1-800-Hot-Nite (2022) Film Review
1-800-Hot-Nite premieres at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, March 9 and 11, 2022
The “coming of age” subgenre is commonly known as a medium for telling stories that we wish would have happened to us. Even when they’re inherently tragic at some point, there’s a sense of growth and maturity that’s inevitable in these films. No matter the setting, characters will learn and go on.
In 1-800-Hot-Nite, directed by Nick Richey, much takes place during a single night. It isn’t comparable to a regular “coming of age” fable, but the film’s clever enough to accomplish its goal to make the audience reflect on something that isn’t universal but essential on a human level. But there’s a catch, and it’s very important to note: 1-800-Hot-Nite doesn’t look nor feel like a film of this species. As a viewer, we are frequently enticed to go further in a film experience to understand what a film is really about. In 1-800-Hot-Nite, great performances allow you to enter this world in an organic fashion. This was quite unexpected, but rewarding.
Why unexpected? 1-800-Hot-Nite begins with three friends on a public phone trying to use a stolen credit card to call a phone sex hotline they found on a piece of paper. When the card goes through they giggle and start chatting with a sexy voice. Their triumph comes when a fake orgasm is yelled through the receiver.
One of them is Tommy, a kid whose family is incomplete and yet his father apparently cares enough. That same night, when he goes home, police break into his home. The raid leaves him at the helm of child services. Tommy decides to run away with his friends. Where will they go? Who knows. Tommy just wants to stay out of the system.
What starts as a buddy comedy progresses into a more dramatic film. The tone is never adapted to younger audiences and authenticity seems like a standard for Richey. Profanity and violence are normalized in the world of Tommy, O’Neill and Steve. But so are first kisses, sexual myths, and crime. Innocence is part of every character in 1-800-Hot-Nite but this doesn’t mean the film is naive when portraying Tommy’s world and the night’s agenda. Events are random, desperate and intricately funny.
1-800-Hot-Nite is a comedy that works when it has to. It’s because of the chemistry and talents of young performers that seem natural for the job. Dallas Young, Gerrison Machado, and Mylen Bradford are impressive in their craft. Their chemistry is kept throughout the whole film when it lands on a more grounded setting and morals are finally stated.
The third act in 1-800-Hot-Nite is rushed but sharp in its message of acceptance, even if it doesn’t condone Tommy’s initial pursuit. That woman on the other end of the line ends up being Tommy’s connection with the real world, and a conversation between them is key to digesting Richey’s intention with the film. I won’t spoil what happens in 1-800-Hot-Nite but this is a film that runs and ends on a note far different from the one you’d imagine at first. Beyond the gangsta attitude, questionable behavior and “boys being boys”, there’s a great tale of redemption and growth in hard circumstances.
It will come to you easily, don’t worry.
