This Is the Night

2021 1h 40m EN

😐

5.4

MID

★5.4TMDB · 37

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the summer of 1982, as all of Staten Island anticipates the opening of a blockbuster boxing movie, an Italian-American family must confront its greatest challenges.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Jonah Hauer-King
Christian Dedea
Naomi Watts
Marie Dedea
Frank Grillo
Vincent Dedea
Lucius Hoyos
Anthony Dedea
Method Man
Louis
Bobby Cannavale
Frank Larocca
River Alexander
Dov Sabian
Chase Vacnin
Albie Lenza

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: James DeMonaco
Writers: James DeMonaco
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by James DeMonaco, shot by Anastas N. Michos. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nathan Whitehead. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Keith Fraase shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Jonah Hauer-King and Naomi Watts and Frank Grillo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt7743120 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 37 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James DeMonaco directs. Anastas N. Michos behind the camera. Nathan Whitehead scores. Keith Fraase cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 5 years ago.
2Directed by James DeMonaco, shot by Anastas N. Michos. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Nathan Whitehead. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Keith Fraase shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Jonah Hauer-King and Naomi Watts and Frank Grillo carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt7743120 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 37 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Anastas N. Michos
Original score: Nathan Whitehead
Editing: Keith Fraase
Costume design: Karen Malecki
Makeup / hair: Janine JP Parrella
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: This Is the Night (2021)

Also by

James DeMonaco

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb280390232022-09-08
★ 1/10
Rule of thumb: never remind the audience that they could be watching a much better film. Rocky III may not be the haymaker that the first two films of that franchise (a true one-two knock-out combo) were, but it’s arguably the saga’s last great chapter, and it might as well be Citizen Kane compared to This Is the Night, which appears to have been written and directed by a concussed Rocky Balboa. Dr. Johnson said that puns are the lowest form of humor, but this movie resorts to an even lower form: retrospective humor. For example, it's 1982 and Anthony Dedea (Lucius Hoyos), the young protagonist, calls Rocky III "The end of the trilogy, the last Rocky movie." HAHAHAHAHAHA! Get it? It's funny because they’re still making Ricky-related films. Anthony and his two friends (the lead in a teen comedy always has exactly two sidekicks) are bullied for getting into a pool with their shirts on — which I believe is one of the rare occasions in which bullying is actually justified, and perhaps even encouraged. Take your shirt off, or stay out of the pool. It’s not rocket science. Vincent (Frank Grillo), Anthony's father, is a failed restaurant owner who has to beg for a loan from wannabe mobster Frank Larocca (Bobby Cannavale); Anthony thinks this is "shameful" and that his father is a "coward." What a hypocrite. When Anthony takes off his shirt at the pool like a normal person, then let him talk about the shame and cowardice of others; meanwhile, as Vincent tells him, “shut up when you speak” (God bless you, Frank Grillo). Anthony becomes "Public Enemy Number One," and he and his friends outcasts, when he’s falsely accused of questioning Rocky Balboa's manhood. I personally love Rocky, but has the Italian Stallion really sparked such a level of fandom as we see in this film? I mean the kind of obsession usually reserved for Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. Elsewhere, there is a subplot that sees Marie (Naomi Watts) and Christian (Jonah Hauer-King), Anthony's mother and older brother, establish an emotional bond when she discovers his cross-dressing. The problem with this isn't whether it's queerbaiting or not, but that it unnecessarily prolongs a movie that's already well over 100 minutes. To think that just 20 years ago Watts starred in Mulholland Drive, and now she's relegated to the parts that should have been cut so the movie wouldn't be too long. All things considered, it might revolve around Rocky III, but This Is the Night doesn't have the Eye of the Tiger (nor, for that matter, the song of the same name).

Production companies