Overnight (2003)

Overnight is a documentary chronicling the rather interesting tale of Troy Duffy. Troy Duffy is the guy who wrote and directed the cult hit The Boondock Saints. He went from being a bartender one day to the darling of Hollywood the next. At the blink of an eye he was given a movie deal, a record deal for his band, and the bar he worked at. He and his friends were blue collar guys from Boston who had just made it big in Hollywood and it turned into a national story. Over time, however, the force of nature that is Troy Duffy managed to cross with Harvey Weinstein and the documentary shifted from Cinderella story to a struggle against the power structure of Hollywood.

As much of an asshole as Troy Duffy seems to be, I have to say I do have a sense of admiration for the guy. For all his faults he had a tremendous amount of drive and enough integrity to stick with his artistic vision. His personality doesn't exactly scream "artistic integrity" but his actions do and he was blacklisted in Hollywood as a result of it.

Troy Duffy didn't end up with much for the years of work he put into his band and his movie - except for the work. He did create the movie he set out to film and as a fan of it myself I would say he did a good job. His band also cut an album, even if they never made it big. From an artistic perspective he was a success. His two dreams were realized. From a business perspective, he was a failure. The movie wasn't shown in theaters nationwide and he didn't receive any royalties for DVD sales. His band was dropped from the label and all his buddies had to go back to normal blue collar lives.

I'm of the opinion that too many people measure their success by what they have rather than by what they have done. If I was Duffy, I would hold my head up high knowing I realized my dreams, but I get the feeling he's still rather bitter.

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Available for streaming until 1/31/11.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? Tanya from I DARE You to Make Less Sense recommended it to me.

Is it artsy? It doesn't seem artsy but it is. It's a story about the struggle between artistic vision and making a commercially viable product.

Best thing about the movie? Getting a glimpse into how Hollywood works.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Voyeuristic.

What rating did you give it on Netflix? 4 Stars.

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