''The Good Night'' is a 2007

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

comedy-drama film written and directed by

Jake Paltrow Jake Paltrow is an American film director, screenwriter and actor. Coming from a family of actors, he is the younger brother of Gwyneth Paltrow and the son of Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner. Personal life Paltrow is the son of producer-dir ...

. The film stars his sister Gwyneth Paltrow,

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (; ; born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Known for her roles in films of several genres, particularly those in the Spanish language, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British ...

Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won an Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most not ...

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...

and others. The movie takes place in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where a former pop star (Freeman) who now writes commercial jingles for a living experiences a mid-life crisis. The movie was released on the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

Plot

The movie follows a man's search for perfection in a world where life rarely measures up to the idealized images that constantly bombard us. Gary Shaller (

Freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

), who gained commercial success in the past as the keyboard player in the band "On the One", is in a failing relationship with Dora ( Gwyneth Paltrow), and working for his former bandmate Paul (

), writing and recording commercial jingles. Gary is having

lucid dreams A lucid dream is a type of dream in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming while dreaming. During a lucid dream, the dreamer may gain some amount of control over the dream characters, narrative, or environment; however, this is n ...

about a woman named Anna (

), with whom he is deeply infatuated. He learns more about lucid dreaming by buying books and attending classes taught by lucid-dreaming guru, Mel (

). Gary eventually discovers that the girl he dreams about does, in fact, exist. Paul arranges for Gary to meet her, but this proves disappointing, as she fails to live up to the expectations that Gary has built up in his dreams of her. He eventually continues to dream about her, even soundproofs his apartment, and makes other efforts to be able to sleep longer, so that he can remain with Anna for longer periods of time. Eventually, feeling as though he is betraying Dora, he attempts to go back to her. While crossing the street to reach her, he is hit by a car. As the movie ends, he is fully immersed in his dream world, apparently while being in a coma in a hospital.

Cast

Production

The production filmed at Capel Manor Guest Pavilion in Kent to shoot the scenes at the house in Gary's dreams where he meets Anna.

References

External links

* * *
The Good Night
{{DEFAULTSORT:Good Night, The 2007 films 2007 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films British romantic comedy films Films about music and musicians Films directed by Jake Paltrow 2000s English-language films 2000s American films 2000s British films