I first caught this movie on Antenna TV one morning, and I was immediately struck by its moody atmosphere. I was also curious about the female lead (yes, I admit I didn't know who Kim Novak was at the time). She looked a little like Vera Miles, which is always nice, but I didn't think it was her. Plus, the presence of Martin Balsam got me interested because he did some great stuff in that era. Because I was working from home, I couldn't watch the whole movie, but I popped in a few times and caught random moments: Betty tries to break it off with Jerry, Betty freaks out at Jerry in the car, Jerry meets Betty's mother. It was intriguing, this love story. I had to know more.
I eventually tracked down the title and found out it was a Delbert Mann/Paddy Chayefsky joint like "Marty". That got my hopes up; "Marty" was a great film that I'd related with very strongly. So I got myself a copy of "Middle of the Night" and watched it through.
Well, you know the problem with high expectations; they're hard to meet, and that's what happened with "Middle of the Night". My assumption, despite the stormy snippets I saw, was that at least these two people genuinely wanted to be together, the same as it was in "Marty". I mean, it's a romance, right? You expect certain things of certain genres. They're together because they truly love each other, right? After watching the whole thing, I was left with the opposite impression. Jerry wants Betty because of what she does for him; she makes him feel young again, and makes him feel like a stud without the tawdriness of running around with the "tootsies" his friend Lockman is always bragging about. Betty I never felt like she really wanted to be with Jerry. Like I said before, she tries to break it off with him, and she's not bowing to peer pressure or anyone's disapproval. That comes later. She's simply not interested in him. Watch how he responds to it a few minutes later and you'll see why nothing in the film rings true for me after that point.
Chayefsky seems to be exploring the same themes he did in "Marty": lonely people who find fulfillment in each other despite the objections of their group. However, Betty's not so much lonely as she is emotionally haywire, and Jerry's loneliness is based on his ego. The point of the movie seems to be, grab whatever happiness you can, no matter how flawed, because it's better than nothing. Those flaws don't just go away, though, and the story after the movie ends is where I flash on heavy weather ahead for Jerry and Betty. For me, it turned out to be a pretty unsatisfying love story.
P.S. Martin Balsam didn't disappoint, though. He plays Jerry's son- in-law, a mellow guy whose wife takes him for granted until he finally gets fed up. His big blow-out with her made the movie for me.
I eventually tracked down the title and found out it was a Delbert Mann/Paddy Chayefsky joint like "Marty". That got my hopes up; "Marty" was a great film that I'd related with very strongly. So I got myself a copy of "Middle of the Night" and watched it through.
Well, you know the problem with high expectations; they're hard to meet, and that's what happened with "Middle of the Night". My assumption, despite the stormy snippets I saw, was that at least these two people genuinely wanted to be together, the same as it was in "Marty". I mean, it's a romance, right? You expect certain things of certain genres. They're together because they truly love each other, right? After watching the whole thing, I was left with the opposite impression. Jerry wants Betty because of what she does for him; she makes him feel young again, and makes him feel like a stud without the tawdriness of running around with the "tootsies" his friend Lockman is always bragging about. Betty I never felt like she really wanted to be with Jerry. Like I said before, she tries to break it off with him, and she's not bowing to peer pressure or anyone's disapproval. That comes later. She's simply not interested in him. Watch how he responds to it a few minutes later and you'll see why nothing in the film rings true for me after that point.
Chayefsky seems to be exploring the same themes he did in "Marty": lonely people who find fulfillment in each other despite the objections of their group. However, Betty's not so much lonely as she is emotionally haywire, and Jerry's loneliness is based on his ego. The point of the movie seems to be, grab whatever happiness you can, no matter how flawed, because it's better than nothing. Those flaws don't just go away, though, and the story after the movie ends is where I flash on heavy weather ahead for Jerry and Betty. For me, it turned out to be a pretty unsatisfying love story.
P.S. Martin Balsam didn't disappoint, though. He plays Jerry's son- in-law, a mellow guy whose wife takes him for granted until he finally gets fed up. His big blow-out with her made the movie for me.