Permanent Midnight

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Permanent Midnight

R

1998

1h 28m

Drama

Romance

Biography

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

54%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

As television writer Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller) becomes more successful, his heroin habit grows worse. Already using when he comes to Los Angeles, Stahl finds his problems intensify when he moves in with his friend Nicky (Owen Wilson), also an addict. Eventually, Stahl marries producer Sandra (Elizabeth Hurley) to help her get a green card, and she gets him jobs on top television shows. However, more and more, he is unable to separate his addiction from his working life.

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Critics Consensus

Aimless storytelling undermines the gripping, unsettling subject of this film.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

3/4

The movie gets credit for not making the high life seem colorful or funny.

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Robert Horton

Film.com

Jan 1, 2000

Rollicking! A high-energy adaptation!

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Jan 1, 2000

2/4

The trouble is that it's hard to care!

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Jul 9, 2023

3/5

…while a little woolly in trems of narrative, Permanent Midnight does a persuasive job of depicting the high personal cost of addiction…’

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Mar 6, 2017

C+

Stiller's forceful performance does his character a solid.

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Joe Leydon

The Moving Picture Show

Jul 19, 2014

Stiller's fearless performance makes it painfully and graphically clear that being a junkie is an exhausting full-time job.

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Michael A

@Kinich61 Aug 12, 2026

Great screenplay, direction, and acting. To which, Ben Stiller is so versatile and great an actor that is very much underrated. I don't understand the so-so reviews on this one.

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A M

@Amazer Sep 13, 2024

Elizabeth Hurley is good.

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Steve D

@RT35616104 Feb 11, 2023

Stiller and the script are great. The story is just too dark for me.

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Oct 24, 2021

I'm surprised the ratings aren't good. Maybe because it's Ben Stiller and everyone's expecting a comedy. This remimds me of a California version of Bright Lights Big City.

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Jul 2, 2020

Stiller is stellar, and Wilson has never been better, in this compelling character study about the intermingling of entertainment and addiction. Much too simple to really stick to the ribs, but nonetheless an undeniable piece of convincing anti-drug propaganda.

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Nov 23, 2019

Not so much a comedy for Ben Stiller on this one. Sad.

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David Veloz

Director

Ben Stiller

Jerry Stahl

Elizabeth Hurley

Sandra

Maria Bello

Kitty

Owen Wilson

Nicky

Lourdes Benedicto

Vola

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Synopsis

As television writer Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller) becomes more successful, his heroin habit grows worse. Already using when he comes to Los Angeles, Stahl finds his problems intensify when he moves in with his friend Nicky (Owen Wilson), also an addict. Eventually, Stahl marries producer Sandra (Elizabeth Hurley) to help her get a green card, and she gets him jobs on top television shows. However, more and more, he is unable to separate his addiction from his working life.

Director: David Veloz
Producer: Don Murphy, Jane Hamsher
Screenwriter: Jerry Stahl, David Veloz
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Artisan Entertainment, JD Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance, Biography, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 12, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.2M
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Surround, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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