and Michelle were the leads. Thanks for bringing this post to the blogathonand for joining us in celebrating all things Jeff!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I DESPERATELY want that sequel to exist. It was my pleasure to contribute! Can't wait to read all the exciting entrees.

      Delete
  2. Wow! It's nice to see such love for a film! I will have to look for this one. Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great review. Your so right, this movie is magical. Michelle Pfeiffer is luminous in this.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the review, you've explained better than I ever could why I love Into The Night. I really must invest in the Blu-ray, it sounds like the special features alone would make it worth the money. By the way I'm sorry I've duplicated one of your pictures in my entry. I made my own banner a few days ago, honestly not knowing you'd be using the same image of Jeff and Michelle in your post. Great minds and all that. Anyway, if you want me to remove it I will.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Paul. I don't mind one bit that you're using that image, as well. Like you say, great minds and all!

      Delete
    2. Continuing the Into the Night vibe, I've shared one of your posts on this film over at my place. Thanks for your support.

      Delete
  5. When I first heard about the blogathon, this was the movie that immediately came to mind. But, you beat me to it! :) This is a favourite of mine and has been since I saw it on its first VHS release. You nailed the reasons why; Goldblum and Pfeiffer are perfectly cast and give amazing performances. To me this is *the* Goldblum movie.

    (By the way, you failed to mention that Steve Martin also appears in those music videos. I love those B. B. King performances. I've always wanted to know the story of how those videos came about.)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blowing in the Wind: Marilyn Monroe and That Iconic White Dress

This month marks sixty-five years since one of the most iconic moments in twentieth-century popular culture: Marilyn Monroe’s angelic white dress being blown sky high by wind rushing up from a subway grate beneath her feet in the film  The Seven Year Itch . Billy Wilder shot multiple takes, while Sam Shaw snapped photo after photo for what had to be the biggest publicity stunt ever staged at the time. Marilyn wore two pairs of underwear for the shot, yet, as noted in Lois Banner's critical biography Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox  (2012), "a dark blotch of pubic hair" remained visible to the 100 male photographers and over 1,500 male spectators, all of whom crowded eagerly around the set to gawk and drool.  Due to strict 1950s movie censorship laws, photos had to be doctored to white out the offending blotch, but those in attendance saw it, over and over, shot after shot. Marilyn's husband at the time, the extremely old fashioned Joe DiMaggio, stormed off th

Misspent Youth: Joanne Whalley

Looking back at the pop culture mainstays of this Gen-Xer's gloriously misspent youth. One of the most famous and oft-quoted Seinfeld scenes involves Bobka and Jerry's discovery of the existence of Cinnamon Bobka. After Elaine scoffs at the notion of such a thing, even calling it a "lesser Bobka," Jerry unleashes one of the great defenses of a freshly ground spice ever delivered: People love cinnamon. It should be on tables at restaurants along with salt and pepper. Anytime anyone says, "Oh This is so good. What's in it?" The answer invariably comes back, Cinnamon. Cinnamon. Again and again.  Joanne Whalley is like Cinnamon. Yes, I just compulsively double-checked my DVD copy and it's the unrated version, thank you very much. Let me explain. You see, during the formative years of my misspent youth, if I stumbled on a movie featuring the doe-eyed, petite, beautiful English actress, invariably I'd feel like Jerry does about Cin

All I Want For Christmas: Phoebe Cates's Monologue in Gremlins

Joe Dante's 1980s classic Gremlins will always be a subversive Christmas favorite. From Spike exploding in the microwave to Mrs. Daigle's "stairlift to hell", the movie is packed with deliciously transgressive moments that turn the holly jolly season right on its ear. None are more memorable, though, than Phoebe Cates delivering her legendary "worst thing that ever happened to me on Christmas" monologue. It's a jaw-dropping, tour-de-force moment, a truly horrific story that's also one of the most darkly comic moments in Christmas movie history. Cates really shines during this scene. There's no denying just how seminal that scene of hers in Fast Times at Ridgemont High was for a generation of young people, but her speech in Gremlins is equally important and a wonderful showcase for her serious and comedic acting skills.  Here's the speech, in its entirety. No Christmas season is complete without at least one viewing

Misspent Youth: Randi Brooks

Looking back at the pop culture mainstays of this Gen-Xer's gloriously misspent youth. ***** A note on the series and this site: This might be the final post in the "Misspent Youth" series - at least here. Maybe it'll eventually move with me. Oh, right, I buried the lede: I've moved, and would love for you to come visit me at my new site, The Starfire Lounge ! Moving forward, this site will likely cease to be updated, but will remain around for posterity and your continued reading pleasure. I have a few more things to post here over the coming days or weeks as a sort of "everything must go" send-off to the old girl. I also plan to write a final farewell post to my main online home for the last five years. Stay tuned and, as always, thanks for reading. ***** It's no surprise that the talented but now mostly forgotten Randi Brooks would make an appearance in the Misspent Youth series. She may not be a household name, but her resume

"That girl looks just like Pat Benatar"

Linda, that girl looks just like Pat Benatar. I know. Wait, there are three girls here at Ridgemont who have cultivated the Pat Benatar look. I was just a kid when Fast Times at Ridgemont High opened in 1982. Still though, even at the tender young age of seven, I knew who Pat Benatar was, because a.) her music was all over the radio and even then I recognized the utter awesomeness of her vocal talent in songs like "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", and b.) some of the older girls around town were obviously cribbing their looks—clothes, hair, makeup, strut—from Benatar's own style. Benatar was ubiquitous. So, when I see or hear vintage-era Benatar now, I think of Fast Times , but mostly I remember that ubiquity—of both the performer and her legion of young imitators. I know it's not true, but when I recollect those years I swear every older girl looked like either Benatar, Juice Newton, or Joan Jett. It's easy to forget, years later, that

Misspent Youth: Morgan Fairchild

Looking back at the movies, music, television, and other pop culture mainstays of this Gen-Xer's gloriously misspent youth. Once I decided that Morgan Fairchild would be the subject of the next installment in this series, I did what I usually do and researched online for a bit, just to refresh my memory on details that might've previously been lost to time. Morgan Fairchild was legitimately one of the most potent sex symbols of the 1970s and '80s. Not that I needed much refresher when it came to Fairchild. Born Patsy Ann McClenny in Dallas, Texas, February 3, 1950, the American actress was everywhere during those oh-so-crucial formative years of my pop culture obsession. She loomed large in the growing ranks of proto-haughty glamour queens, a trope that was hot on prime time TV in the 1980s. The characters she was most well-known for were drop-dead gorgeous and didn't suffer fools lightly. Really, few ever did it better than Fairchild. The shirt do

It Came From the '90s: My Secret Crush on The Nanny

This series looks back at the 1990s and its influence on the generation of people who came of age during the decade. For six seasons in the 1990s, The Nanny made many of us laugh. At times, it could be downright hilarious . At others, well, not so much . This isn't a review of a '90s sitcom staple, though. No. This is simply an excuse to come clean about something I've kept buried deep inside for over two decades now: I had a secret crush on The Nanny herself, Fran Drescher. The unadulterated nineties-ness of this is practically blinding. And I love it. While The Nanny was sometimes quite funny, thanks largely to Drescher's spunky charisma and wholehearted commitment, the show was never considered hip. People my parents age seemed to love it, but my friends preferred, well, Friends . That smile! Those legs! That dress! It's all overloading my circuits. I watched Friends with my friends, but I also thoroughly enjoyed The Nanny , to

Margot Kidder and the Childhood Crush That Will Never Die

"I dream about sex, flying, and being chased by Nazis." — Margot Kidder,  Rolling Stone , "The Education of Margot Kidder", 1981 ***** File that quote under, "Reasons why I love Margot Kidder." Last month, Margot hopped a one-way flight with old pal Chris Reeve off into the stars and beyond, where they could reenact their iconic moment from  Superman  (1978), for all eternity. I wrote a little about Margot, here and here , trying to explain why this particular actress meant so much to me as a kid growing up in the 1980s. I thought that would be enough. It wasn't.* Those posts were my fumbling attempts to sort out just how large an impact Margot had on my young life, and, to my present-day surprise, how much she still means to me now. Before news of her death, I hadn't thought of her in ages. I assumed the early childhood crush I harbored for my Lois Lane had dwindled and faded. Ha! I was a fool. My crush on Margot was very

It Came From the '90s: Kelly Bundy and the Alternative Family Ideal

This series looks back at the 1990s and its influence on the generation of people who came of age during the decade. Very few television series in the 1990s were as polarizing as Married...with Children . People either loved it or they loathed it. TV critics and good upstanding Catholic families like mine fell into the latter category. Soon after it debuted during my first year of junior high in 1987 (not quite the '90s, but on the brink), my parents made it clear that we would not be watching. I believe the words they used were "vulgar," "unfunny," and, one of their perennial favorites, "risque." Of course, this meant it immediately took on a prurient appeal for me. Parents can never win, honestly. Kelly Bundy—the talented Christina Applegate, who never gets enough credit for elevating the blonde airhead trope into an art form—only further piqued my interest. She was like the girls in school with the absurdly voluminous hair and ridiculously sh

My Favorite Death Dealer: Kate Beckinsale

"I dropped out of Oxford, and now I only speak Russian with the woman who gives me a bikini-wax. See what Hollywood does to you?" "Apparently, I'm very good at firing a gun without blinking, which is unusual. That's why so many action characters have to wear sunglasses during shoot-out scenes. That's my party trick." "Someone once said that you can make the choice between getting old and getting creepy, and I think getting old is the way to go." ***** Before I begin, here's a haiku that took me at least ten seconds to write: Ah, Kate Beckinsale.  We'd gladly live with you, in your Underworld Yeah, so, I'm a fan. I've always been a fan of Kate Beckinsale, especially as the vampire Death Dealer Selene in the action/horror franchise  Underworld  (five films and counting now) and as a young upwardly mobile publishing professional in Whit Stillman's masterpiece of earl