Celebrity Nooz: After Hours

After Hours (1985)

Movie Title: After Hours

Year Released: 1985

Rated: R

Runtime: 1h 37min

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Director: Martin Scorsese

Writer: Joseph Minion

Starring: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom, Tommy Chong, Linda Fiorentino, Teri Garr, John Heard, Cheech Marin, Catherine O'Hara, Dick Miller, Will Patton, Robert Plunket, Bronson Pinchot

Review: After meeting a girl (Rosanna Arquette) in a coffee shop, Paul (Griffin Dunne), a milquetoast Yuppie, agrees to visit her in Soho. Upon his arrival, things go from bad to worse for Paul as he gets caught up in bizarre coincidences and nightmarish circumstances while trying to get back home.

Martin Scorsese's After Hours is a dark, surrealist comedy that feels like a re-working of Alice in Wonderland. Griffin Dunne as Paul is young and naive and enters a world that he doesn't quite understand and can't escape from. It's like an endurance test that puts Paul and the audience through their paces as the situations and characters get stranger and stranger.

The all-star cast featuring Verna Bloom, Tommy Chong, Linda Fiorentino, Teri Garr, John Heard, Cheech Marin, Catherine O'Hara, Will Patton, and the always amazing Dick Miller all bring their "A" game. Each one brings a unique character to the movie and you're never really sure about anyone's true intentions. And much like Paul, the audience is in a constant state of paranoia.

It's also nice to watch a movie that's original, unique, and keeps you invested because you have no idea where it's going or how it'll end. With that said, After Hours is not for everyone, and if you're going into it thinking it's a Scorsese crime-drama you're going to be very disappointed. It's definitely one of Martin Scorsese's hidden gems. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to re-watch. So take a chance on something a little different and enjoy the offbeat '80s cult classic After Hours.

Stars (out of 4):

Fun Fact: Martin Scorsese told Griffin Dunne to refrain from sex and sleep during filming in order to get a more realistic feeling of paranoia.

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