Overnight

Overnight is a 2003 documentary by Tony Montana and Mark Brian Smith. The film details the rise and fall of filmmaker and musician Troy Duffy, the writer-director of The Boondock Saints, and was filmed at his request.^[1]

Duffy is presented as a victim of his own ego, and as the film progresses and his fortunes fade, he becomes increasingly abusive to his friends, relatives and business partners. According to co-director Montana, "Troy seemed to revel in the attention of Hollywood's lights and our cameras. Only three times during the production did he ask not to be filmed. It was on those occasions that he threatened us."

Plot

Overnight is the story of Troy Duffy, a bartender and aspiring screenwriter who is also a musician in a band called "The Brood," along with his brother Taylor.

At the beginning of the film in 1997, Duffy is riding high: his script for The Boondock Saints has just been picked up by Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein for $300,000 and Duffy has been taken on by the William Morris Agency. Duffy, who had never made a movie or attended film school, will also direct the $15 million film. Moreover, his band will produce the soundtrack and get a recording contract from Maverick Records, and Weinstein will buy J. Sloan's, the Los Angeles bar Duffy works in and hire Duffy to run it. Meanwhile, Duffy asks friends Tony Montana and Mark Brian Smith to manage The Brood and document his activities on film.

Duffy initially enjoys his new success, entertaining celebrities in his bar, dining at hotel restaurants, and moving into a production office where he holds teleconferences with producers. The movie deal, however, quickly turns sour, partially due to Duffy's own arrogant behavior. Believing himself to be the next power-player in Hollywood, Duffy insults actors who are in consideration for Boondock (including Ethan Hawke, Keanu Reeves,^[1] and Kenneth Branagh, whose name Duffy repeatedly mispronounces before simply calling him "cunt"), as well as producers such as Jerry Bruckheimer. Frustrated over the lack of activity during pre-production, Duffy threatens to leave William Morris in favor of a rival agency, and generally alienates both Weinstein and his own production team through his abrasive behavior. Ultimately, Duffy receives word of rumors that Weinstein, one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, has had him blacklisted; Miramax puts the film in turnaround, conference calls are refused, and soon Duffy is without any film industry contract at all.

Duffy's musical efforts are equally ill-fated. Famed guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter expresses interest in producing The Brood, singling out lead vocalist Taylor for particular praise. However, during recording sessions with Baxter and producer Ron Saint Germain, Troy is filmed behaving dictatorially and refusing any advice that contradicts his opinion. Baxter also expresses concern about the band's heavy alcohol consumption. After being dropped by Maverick Records, Duffy and his band are signed to Atlantic Records. Renaming themselves The Boondock Saints, their debut CD sells only 690 copies, and they are dropped from their label shortly before disbanding.

In 1998, Duffy is finally able to obtain financing for the film through Franchise Pictures, although it totals less than half of Miramax's offer. The Boondock Saints is promoted at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, but all the major American distribution companies pass on it. The film manages to receive a limited release in five cities, but performs poorly and is pulled after a week, and is released on DVD and VHS. On the night of the film's screening at the Palm Springs Film Festival, Duffy and producer Chris Brinker are almost killed by a car jumping the curb and speeding off; the car and its driver remain unidentified. Although positive reviews of the movie begin to spread via word-of-mouth and the film becomes a financial success, Duffy's contract with Franchise Films stipulates he cannot profit from the film's television, home media, or foreign sales. He eventually spends all of the money he earned from his film and record deals, his bar closes, and he is unable to secure any work in Hollywood within six years after the production of The Boondock Saints.

Cast

• Troy Duffy
• Tony Montana
• Mark Brian Smith
• Taylor Duffy
• Tate Duffy
• Tyson Duffy
• Marie Duffy
• Gordon Clark
• Jimi Jackson
• Chris Brinker
• Dave Zerr
• Jim Crabbe
• Ramses Ishak
• Joel Roman
• Cassian Elwes
• Shaun Hill
• Sharon Waxman
• Jeff "Skunk" Baxter
• Ron Saint Germain
• Eric Greenspan
• Jason Flom
• Sean Patrick Flanery
• Norman Reedus
• David Della Rocco
• Billy Connolly
• Ron Jeremy
• Willem Dafoe
• Mark Wahlberg
• Jake Busey

Reception

Overnight received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 78% fresh rating, based on 77 reviews. The consensus says, "This absorbing but wince-inducing documentary is a cautionary tale about the costs of hubris in the world of indie film."^[2] Roger Ebert gave Overnight 3-out-of-4 stars, writing, "[Duffy's] family, we sense during one scene, has been listening to this blowhard for a lifetime, and although they are happy to share his success, they're sort of waiting to see how he screws up. ... So are we."^[1]

Comedian Adam Carolla mentions Overnight in his book In 50 Years We'll All Be Chicks (2010), describing the documentary as a modern-day cautionary tale, and further suggesting that Troy Duffy's behavior is an example of how to not behave upon attaining success. In November 2011, Carolla released a podcast interview with Troy Duffy. Admitting that he was not on his best behavior during the time the documentary was filmed, Duffy nonetheless insists that Overnight was unfairly slanted to make him appear like a "boorish asshole."^[3]

References

External links

• Overnight at the Internet Movie Database