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''Overnight'' is a 2003 American
documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
by
Tony Montana Antonio Montana is a fictional character and the protagonist of the 1983 film ''Scarface''. This character is portrayed by Al Pacino in the film and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game '' Scarface: The World Is Yours''. Embod ...
and Mark Brian Smith. The film details the rise and stumble of filmmaker and musician
Troy Duffy Troy Duffy is an American filmmaker and musician. He has directed two films, ''The Boondock Saints'' and its sequel '' The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day''. Duffy was the subject of the 2003 documentary film '' Overnight''. Film career Duf ...
, the writer-director of ''
The Boondock Saints ''The Boondock Saints'' is a 1999 American vigilante action thriller film written and directed by Troy Duffy. The film stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus as fraternal twin brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus, who become vigilantes after ...
'', and was filmed at his request. Duffy is presented as a victim of his own ego, and as the film progresses and his fortunes fade, he becomes increasingly abusive to his friends, relatives and business partners. According to co-director Montana, "Troy seemed to revel in the attention of Hollywood's lights and our cameras. Only three times during the production did he ask not to be filmed. It was on those occasions that he threatened us."


Synopsis

In 1997, bartender Troy Duffy (an aspiring screenwriter and member of the band The Brood) successfully sells his script for ''
The Boondock Saints ''The Boondock Saints'' is a 1999 American vigilante action thriller film written and directed by Troy Duffy. The film stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus as fraternal twin brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus, who become vigilantes after ...
'' to Miramax chief
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films includ ...
for $300,000 and is taken on by the
William Morris Agency The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ag ...
. Weinstein agrees to let Duffy, who has never made a movie or attended film school, direct the $15 million film. Moreover, The Brood will produce the soundtrack and get a recording contract from
Maverick Records Maverick was an American entertainment company founded in 1992 by Madonna, Frederick DeMann, and Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev, and formerly owned and operated by Warner Music Group. It included a record label (Maverick Records), a film production ...
, and Weinstein will buy ''J. Sloan's'', the
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
bar where Duffy works, and hire Duffy to run it. Meanwhile, Duffy asks friends Tony Montana and Mark Brian Smith to manage The Brood and document his activities on film. Duffy initially enjoys his new success, entertaining celebrities in his bar, dining at hotel restaurants, and moving into a production office where he holds teleconferences with major Hollywood producers. The movie deal quickly turns sour, largely due to Duffy's own arrogance and increasingly abusive behavior. Believing himself to be the next power-player in Hollywood, Duffy insults actors who are in consideration for ''The Boondock Saints'' (including
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...
, Keanu Reeves, and
Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...
, whose name Duffy repeatedly mispronounces before simply calling him " cunt"), as well as producers such as
Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, fantasy, and science fiction. His films include '' Flashdance'', ''Top Gun'', '' The Rock'', '' ...
. When the film fails to go into production as quickly as Duffy would like, he threatens to leave William Morris in favor of a rival agency, and alienates both Weinstein and his own production team through his abrasive behavior. Ultimately, Duffy receives word of rumors that Weinstein, one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, has had him
blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, ...
ed. Miramax puts the film in turnaround, conference calls are refused, and soon Duffy is without any film industry contacts at all. Duffy's musical efforts are equally ill-fated. Famed guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter expresses interest in producing The Brood, singling out lead vocalist Taylor for particular praise. During recording sessions with Baxter and producer
Ron Saint Germain Ron Saint Germain (alternate spellings Ron St. Germain, Ron Saint-Germaine and similar) is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixer born in post-war Frankfurt, Germany, into a career Air Force family. Prior to his career in music p ...
, Duffy attempts to wrest control away from them, ignores any advice that contradicts his own opinions, and refuses to listen to Baxter's concerns about the band's heavy alcohol consumption. After being dropped by Maverick Records, Duffy and his band are signed to Atlantic Records. Renaming themselves The Boondock Saints, their debut CD sells only 690 copies, and they are dropped from the label shortly before disbanding. In 1998, Duffy is finally able to obtain financing for the film through
Franchise Pictures Franchise Pictures LLC was an independent motion picture production and distribution company, founded by Elie Samaha, Ashok Amritraj, and Andrew Stevens. They were known for their production in the action film genre. The company also had a short- ...
, although it totals less than half of Miramax's offer. ''The Boondock Saints'' is promoted at the
1999 Cannes Film Festival The 52nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 12 to 23 May 1999. Canadian filmmaker, actor and author David Cronenberg was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the French– Belgian film ''Rosetta'' by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The festi ...
, but all the major American distribution companies pass on it. The film manages to receive a limited release in five cities, but performs poorly and is pulled after a week before being released on DVD and VHS. On the night of the film's screening at the Palm Springs Film Festival, Duffy and producer
Chris Brinker Chris Brinker (December 17, 1970 – February 8, 2013) was an American film producer and director, known for his work in the film ''The Boondock Saints'' (1999), and also as an actor in a small role in that film. He was co-producer on '' Lonely ...
are almost killed by a car jumping the curb and speeding off; the car and its driver remain unidentified. Although positive reviews of the movie begin to spread via word-of-mouth and the film becomes a financial success, Duffy's contract with Franchise Films stipulates he cannot profit from the film's television, home media, or foreign sales. He eventually spends all of the money he earned from his film and record deals, his bar closes, and he is unable to secure any work in Hollywood within six years after the production of ''The Boondock Saints''.


Cast

*
Troy Duffy Troy Duffy is an American filmmaker and musician. He has directed two films, ''The Boondock Saints'' and its sequel '' The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day''. Duffy was the subject of the 2003 documentary film '' Overnight''. Film career Duf ...
*Tony Montana *Mark Brian Smith *Taylor Duffy *Tate Duffy *Tyson Duffy *Marie Duffy *Gordon Clark *Jimi Jackson *
Chris Brinker Chris Brinker (December 17, 1970 – February 8, 2013) was an American film producer and director, known for his work in the film ''The Boondock Saints'' (1999), and also as an actor in a small role in that film. He was co-producer on '' Lonely ...
*Dave Zerr *Jim Crabbe *Ramses Ishak *Joel Roman * Cassian Elwes *Shaun Hill *
Sharon Waxman Sharon I. Waxman (born c.1963) is an American author, journalist, and blogger who has been a correspondent for '' The Washington Post'' and '' The New York Times'', and founded the Hollywood and media business news site ''TheWrap'' in early 2009. ...
* Jeff "Skunk" Baxter *
Ron Saint Germain Ron Saint Germain (alternate spellings Ron St. Germain, Ron Saint-Germaine and similar) is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixer born in post-war Frankfurt, Germany, into a career Air Force family. Prior to his career in music p ...
*Eric Greenspan *
Jason Flom Jason Flom (born c. 1961) is an American music industry executive, podcaster and philanthropist. He is the founder of Lava Records, and was previously the chairman of Atlantic Records and Virgin Records/Capitol Music Group. He is also an advocate ...
*
Sean Patrick Flanery Sean Patrick Flanery (born October 11, 1965) is an American actor, author, and martial artist. He is known for playing Connor MacManus in ''The Boondock Saints'' (1999) and its sequel ''The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'' (2009), Greg Still ...
*
Norman Reedus Norman Mark Reedus (born January 6, 1969) is an American actor best known for starring as Daryl Dixon in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2022). He also starred as Murphy MacManus in the film ''The Boondock Saints'' (19 ...
*
David Della Rocco ''The Boondock Saints'' is a 1999 American vigilante action thriller film written and directed by Troy Duffy. The film stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus as fraternal twin brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus, who become vigilantes after ...
*
Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...
*
Ron Jeremy Ronald Jeremy Hyatt (born March 12, 1953) is an American former pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", Jeremy was ranked by AVN at No. 1 in their "50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list. Jeremy has also made a number of non-pornographic m ...
*
Willem Dafoe Willem James Dafoe (; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, in addition to receiving nominations for four Academy Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, t ...
*
Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three ...
*
Jake Busey William Jacob Busey is an American actor. Among his most prominent roles have been serial killer Johnny Bartlett in 1996's ''The Frighteners'', Ace Levy in 1997's ''Starship Troopers'', Kyle Brenner in 2001's '' Tomcats'', Aiden Tanner in the 20 ...
*
John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC comedy series ''Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he rec ...


Reception

''Overnight'' received positive reviews. On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, it has a 78% fresh rating, based on 77 reviews. The consensus says, "This absorbing but wince-inducing documentary is a
cautionary tale A cautionary tale is a tale told in folklore to warn its listener of a danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. First, a taboo or prohibition is stated: some act, lo ...
about the costs of hubris in the world of indie film." Roger Ebert gave ''Overnight'' 3-out-of-4 stars, writing, " uffy'sfamily, we sense during one scene, has been listening to this blowhard for a lifetime, and although they are happy to share his success, they're sort of waiting to see how he screws up. ... So are we." Comedian Adam Carolla listed ''Overnight'' as one of his favorite films in his 2010 book, ''In 50 Years We'll All Be Chicks''. In November 2011, Carolla released an interview with Troy Duffy on his podcast ''The Adam Carolla Show''. Duffy acknowledged that he was not on his best behavior while the documentary was filming, but insisted that ''Overnight'' was edited unfairly to make him appear like a "boorish asshole."


References


External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0390336 2003 films 2003 documentary films American documentary films Documentary films about film directors and producers Films set in 1997 Films set in 1998 Films set in 1999 Films set in 2000 Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in Massachusetts Films shot in France Films shot in Mexico Films shot in Toronto 2000s English-language films 2000s American films