Mother Night

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Mother Night

R,

1996,

1h 50m,

Comedy/

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

64%

22 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

At the dawn of World War II, American writer Howard Campbell (Nick Nolte) lives in Germany, where he pays little attention to the conflicts that surround him, instead preferring to attend elegant social events with his beautiful wife, Helga (Sheryl Lee). The U.S. government, however, enlists Howard to deliver pro-Nazi messages on European radio that are coded with secret messages for the Allied troops. But it isn't long before his superiors start suspecting that Howard is betraying them.

Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

Aug 23, 2017

2.5/4

Director Keith Gordon emphasizes the speeches more than other issues, and his otherwise thoughtful movie needlessly romanticizes hate.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

2.5/4

Does the film work? Not really. It loses itself in comic caricatures of the loonies that Campbell meets in New York; and its melodramatic double-reverses, by making the plot seem arbitrary, rob it of importance.

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Andy Seiler

USA Today

Jan 1, 2000

3.5/4

A serious drama that is also funny without crossing into burlesque.

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Sep 1, 2022

B

A fine, melancholy adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s 1961 novel, with Nick Nolte in peak, vulnerable form.

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Malcolm L. Johnson

Hartford Courant

Apr 25, 2018

4/5

Frankie Faison comes the closest to Vonnegut's spirit in his bold caricature of the Black Fuehrer of Harlem.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Apr 28, 2011

C+

Nick Nolte is excellent in Keith Gordon's ambitious but flawed adaptation of Vonnegut's fascinating novel.

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Apr 11, 2019

Faithful to the book while adding extra character dimensions, thanks to the masterful performances by Nick Nolte, Alan Arkin and John Goodman.

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Kylo M

Jun 1, 2018

Very effective adaptation of the Kurt Vonnegut novel. Very well done.

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Keith Gordon

Director

Nick Nolte

Howard Campbell

Sheryl Lee

Helga Noth

Alan Arkin

George Kraft

Kirsten Dunst

Young Resi Noth

John Goodman

Major Frank Wirtanen

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Synopsis

At the dawn of World War II, American writer Howard Campbell (Nick Nolte) lives in Germany, where he pays little attention to the conflicts that surround him, instead preferring to attend elegant social events with his beautiful wife, Helga (Sheryl Lee). The U.S. government, however, enlists Howard to deliver pro-Nazi messages on European radio that are coded with secret messages for the Allied troops. But it isn't long before his superiors start suspecting that Howard is betraying them.

Director: Keith Gordon
Producer: Keith Gordon, Robert B. Weide
Screenwriter: Robert B. Weide
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $390.5K
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Surround

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