Review: Night Job (2016)

One thing is clear: director and producer J. Antonio loves New York City. And what isn't to love? It's a tossed salad of rich characters and personalities of all kinds. And of course, anyone that has ever worked in a location with a diverse population and

+ Recommended - R, Comedy

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One thing is clear: director and producer J. Antonio loves New York City. And what isn't to love? It's a tossed salad of rich characters and personalities of all kinds. And of course, anyone that has ever worked in a location with a diverse population and culture or that has worked in retail will be able to relate to what the film has to offer.

It's truly amazing what this film does with a limited space to shoot. Not once does the setting grow boring with a one hour and twenty-four minute run time. Valentin Farkasch effortlessly shifts camera positions and angles to make the most of the space. Every shot is purposeful and executed with ease. An original score by TJ Wilkins sets the perfect tone for late-night fun in a big city; It's lively and yet so simple.As mentioned previously, New York City has a plethora of interesting persons. Well, Night Job brings those people to life.

Bettina Skye (Stella) portrays a woman of age that has seen and experienced life; she has a different outlook, however (watch and find out). Stella remains charming throughout her dialogue piece and remains the strongest and most intriguing character. That doesn't mean that other performances weren't worthy. Jason Torres (James) is perfectly cast as the main character, walking the fine-line of naivety with a hint of grace. You will root for him to find solutions to the chaos of his first night on the job as a doorman.

With a story so full of fascinating characters there should be more than enough content to accompany the run time. I couldn't help but feel like some beats were explored more than once and some character interactions felt bland. Outside of the characters, the story doesn't have much to offer. We have a side plot focusing on James' love life that feels lackluster and ends abruptly with a contrived narrative. The biggest downfall, however, is that the story is meaningless. And yet, shockingly, the story does move forward with conflict lying in the supporting character's situations.

What Night Job proves to filmmakers outweighs all the small cons of the film. It proves that you don't need to always have a central protagonist to move a story in new and exciting places. You just need a solid cast and a passion for the story you are telling. Some might not like the emptiness of the plot, but it just so happens to work here. Overall, it's an entertaining watch that does pass time fairly well.

Check out the website where you can find a link to the film: http://nightjobmovie.com/