A better-late-than-never tribute to a beloved ‘80s classic.
The fortieth anniversary of John Landis’s eccentric gem Into the Night (1985) came and went in February of last year. My plans to celebrate it here went by the wayside. Life! *shakes fist at the sky* Argh. So, after having recently rewatched it, and in the spirit of better (very) late than never, here’s that belated celebratory anniversary post.
I’ve probably said this before—including way back when this blog was only a month old—but it bears repeating, Into the Night is one of my all-time favorite comfort films. I have several Michelle Pfeiffer comfort films (honestly, one could argue I find comfort in all of them in some way, shape, or form). The big ones for me are The Fabulous Baker Boys, Married to the Mob, Frankie and Johnny, Batman Returns, Wolf, Grease 2…you get the picture. Into the Night sits alongside those pfilms as one of the Pfeiffer pflicks I revisit most often. Simply put, I just love spending time in the movie’s oddball orbit.
Into the Night takes place in the sprawling world of Los Angeles, and for much of it, Los Angeles after dark—hence, Into the Night. Landis packed the film with loving showcases for LA landmarks, like Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood, Ships Coffee Shop on La Cienega, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), among many, many more. Some of those locations are gone now—Ships Coffee Shop at La Cienega closed thirty years ago and the futuristic building was demolished, sadly—which only adds to Into the Night’s appeal as an endearing time capsule of ‘80s LA.
As the beautiful jewel thief Diana, Michelle Pfeiffer is sexy and sweet in a stellar performance. Her shorter haircut and the Thriller-style red leather jacket she wears for much of the film are très chic. She looks absolutely stunning and gives such a warm and inviting performance. Even though the trope wasn’t named yet in 1985, Diana is very much the Manic Pixie Dream Girl meant to shake Jeff Goldblum’s sad-sack aerospace engineer Ed Okin out of his insomnia-induced torpor. She’s absolutely delightful.
Pfeiffer and Goldblum have wonderful comedic chemistry together that fits the film’s offbeat charm perfectly, and their more serious scenes are heartfelt and touching—the scene where they talk frankly about their lives over sundaes at Ships is simply beautiful. *Chef’s kiss*
Supporting cast members all shine, even in small parts. Special kudos to David Bowie as an unhinged hitman, Dan Akroyd as Ed’s cynical coworker, Kathryn Harrold as Diana’s funny and sexy friend, and Clu Gulager as a no-nonsense federal agent. Landis also packed Into the Night with as many roles and cameos from fellow film industry friends as he could, including Amy Heckerling (as the waitress at Ships!) Paul Mazursky, Jim Henson, Rick Baker, David Cronenberg, Jonathan Demme, and Michelle’s own sister Dedee Pfeiffer as “The Hooker”!
Into the Night somehow remains an under-appreciated film. Ask most folks you meet and they won’t know it. But ask your film buff friends and I guarantee that not only will the vast majority of them know, they’ll be as much in love with it as I am. It resonates most with film fanatics and forty-odd years later stands as one of the great, unsung LA movies from the era when LA movies dominated the screen. For me, it’s pure cinematic comfort food. I always leave return viewings full and happy.
More Into the Night…
The Starfire Lounge 