All Nighter

I admit it. I've become a sucker for J. K. Simmons. I like him in just about everything he's in. And that's nice, because he does a lot of 'smaller' films, and I really like smaller films. 'All Nighter', is one of those. There's nothing 'big' happening here, just the story of two (mostly) unconnected people, who unexpectedly come together to go looking for someone. That someone is Ginnie; the daughter of one, and the former girlfriend of the other.

So what is 'All Nighter'? A comedy? A quest? A buddy movie? A heart tugger? Yes . . . . kinda. I suppose it's all those things, but then again, not really any of them. Like I said earlier, it's one of those 'small' movies about a small event in the lives of a few (mostly) ordinary people. No Super-Heroes, no special effects, and ultimately, nothing all that life-altering. At least on the surface. In the end, 'All Nighter' is really just a story about the need for connections in life. How being involved with those around us is the only meaningful currency we can use to measure our own wealth.

Hirsch or Simmons, and usually both together, are onscreen for almost the entire film, and their evolving relationship was enough to keep me interested. It's not the most original of stories, but that's okay. Sometimes a film doesn't need to be, so long as you enjoy spending the next 90 minutes with the people in question. And in this case, it worked out well enough.