The REEL Addict 

Unless you’re George Clooney or Scarlet Johansson, chances are at some point or other on New Years’ Eve you’ve found yourself stressing out about that potentially euphoric or calamitous midnight kiss, or - worse - finding your lips depressingly unkissed by the time the clock strike 12:01.

For those of you who ended up sliding from 2008 into 2009 with nary a smooch, there may at least be the satisfying substitute of sharing in the anxiety and the fulfillment of a New Years kiss vicariously through the film (appropriately titled no less) IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS. It may be a small, black & white indie gem in all likelihood you’ve never heard of before, but it’s without a doubt one of the sweetest, most entertaining films I’ve seen this year, and perfect for lovers of BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET.

The film begins with Wilson, a brooding, broke and failed screenwriter stuck in Hollywood who - like many single people - finds himself depressed and lonely on New Year’s Eve and wants to do nothing more than wallow in misery in his bed. Then - again, like many single people - Wilson finds himself bulled by friends into posting a personal ad on the internet advertising a need for a New Years date (why didn’t I think of this?). Sure enough someone accepts, and he finds himself meeting Vivian, a woman who - initially - seems desperately extroverted and maybe a little insane, but with enough spunk, humor and energy that you still can’t help but be enthralled. Nor can Wilson.

What follows is a movie ideally suited for those of us who adore BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET or other films about people meeting serendipitously and falling in love in the span of a day, as Vivian and Wilson make their way through the city, discovering it and themselves at the same time. What gives IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS a slightly different twist than other films in this pseudo-genre, is that even though it is undeniably charming, funny and romantic, it doesn’t show relationships/dating as entirely saccharine, unblemished affairs. It can get messy and awkward (oh, so awkward), but it doesn’t make the movie less romantic, but instead makes it that much easier to invest in these characters because it rounds the movie out into an insightful, heartfelt, quirky and smart on 21^st Century dating.

Watching IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS may not replace an actual midnight kiss, but you’ll probably get wrapped up vicariously enough in this bittersweet and lovely story/characters, that maybe (just maybe) you’ll at least feel like you had the experience of one. If not that, then at least there will be conciliation in that you watched  a really good film that - who knows - might even be a perfect date movie to watch to help get you a New Years’ kiss next year.