Martin Scorsese's After Hours

This rare 1985 comedy from Scorsese is finally coming out on DVD this coming Tuesday, 8/17. Not sure why it's such a lesser-known Scorsese film, because it's hilarious. It's a dark comedy that takes place in one night of the life of the very unfortunate Paul Hackett, expertly played by Griffin Dunne. It's kind of hard to explain so I'l just paste a plot summary from the IMDB:

Paul Hacketts embarks on a trip to SoHo in hopes of scoring with a pretty woman he just met, but when his money flies out the window he is stuck in SoHo. The movie details his experiences that night with a wide array of criminals, kooks, psychotics, sadomasochists, punks, and an angry mob trying to kill him. Strangely, the seemingly disconnected events are interwoven in unusual and unexpected ways.

The outstanding supporting cast includes Rosanna Arquette John Heard, Linda Fiorentino, Will Patton, Teri Garr, Catherine O'Hara, and Cheech and Chong. Classic Scorsese direction, excellent acting from all, and a very clever and funny script.

[Paul has no money for a subway token]

Paul Hackett: "Couldn't you just give me one token, please?"

Subway Attendant: "I can't do that. I may lose my job."

[Paul looks around and sees no one else in the station]

Paul Hackett: "Well, who would know...exactly?"

Subway Attendant: "I could go to a party, get drunk, talk to someone...who knows?"

Great stuff. Who else is looking forward to this?

 

great movie, great cameos!

 

Thanks for the response, Obi-Sauron. It was a bummer that there seemed to be no love for this film. Best Buy didn't even get it. It's part of the Scorsese box set, but it's not there by itself.

 

its a shame more people dont know about this movie. but if your talking Scorsese comedies for my money "the King of Comedy" is the best. more people probably know of this film because it stars Robert De Niro.

 

I know of The King of Comedy but I've never seen it. Thanks, I'll have to check it out.

 

I agree - this movie is fantastic. It's great to see so many actors that later became more or less famous - Will Paton, Linda Fiorentino, etc. The movie is just brilliant - one of my favourite "late night" movies.

The lines are awsome:

"[After witnessing a murder through a window.]
"I'll probably get blamed for that too."

"Art sure is ugly.
Shows how much you know about art. The uglier the art, the more it's worth.
This must be worth a fortune, man."

"Surrender Dorothy!"



From IMDBs trivia:

"Test audiences rejected an alternate ending in which Paul remains trapped in the statue."

"Many ideas were considered for the film's ending. One idea that made it to the storyboard stage had Paul crawling into June's womb to hide from the angry mob, with June giving "birth" to him on the West Side Highway." - the actual ending is the best IMO.

"A technique known as "end slating" was used to capture Paul's reaction as he enters the nearly-vacant Club Berlin. Right before filming the shot, Griffin Dunne went to a bar around the corner, ordered drinks for the customers, then ran out without paying. The scene opens on him after this had just happened off-camera."

"Scorsese told Griffin Dunne to refrain from sex and sleep during filming in order to get a more realistic feeling of paranoia."

 

Yeah, Griffin's line deliveries are classic. Like when he starts going off on Marcy about the pot he just smoked, not realizing he's stoned. And then his rant about the Plaster of Paris bagel and cream cheese paperweight he wanted:

"Then get 'em, cause as we sit here chatting, there are important papers flying rampant around my apartment cause I don't have ANYTHING to hold them down with!"

And that look he gives Teri Garr's character when he says, "What is wrong with you?", when he's trying to memorize the number from information, and she's shouting random numbers out, cracking up.

So many hilarious moments.

 

I cant believe only 3 people know about this movie. Its so good.


I have not seen it in a very long time and therefore have little to add to a discussion, sorry about that.

 

Like when he starts going off on Marcy about the pot he just smoked, not realizing he's stoned.

I never thought that he was stoned - I thought he really knew his subject. Maybe you're right - if so that must be a super weed that stones a guy in 5 seconds. Which again its funny, since Paul says he thinks its not even weed.

Still, the movie is not without flaws - I felt strange that he handed his house keys so straightaway and later not even mentioned them, despite that Tom, the bartender kept his keys anyway. And when he starts running from the two guys that were in Tom's building - they already knew him and he could explain the situation. It's funny to watch Paul's transformation - in the beginning he's dying to score with Kiki or Marcy, but when Jude (the waitress) offers herself to him, he's past caring.

Also the story about his childhood, when he tells he was put in the burned section of the hospital - its never explained. And that leads to the creepiest scene in the movie (that has A LOT of creepy scenes): the fast-moving images of burned wounds. I could have done without it.

Yeah, its a shame that only 3 of us know about the film.

I HAVE to get the DVD for this one: heard it has audio commentary, documentry and deleted scenes.

 

I think he definately gets high there. He takes a monster hit off that joint before he asks her about it, he pulls on it like three times before exhaling. And then notice how really strange he becomes, and how big a deal the cream cheese paperweight suddenly is:

Paul: "What type of pot is this?"

Marcy: "It's Colombian."

Paul: (Takes another hit) "That's a lie."

Marcy: "What?"

Paul: "This isn't Colombian. I don't even think it's pot."

Marcy: "That's what the guy who sold it to me said it was."

Paul: (Begins to get angry with her) Well, the guy who sold it to you is a liar. So are you. That's ****!"

Marcy: "Don't get upset. I just won't buy it from him anymore."

Paul: "That's horse****."

Marcy: "Are you all right?"

Paul: "Where are those plaster-of-Paris paperweights, anyway? I mean, that's what I came down here for in the first place. Well, that's not entirely true, I came to see you, but where are the paperweights? That's what I wanna see now! "

Marcy : "What's the matter?"

Paul: "I said I wanna see a plaster-of-Paris bagel and cream cheese paperweight, now cough it up."

Marcy : "Right now?"

Paul: "Yes, right now!"

Marcy : "They're in Kiki's bedroom."

Paul Hackett: "Then get 'em, cause as we sit here chatting, there are important papers flying rampant around my apartment cause I don't have ANYTHING to hold them down with."

When she goes to get it, he then takes off out of there. Whatever it was he smoked, it got him really high. Seeing Griffin act the scene out is classic.

 

Yeah that dialogue is hilarious.

***SPOILERS***

Look at poor Paul's situation when the movie ends: he's being chased by an angry mob led by the Softee Icecream truck lady. Tom, the bartender, has his house keys and Kiki has his shirt ("it will only take 20 minutes" ).

***END SPOILERS***

One thing that frightened me was June's statues: is it possible that she transforms people into statues and then leaves them there? It wouldn't be hard to recruit people in night club!

And a memorable line that sums up the entire movie: when Paul and Marcy are having coffee and the bartender says it's on the house and then says: "it's late night - normal rules don't apply"

 

Paul is the ultimate bad luck guy.
One of my favorite scenes is where he comes across a Bound and Gagged Linda Fiorentinio and thinks he is going to be the hero, only to find she is just having a little kinky fun with her boyfriend (De Niro in a great Cameo).

 

^^^^I think you mean Will Paton.

 

^^^^I think you mean Will Paton.

 

Yeah, it's Will Patton that plays her boyfriend, Horst. No De Niro cameo.

And I was wrong when I said it was Teri Garr's character who messes with Paul when he's trying to memorize the phone number. It's Catherine O'Hara's character that does that.