classicsoncall
If you go in expecting a coherent story line or some connecting thread among the five vignettes presented, you'll probably be disappointed. What I got out of the picture was the sense that throughout the world, people of different backgrounds and nationalities are all subject to similar kinds of human frailties and foibles, no matter if one lives in Los Angeles, Paris or Helsinki. The other two cities rounding out this peek around-the-world at a particular point in time are Rome and New York City. Some of the situations are rather bizarre, but to my mind, the most hilarious character in the picture was portrayed by Roberto Benigni as the cab driver in Rome. In a moment of reflection, he decides he must tell his confession to a priest who becomes his fare, and proceeds to drive the man into an unintended heart attack when he loses control of his medication. Perhaps the most poignant story is the last one in which a cabbie takes on three inebriated passengers and winds up relating a personal story that adds an unexpected perspective to their own unfortunate circumstances. All five of the unrelated tales have a way of making one think about how it would feel to walk in someone else's shoes, and perhaps, just how fortunate one is compared to the problems of the next person.
Blake Peterson
I feel safest at nighttime, not on the streets but in the sheets, cemented to my bed with my laptop by my side. These summer nights seem to beg me to stay up until the earliest hours of the morning, and it's hard not to comply — at two pm, there's nothing in the world stopping a friend from asking you for a favor, a grandma inviting you to move furniture for an estate sale, a parent demanding you mow both lawns, take out the garbage, and clean your bathroom. But at two am, every one of those people is asleep: nobody expects anything from you, and, for once, the stresses of reality cease because no one else is throwing them in your face. Nighttime is a period of spooky solitude, elusively appealing."Night on Earth" divides itself into five vignettes, all set during these wee hours, all involving the relationship between a taxi driver and their temporary client, all in a different city. Directed by Jim Jarmusch, one might expect a deadpan drama of steeping revelations and scintillating conversations, in the way "Broken Flowers" could make even the most awkward of an exchange blossom with black hilarity. But "Night on Earth" is wildly uneven, some of the segments mostly involving, others splendidly acted but unsuccessful in their rendering. I've always felt that a movie comprised of short films should be so arresting in each segment that it wouldn't be unheard of to pine for a longer, feature adaptation. But even in its best moments, "Night on Earth" is slight, some performers more pleasing than others — a difficulty when some segments are damaged by particular characters.The first vignette, set in Los Angeles, stars Winona Ryder as the cab driver, Corky, Gena Rowlands as the passenger, Victoria. Corky, young and spunky, chain smokes, chews bubblegum, and figures that her dream career is that of a mechanic; Victoria, middle-aged, welcoming, and refined, is a casting agent looking for fresh talent. She sees a spark in Corky, figuring her rough-and-tumble attitude could be assembled into a rebellious, cool product headed toward stardom. This segment, though dampened by Ryder's unconvincing portrayal of a grungy youth with small dreams, makes an impression thanks to the always lovely Rowlands, who makes what could be an unlikable character affectionate, motherly even.The second, stationed in New York and headed by Armin Mueller-Stahl, Giancarlo Esposito, and Rosie Perez, is the second most annoying of the segments: driver Stahl, a German immigrant, hardly knows how to drive, so his customer Esposito takes over the wheel and loudmouths his way through awkward silences. Midway through the trip, the two pick up the shrill Perez, who happens to be Esposito's sister-in-law. The vignette could be enjoyable, with Stahl sweetening the atmosphere as a gentle giant, but Esposito and Perez are so obnoxious that we can hardly wait for the short to be over.The third sequence travels to Paris, by far working as the most straightforward, best written moment in the film. Here, a blind woman (Béatrice Dalle) gets a ride from an endlessly p-ssed off driver (Isaach De Bankolé) who rethinks his usual grumpiness after she gives him a run for his money: the woman, it seems, is scorned by life and completely disregards her ailment, scoffing whenever her cabbie asks an inappropriately curious question. The segment works so well because of the rapport between Dalle and Bankolé — whereas the other shorts attempt to have the characters find a mutual understanding between each other, Dalle and Bankolé's mutual curiosity/disdain bears an odd sexual tension, fascinating just enough to leave us potentially wanting more but backing off when considering just how well it works.I won't go far into the fourth sequence (set in Rome), which is jaw-droppingly irritating as comedian Roberto Benigni delivers a mile-a-minute performance as a cab driver who just won't shut up. If he's annoying to his guest then he's annoying to us as well — don't expect to want to do anything besides fast-forward as his mouth runs into oblivion, us preferring deafness to hearing any more about another one of his sexual experiences. Following the exasperation of this vignette, "Night on Earth" ends on a melancholy note as it hits the snowy streets of Helsinski, with a group of passengers complaining about how horrible their friend's day was until the driver decides to top it with a soul crushing experience himself. While I appreciate Jim Jarmusch's enviable ability to turn realism into sardonic astuteness, "Night on Earth" feels more like a filmmaking exercise than an actual film. It doesn't move — it serves as an experiment pleasing only the people involved while the audience sits and waits patiently for something moving to happen.
Luis Angel Gonzalez
In what is possibly one of the most accomplished and ambitious films among Jim Jarmusch's quite extensive work, we are presented with five occasionally entertaining, humorous and moving stories which take place in five taxis, each driving through their respective cities at night. Inside these taxis characters of a wide assortment of personalities get to interact with each other. The acting is top-notch throughout the entire film, which adds to the real-life feel the film intends to portray. There are, however, a few negative aspects I feel compelled to point out. Because the film moves from one language to another, the audience, depending on their cultural background, native language, or even personal tastes, is bound to connect more with a particular story than the other. This is probably one of most notorious difficulties the film suffers from, as, for instance, the story starring Roberto Benigni most likely entirely differs from the mood of the previous ones and the last story; personally, this story was the one I liked the least, although it was entertaining, if maybe a little bit absurd at times. Also, changing from one story to the other might be a little bit abrupt, as you must immediately adapt to the new characters. Separately, every story works perfectly on their own, but having to watch them together in a 2-hour film might as well represent a heavy task for the viewer. Then again, this is also the strongest aspect of the film, as it succeeds in trying to depict a similar situation in 5 diverse environments. Do not get me wrong, the negative aspects that I pointed out are the ones I believe keep this film from being a complete masterpiece. All in all, the film is excellent, and it definitely should be viewed by anyone interested in cinema, as it is highly innovative.
