''That Night'' (originally titled ''One Hot Summer'') is a 1992 American

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

romantic

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Craig Bolotin Craig Martin Bolotin is an American screenwriter and film director. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley where he studied philosophy and penned film reviews. He has written and rewritten numerous screenplays (several unaccr ...

and starring

C. Thomas Howell Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966) is an American actor. He has starred in the films '' Soul Man'', '' The Hitcher'', '' Grandview U.S.A.'', ''Red Dawn'', ''Secret Admirer'' and '' The Outsiders''. He has also appeared in '' Gett ...

and

Juliette Lewis Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress and alternative rock singer. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in films with dark themes. Lewis became an "it girl" of American cinema in the early 1990s, ...

. It is based on the 1987 novel of the same name by

Alice McDermott Alice McDermott (born June 27, 1953) is an American writer and university professor. For her 1998 novel ''Charming Billy'' she won an American Book Award and the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. McDermott is Johns Hopkins University's Richa ...

. This film marks the film debut of both

Eliza Dushku Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Faith in the supernatural drama series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1998–2003) and its spin-off series ''Angel'' (2000–2003). She als ...

and

Katherine Heigl Katherine Marie Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and former fashion model. She played Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role tha ...

Plot

In 1961 Long Island, Alice Bloom is a ten-year-old girl who is trying to understand how love works. She is infatuated with the girl across the street, 17-year-old Sheryl O' Connor. She often looks at her from her bedroom window. Alice starts to copy every detail about Sheryl, including her perfume and even the record she listens to. She admires the affection that Sheryl's father gives her, as she doesn't receive the same from her own father. She then tells her mother about how amazing Sheryl is but Alice's mother pays little attention. One day she goes bowling with some of her friends and is ridiculed by them. Reeling from comments made to her, she immediately becomes excited when Sheryl walks into the bowling alley along with a group of guys trying to win her affection. Sheryl, seemingly innocent and moral, rejects their advances. Sheryl meets the counter boy Rick, and they are instantly attracted to one another. As Alice continues to bowl with her friends, she constantly watches Sheryl's every move. Her friends doubt she even knows Sheryl. Rick pages Sheryl to come back to the desk, and a police officer tells her that her father just died. During the funeral, Sheryl is obviously upset. Afterwards she returns her bowling shoes to the bowling alley. Rick tells her they are closed, and she starts crying over her father. After some conversation, Rick walks Sheryl home, and this leads to their first kiss which is seen by Alice. The next day Rick comes back with his gang, and they take Sheryl to the beach, where they have oysters and tequila and Sheryl pours her heart out over her father's death. They spend the whole day and night together. All is not well, however. Sheryl's mother disapproves of the relationship between her and Rick. Eventually, she bars her from seeing him, and the neighborhood begins to gossip. Sheryl refuses to listen to her mother. Sheryl babysits Alice and a friendship begins with Sheryl imparting wisdom about boys. Alice offers help to Sheryl to sneak out and see Rick. The three of them spend much of the night together which includes bringing Alice to seedy places like dive bars and under the boardwalk. She also makes a record in a booth detailing everything that happened that night. Alice continues to help Sheryl and Rick hide their relationship. She goes to the bowling alley to explain to Rick why Sheryl couldn't see him one day. Alice's father tells her to stay away from the older Rick. It's revealed that Sheryl is pregnant. Her mother decides to send her to an unwed mother's home 300 miles away. Rick repeatedly calls Sheryl's house only to have her mother tell him not to call. Finally, he and his gang drive to her house where Rick pleads to speak to Sheryl. This captures the attention of most of the immediate neighbors. Her mother informs him that Sheryl is gone and he is to leave. He refuses to believe her and pushes her aside to go into the house. The neighborhood fathers then rush to help Ann, and a brawl ensues between Rick's gang and the neighbors. Rick spends a week in jail and it's assumed that no serious charges were filed. Alice becomes withdrawn from the incident and she decides to run away. Rick finds her under the boardwalk and the two talk. Reluctantly, Rick agrees to drive upstate with Alice to meet Sheryl at the unwed mother's home. Alice arranges for Sheryl to sneak out at midnight to meet Rick at the restaurant. The couple meet but Sheryl has decided that she wants to put the baby up for adoption. She realistically can't see a life with Rick and a baby. They have no money or viable jobs. Rick is upset and hands her an engagement ring that he suggests she pawn. Alice then talks to Sheryl and asks her what happened to true love. Sheryl tells her that she is simply too young to understand. Alice still wants the three of them to run away together. Sheryl tells Alice that she can't leave her family. As Alice is put on a bus back to Long Island, she stares out the window as Rick and Sheryl embrace. Alice makes it home, and her parents are relieved to have her back. She states that despite the gossip about Sheryl, she received a postcard telling her the truth: Sheryl and Rick were well on their way to the west coast and they were doing well. Alice then reveals that she learned some things that summer that she would never forget.

Cast

as Rick *

as Sheryl O'Connor *

Helen Shaver Helen Shaver (born February 24, 1951) is a Canadian actress and film and television director. She has received Emmy and Saturn Award nominations, among other honours. Early life Shaver was born and raised, with five sisters, in St. Thomas, O ...

as Ann O'Connor *

as Alice Bloom *

John Dossett John Dossett (born April 15, 1958) is an American actor and singer. Early life and education Dossett attended Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware, from 1972 through 1976, where he was an announcer for the school's radio station, ...

as Larry Bloom *

J. Smith-Cameron Jean Isabel Smith (born September 7, 1957), credited professionally as J. Smith-Cameron, is an American actress. She spent a majority of her career in theatre but began transitioning to film and television later in life. She is known for her suppo ...

as Carol Bloom *

as Kathryn *

Adam LeFevre Adam LeFevre (born August 11, 1950) is an American character actor, poet, and playwright who works in cinema, television, theater and commercials. Biography LeFevre was born in Albany, New York, the son of Helen (née Rhodes), a hospital patient ...

as Mr. Carpenter

Production

Filming began in Baltimore County in September 1991. It was also shot in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Reception

The film holds a rating of 67% 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 ...

based on 6 reviews. Among critical reviews, the performances by Dushku and Lewis were praised.

David Stratton David James Stratton (born 10 September 1939) is an English-Australian award-winning film critic, as both a journalist and interviewer, film historian and lecturer and television personality and producer. Life and career Born in Trowbridge, ...

of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote "This isn't exactly riveting material, and the film's modest production values seem more suited to the small screen. Nevertheless, ushkumakes the hero-worshiping moppet an engaging character, and Howell is just right as every suburban mom's idea of a daughter's undesirable boyfriend. Lewis, her hair dyed blond, is more than adequate as the vivacious Sheryl."

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' expressed disappointment in the number and depth of changes made in the film, and found Lewis' "slinky, demonstrative performance is way out of proportion to the tepid film built around it." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' graded the film "B−", remarking that director Bolotin "leans too heavily on period detail, but ''That Night'' clicks whenever it taps into the crazy, stupid madness of teen lust."

Peter Travers Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...

of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' wrote that while book author McDermott made clear how the intensity of the teen romance changes Alice's life, first-time director Bolotin offers a "pale facsimile that traffics in too many coming-of-age clichés", but concluded, "what makes ''That Night'' worth seeing is a knockout performance from Lewis, who evokes the joy and confusion of sexuality. You can't take your eyes off her."

Home media

''That Night'' was originally available on VHS via

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...

in the United States on January 31, 1995, and the United Kingdom, where it was released on February 6, 1995. The film was released on DVD in the U.S. ( Region 1) on March 6, 2016 from

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (commonly referred to as 20th Home Video, or 20th Home Entertainment, formerly known as 20th Century-Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) is a home video label of Wa ...

. The remastered set is available in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and includes a digital copy.

References

External links

* * * {{rotten-tomatoes, that_night 1992 films 1990s coming-of-age drama films 1992 romantic drama films 1990s teen drama films American coming-of-age drama films American romantic drama films American teen drama films Films scored by David Newman Films about friendship Films about puberty Films based on American novels Films based on romance novels Films set in the 1960s Films set in 1961 Films shot in Maryland Long Island in fiction Regency Enterprises films StudioCanal films Teenage pregnancy in film 1992 directorial debut films 1990s English-language films 1990s female buddy films Films produced by Arnon Milchan 1990s American films