Themes: Drug Addiction, Rise and Fall Stories, Writer's Life
Main Cast: Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Hurley, Maria Bello, Owen Wilson, Lourdes Benedicto
Release Year: 1998
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
David Veloz made his directorial debut with this drama adapted from the autobiography of comedy writer Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller), whose $6000-a-week heroin habit had him taking his infant daughter along on his drug runs and doing smack during TV script conferences. Departing detox, Stahl explores memories with survivor Kitty (Maria Bello), who listens patiently to Stahl's flashback. Other women in Stahl's life are his British wife Sandra (Elizabeth Hurley) and his agent Vola (Lourdes Benedicto). For the TV series "Mr. Chompers" (inspired by ALF), Stahl meets with sitcom exec Craig Ziffer (Fred Willard) and puppeteer Allen (Charles Fleischer). For freaky freebasing, Stahl hangs with mumbler Nicky (Owen Wilson) and druggie Gus (Peter Greene). Stahl himself can be seen in a cameo as the methadone clinic doctor. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Richard Hicks - Casting, Ronnie Yeskel - Casting, Robert Leveen - Co-producer, Louise Mingenbach - Costume Designer, Lori Eskowitz - Costume Designer, David Veloz - Director, Steve Weisberg - Editor, Cara Silverman - Editor, Yalda Yehranian - Executive Producer, Daniel Licht - Composer (Music Score), Jeff Rabhan - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jerry Fleming - Production Designer, Robert Yeoman - Cinematographer, Jane Hamsher - Producer, Don Murphy - Producer, Eric Enroth - Sound/Sound Designer, David Veloz - Screenwriter, Jerry Stahl - Book Author
The soundtrack to the film adaptation of TV writer Jerry Stahl's autobiography consists largely of electronica and trip-hop (Crystal Method, Moby, Morcheeba, BT, Prodigy, Spring Heel Jack), with a few modern-rock acts (Girls Against Boys, Spiritualized, Embrace, Black Lab, Art Alexakis of Everclear) thrown in for good measure. The stylistic juxtapositions, along with some of the more faceless acts, make for an uneven listen. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Moby (Producer), Moby (Engineer), Moby (Performer), Spiritualized (Performer), The Prodigy (Performer), Girls Against Boys (Performer), Paul Fox (Producer), Nick Launay (Producer), Daniel Licht (Producer), Philip Steir (Producer), Brian Transeau (Producer), Brian Transeau (Mixing), Ashley Wales (Producer), John Coxon (Producer), Gomez (Performer), Chris Haynes (Engineer), BT (Performer), Spring Heel Jack (Performer), Morcheeba (Producer), The Crystal Method (Producer), The Crystal Method (Performer), The Crystal Method (Mixing), Art Alexakis (Producer), Art Alexakis (Performer), Dave Creffield (Producer), Dave Creffield (Mixing), Black Lab (Performer), Embrace (Performer), Ken Nelson (Engineer), Free Radical (Performer), Steve Holsworth (Keyboards), Steve Holsworth (Engineer), Chris "Pitta" Harrison (Engineer), Don Murphy (Executive in Charge of Music)
Permanent Midnight is a 1998moviedirected by David Veloz starring Ben Stiller. The film is based on Jerry Stahl's autobiographical book of the same name, and tells the story of Stahl's rise from a small-time television writer to his success as a comedy writer making up to $5,000 a week writing for 1980s shows like thirtysomething, Moonlighting, and probably most infamously, ALF (changed in the movie to Mr. Chompers). Maria Bello stars as Kitty, a fellow detox survivor to whom Stahl relates his rise and fall. The movie also stars Owen Wilson as Stahl's friend and fellow addict, Nicky; Elizabeth Hurley as his wife, Sandra; Janeane Garofalo as a Hollywood agent, Jana.
Stiller's performance in the movie was critically lauded[citation needed], but the film failed at the box office and never saw widespread release[citation needed]. It has been released on DVD in the USA and the UK. A soundtrack CD was also released with most of the music heard in the film.
Rated R (For Pervasive Graphic Drug Use, Strong Sexuality and Language).
