Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Allnighter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 25, 2021

Tamar Simon Hoffs' "The Allnighter" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include archival audio commentary by the director and star Susanna Hoffs; new audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson; and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Last moments of freedom

Can a bad film be a good film because it remains objective? Well, it depends on whether objectivity is needed. For example, I do not want Jim Henson’s Labyrinth to be an objective film because I expect it to play with my mind in some very special ways and make me forget about my daily troubles. In other words, I expect Labyrinth to be a temporary cinematic antidote to everything that has anything to do with objectivity because it is what defines the world I live in -- or at least most of the time. So, if Labyrinth has terrific acting and some great special effects, my expectations will be met and I will declare that it is a good film. But what if I decide to see Chronicle of a Summer? I should expect to see a very different film, right? There is very little acting in it and most of it is actually pretty bad, but the film works really well because Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch capture a series of terrific revelations that perfectly sum up the zeitgeist of a fascinating era. So, Chronicle of a Summer does not do any of the things Labyrinth does, but my expectations are met again, which is why I consider it a good film too.

Last night, I sat down to view Tamar Simon Hoffs’ The Allnighter and mentally I was prepared to be entertained in much the same way I would be if I spent ninety minutes with James Frawley’s Fraternity Vacation. Not at all surprising, right? Take a look at the theatrical posters for these films -- half-naked college boys and girls, palm trees and big balloons, all wrapped up in beautiful bright colors. Oh, by the way, on The Allnighter poster Susanna Hoffs isn’t holding a fancy glass of perfectly chilled mineral water either. My point is, I was ready for a silly comedy about young people having a lot of silly summer fun. But this isn’t the type of film The Allnighter turned out to be. I will explain why below, but I also want to do you a favor. If you sit down to view The Allnighter with the same expectations I had, and twenty or so minutes into it you are still looking for the same thrills Fraternity Vacation delivers, hit the stop button on your remote control and go pick up another film to end your day with. The Allnighter can be pretty funny at times, but it won’t make you roll on your couch. Trust me, if you sit down to view it expecting that it would deliver a ton of outrageous laughs, when its final credits appear on you screen you will be underwhelmed and declare that it is a stinker.

So, what kind of a film is The Allnighter? First, it is not a masterpiece. It’s got plenty of very obvious rough spots that should have been edited better. It also has a few sequences that are downright weird. But this isn’t why The Allnighter has turned off a lot of people in the past. It has done so because it blends silly fun with plenty of drama, which means that it is a pretty uneven film too. As odd as it may sound though, it is precisely this unevenness that prevents it from being the stinker some disappointed viewers have argued it is.

The events in the film take place approximately forty-eight hours before graduation at a small college somewhere in California, and during the entire time Hoffs’ camera follows closely five friends whose lives are already heading in completely different directions. Molly (Susanna Hoffs) has never had that special romantic relationship most girls have when they attend college, so her heart and mind are telling her that she has wasted the best years of her life. She would have loved to be C.J’s (John Terlesky) girlfriend, but he was too busy surfing with his best pal, Killer (James Shanta). Val (Deedee Pfeiffer) has found her future husband, but he is already acting like a pragmatic businessman twice his age whose only goal in life is growing his six-digit portfolio. Gina (Joan Cusack) still has not decided where she would end up after getting her degree, but like the rest of her friends she knows that as a ‘professional adult’ she would never again be as free as she was during her time in college. It is why she is documenting her final hours of freedom with a portable video camera, and Molly, C.J, Val and Killer are the main characters in her amateur documentary.

On the night before graduation everyone is expected to attend the traditional giant party on the beach, but instead of fun and laughter the five friends have unusual experiences that force them to get an unsweetened taste of the real world.

The silliness and noise occupy a large part of the narrative, but they are essentially a smoke screen for the sad transition young people experience when they leave college and begin a new chapter in their lives. It is the very reason why the film is frequently uncharacteristically unfunny -- the good times are coming to an end and even though everyone rushes to the big party the fun frequently feels off.

The sequence at the end where Molly goes back to C.J’s place legitimizes the entire film. If it is taken out of context it looks quite awkward because it isn’t particularly well acted, but her decision makes perfect sense. It is now or never for her. It isn’t right that she has to make the first move, but it is the only way it can be done, and this is how a lot of these ‘college experiences’ actually happen in the real world. The perfect fireworks that you will see in Fraternity Vacation and countless other similarly-themed films are just nicely scripted cinematic illusions.

The Allnighter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Allnighter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The master that was used to produce the release is quite uneven. For example, while many close-ups can look pretty good most of the wider panoramic shots reveal pretty mediocre delineation and depth, which is why on a larger screen you will see some pretty substantial fluctuations. Furthermore, because grain exposure isn't as good as it should be, density fluctuations can be pretty obvious as well. In darker areas where shadow definition isn't optimal you will see plenty of unnatural flatness, though the good news is that there are no traces of recent attempts to resharpen the visuals and bring back lost detail. The color scheme is stable but looks dated. For example, plenty of blown out highlights introduce patches of unnatural white that interfere or simply eliminate various supporting nuances. In darker areas, the crushed blacks produce similar anomalies. Image stability is good, but from time to time you will notice minor shakiness within the frame. There are no distracting large cuts, debris, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score if 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Allnighter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and clean, so the dialog is always very easy to follow. However, from time to time it feels like it becomes a tad flat, especially during mass footage with plenty of movement coming from different directions. The music sounds nice, but there is a similar dynamic unevenness there. So, my guess is that a newer remix will produce better rounded audio with stronger and expanded dynamic contrasts.

The Allnighter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Allnighter. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 480/60i).

• Music Video - presented here is an archival video for Price-Sulton's "No T.V. No Phone". (5 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary One - in this archival audio commentary, star Susanna Hoffs and co-writer/director Tamar Simon Hoffs discuss in great detail how different casting choices were made, the different locations where various sequences were shot, the scoring of the film, the blending of the funny and unfunny, etc.

• Commentary Two - new audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson.

The Allnighter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't think I would have been able to tolerate The Allnighter without its rough acting and unpredictable emotional ups and downs. Its awkward moments and unevenness make it look mostly authentic, and this is why I enjoyed it. I can't quite tell if it was meant to be an objective film, but the college experience is pretty much as it is portrayed in it -- a lot more erratic than exciting, filled with missed opportunities and impulsive decisions, always ending with a sad transition into the 'real world'. If you pick up The Allnighter and like it, you should also check out The Last American Virgin. There is a lot more hilarious content in it, but it is an equally objective film with some timeless lessons. RECOMMENDED.