That Night ** (1992, C Thomas Howell, Juliette Lewis, Eliza Dushku, Helen Shaver, Katherine Heigl) – Classic Movie Review 11,695

Writer-director Craig Bolotin’s 1992 American coming-of-age romantic drama film That Night is based on Alice McDermott’s 1987 novel, and stars C Thomas Howell, Juliette Lewis, Eliza Dushku, Helen Shaver and Katherine Heigl.

It is an evanescent coming-of-age nostalgia, set on Long Island in the summer of 1961, with attractive work from 10-year-old Dushku as the dreamy narrator, Lewis as her older suburban neighbour and mentor, and Howell as Lewis’s boyfriend, a greaser with brains.

The ten-year-old Alice Bloom (Eliza Dushku) is trying to understand how love works and is infatuated with the girl across the street, 17-year-old Sheryl O’ Connor (Juliette Lewis), who meets the bowling alley counter boy Rick (C Thomas Howell), and are both instantly attracted.

It is a pleasant and occasionally affecting story, but it does not add up to much because there is not enough oomph in the handling and writing, and it is all too soon passing out of sight, memory or existence, quickly fading or disappearing.

However, the summertime small-town atmosphere is effectively captured and the vintage pop songs on the soundtrack are a plus, though its main asset is the acting of Dushku and Lewis.

Even with its trendy cast and certain modest appeal, it flopped. Costing $7,000,000, it took $20,473 at the box office, though video rentals and sales may have come to its rescue.

That Night is debut of Eliza Dushku and Katherine Heigl.

C Thomas Howell and Juliette Lewis in That Night (1992).

The cast are C Thomas Howell as Rick, Juliette Lewis as Sheryl O’Connor, Helen Shaver as Ann O’Connor, Eliza Dushku as Alice Bloom, John Dossett as Larry Bloom, J. Smith-Cameron as Carol Bloom, Katherine Heigl as Kathryn, Sarah Joy Stevenson, Ben Terzulli, Thomas Terzulli, Michael Costello, Kathryn Meisle, Adam LeFevre, Carolyn Swift, Charles Musumeci, Debora Robertson, John Healey, Becky Ann Miller, Paul Morella, Sabrina Lloyd, and Thompson Hunt.

Eliza Dushku (born December 30, 1980) is best known for starring as Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998–2003) and its spin-off series Angel (2000–2003).

 © Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,695

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com