12:01

12:01
Directed by	Jack Sholder
Produced by	Robert John Degus Jonathan Heap Cindy Hornickel
Written by	Richard Lupoff Jonathan Heap Philip Morton
Starring	Jonathan Silverman Helen Slater Nicolas Surovy
Music by	Peter Rodgers Melnick
Cinematography	Anghel Decca
Editing by	Michael N. Knue
Release date(s)	5 July 1993
Running time	92 min.
Country	United States
Language	English

12:01 is a 1993 adaptation of the short story, 12:01 PM by Richard Lupoff, starring Helen Slater, Jonathan Silverman, Jeremy Piven and Martin Landau. It was produced as a television movie and originally airing on the Fox Network in the United States.

12:01 PM had previously been adapted into an Academy Award nominated short film starring Kurtwood Smith.^[1]

Plot

Expanding on the original's premise of a one hour time loop, this version saw Silverman’s character keeps reliving the same 24-hour period, which would restart at one minute past midnight (rather than midday as in the other versions). Slater plays his romantic interest, and Piven provides comic relief as his best friend.

The 1993 version features a much lighter and more comedic tone than the original story. It also contains a happy ending, as the protagonist ultimately finds a way to correct the time loop over the course of the film’s 94 minute running time. This 1993 version was released on DVD in the United States on November 28, 2006.

Legal action

The film Groundhog Day, which has a similar time loop premise, was also released in 1993. An urban legend (spread via the internet) suggests that the makers of 12:01 won a lawsuit against the producers of Groundhog Day. According to Lupoff, "Jonathan Heap and I were outraged and tried very hard to go after the rascals who had robbed us, but alas, the Hollywood establishment closed ranks. We were no Art Buchwald. After half a year of lawyers' conferences and emotional stress, we agreed to put the matter behind us and get on with our lives."^[2]

References

External links

• 12:01 (1993 film) at the Internet Movie Database