''In Search of a Midnight Kiss'' is a 2007 American independent romantic comedy film written and directed by

Alex Holdridge Alex Holdridge is an American writer/director currently based in Berlin, Germany. Holdridge began making movies in the early 2000s in Austin, Texas. His first full-length film, ''Wrong Numbers'', was a low-budget comedy about two 18-year-old gu ...

. It was listed on the National Board of Review's Top 10 Independent Films of 2008, won the

Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award The Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award is presented to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $500,000 by the Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It is named after ac ...

in 2009 as well as having earned awards at festivals around the world. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007 and since has played at festivals around the world from Mill Valley, Chicago and Los Angeles in the U.S. to Raindance (London), Edinburgh, Sarajevo, Istanbul, Bangkok, Kraków, Thessaloniki and Melbourne outside the States. It has been released in theaters in the UK (Vertigo Films), the U.S. (IFC Films), Spain (Sherlock), Poland (Vivarto) and Greece (Seven Films). It was released in Australia on February 14, 2009.

Plot

Wilson ( Scoot McNairy), a 29-year-old man who has just endured the most miserable year of his life, newly arrived in the City of Angels, is alone and penniless as New Year's Eve approaches. He vows to lock his doors, pull his blinds, and climb into bed – until best friend Jacob (Brian McGuire) talks him into posting a Craigslist personal ad. In seemingly no time at all Vivian (Sara Simmonds) responds, determined to be with the "right" man at the stroke of midnight.

Critical reception

As of October 11, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 85% of critics rated the film positively based on 48 reviews, with the consensus that "Funny, quirky, and bittersweet, In Search of a Midnight Kiss is a romantic comedy with a heart and a brain -- and stands as a sharp debut for director Alex Holdridge." Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 64 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, indicating a generally favorable response. The film appeared on some critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Kimberly Jones of '' The Austin Chronicle'' named it the 9th best film of 2008, and Stephen Farber of '' The Hollywood Reporter'' named it the 10th best film of 2008.

Awards and nominations

*Winner, 2009 Independent Spirit Award: John Cassavetes Award. *National Board of Review - Top 10 Independent Film 2008 *Winner Florida Film Festival, 2008 *Winner Best Editing Woodstock Film Festival, 2007 *Winner Best Feature Film - Florida Film Festival 2007 *Winner, Best of Fest Edinburgh Film Festival 2007 *Winner, Nobel Bank Critic's Award Best Feature - Kraków's OFF Camera Film Festival 2008

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten-tomatoes, in_search_of_a_midnight_kiss, In Search of a Midnight Kiss
''Time Out'' Review

''The Times'' Review

''The Scotsman'' Review

''The Times'' - "How In Search of a Midnight Kiss" became a love letter to L.A.

''The Scotsman'' - A Fond Kiss - Interview with Alex Holdridge
2007 films 2007 independent films 2007 romantic comedy films American black-and-white films American independent films American romantic comedy films Films directed by Alex Holdridge Films set in Los Angeles Films set around New Year Vertigo Films films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films John Cassavetes Award winners