Rascar-Capac An amazing achievement! Made for TV on a small or at best medium budget, this little Scifi-Comedy-Romantic-Thriller is really worth watching. It has often been compared to the much more famous „Groundhog Day", with some critics even going so far, calling it a rip of. The latter is ridiculous, let alone because both films were produced at the same time. The one and only coincidence lies in the idea, that the main character is caught in a time-loop and has to live through one special day over and over again, while everyone else around doesn't. But 12:01 never leaves a doubt, that there is a reason behind all this – a scientific experiment, that went terribly wrong. Our hero Barry Thomas (great: Jonathan Silverman) we learn, is a minor employee at a High Tech Laboratory and he's having a really bad, bad day. His misfortunes are fun to watch first, but turn to tragic at the days end, when Lisa Fredericks (Helen Slater), a female scientist, he fell for, is murdered by Unknowns – for no apparent reason, it seems. The next morning the unbelievable happens: Barry learns, that he is going to relive his nightmarish yesterday. Fate has offered him a chance to find out, what really is going on in the laboratory and seek for a way to save Lisas life ... Apart from fine performances by Helen Slater and Martin Landau, there are a number of comedy side-characters such as those played by Robin Bartlett and Jeremy Piven, that add so much to films appeal. While the film moves elegantly between pure comedy, romantic drama and SF-mystery, the lack of production values or big action scenes never comes to the viewers mind. The only drawback to me seemed to be the films running time of only 90 minutes. One more time-loop could have built up even more suspense and in doing so, the script-writer might have saved the life of one of the films more lovable characters.

steve83-1 Don't let the premise fool you into thinking this is a rehash of Bill Murray's movie - this is a GREAT little story unto itself. It's closer to Office Space & Back to the Future than to Groundhog Day.With a well-constructed plot & engaging characters, you can ignore the obvious writing & cinematography constraints of working on a TV budget. Watch for the pearls: Jeremy Piven & Marin Landau will sneak through with their organic performances if you're not paying attention. But everyone from the office dominatrix to the wiry assassin are well-developed; I even felt like "Mom" was part of the cast! So what IS the story about? A hard-working downtrodden everyday guy with a little tardiness problem. On the day that he FINALLY works up enough nerve to talk to the office cutie that he's had a crush on for longer than his mother can stand, she gets killed. And he has to watch it happen. ...again. And if he doesn't figure out what to say & do, he'll have to keep watching it. But the key is to figure out who ELSE is watching her, and why his interest in her has caused our hero to wake up Tuesday after Tuesday after Tuesday...12:01 is definitely worth watching again, and again, and again, and...

moebeast I love time travel/ time loop stories, so it stands to reason that I would probably enjoy this film based solely on its plot. This picture manages to successfully mix romance with science fiction and espionage. However, I must admit that it is the exceptional cast and wonderful acting that makes this one of my favorite films. Jonathan Silverman is wonderfully believable in the lead role and Helen Slater has always impressed me with her ability to immerse herself in different types of characters. I always forget that her first movie role was that of "Supergirl"! Additionally, Jeremy Piven is a comic delight as Howard and Robin Bartlett is equally as good in her role as the annoying Anne Jackson. In my opinion, Ms. Bartlett is one of our more talented and under-appreciated character actresses. Finally, any movie that utilizes the magnificent Martin Landau gets a 10 right off the bat!

valjean451 It's been 10 years since I saw this movie, but it still sticks out in my mind as surprisingly enjoyable. Jonathan Silverman (best known for "Week-end at Bernie's") is always appealing and quirky, and this film is essentially a romantic comedy masquerading under a sci-fi plot device.Forget about the plot device. What makes this movie compelling is its depiction of somebody who is forced to throw caution to the winds, and who abruptly finds himself in a bizarre situation where his (normally paralyzing) social awkwardness is no longer limiting. Despite the sci-fi clichés, Silverman makes the romantic angle genuinely touching to watch, notwithstanding the fact that the heroine, played by Helen Slater, remains something of a cipher.In sum, if you're looking for a breezy sci-fi comedy that you can watch with a girl, this is good bet. You probably won't find it in Blockbuster, but some of the other video stores might have an old copy tucked away.