Elizabeth Hurley is good.

Stiller and the script are great. The story is just too dark for me.

I'm surprised the ratings aren't good. Maybe because it's Ben Stiller and everyone's expecting a comedy. This remimds me of a California version of Bright Lights Big City.

Stiller is stellar, and Wilson has never been better, in this compelling character study about the intermingling of entertainment and addiction. Much too simple to really stick to the ribs, but nonetheless an undeniable piece of convincing anti-drug propaganda.

Not so much a comedy for Ben Stiller on this one. Sad.

A pretty gripping and disturbing turn for Ben Stiller and damn, the story is weird but I accepted it for what it was and throughly enjoyed it

Jerry Stahl is a comedy writer who wrote ALF and Moonlighting and this heroin addiction drama, based on his own memoirs, chronicles the destruction he wrecks on his body and his life with trite bleakness and tiresome monologue from Ben Stiller.

Dark comedy about a $5000-a-week TV writer with a $6000-a-week heroin habit. Painful to watch, with a surprisingly great performance by Ben Stiller. I heard about this 1998 movie through the Los Angeles episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Tony meets Jerry Stahl whose autobiography the script is based on.

A story of a drug addicted man trying to make a living in LA while under the influence.

2013-09-30 well done but pretty much of a downer. don't see how anyone could call it "high-energy" or "wicked sense of humor". "darkly cautionary", yeah.

I re watch this the other night this art house flick came out the year Ben stiller became a house hold name with there's something about marry being released stiller plays a successful tv writer in l.a. With really bad heroin addiction this movie is dark it's a drama with a little humor stiller does really good job in it wish he go back to his roots if you haven't seen it and a fan of art house films I recommend it !

A dark film based upon the autobiography of successful TV writer Jerry Stahl (Moonlighting, ALF, thirtysomething) and his downward spiral into drug abuse. Ben Stiller stars as Stahl, as do some of Stiller's frequent comedy collaborators, including Owen Wilson, Jeaneane Garofalo, Andy Dick, but this film is a lot more "Trainspotting" than it is "Zoolander." Still, like "Transpotting" there are certainly some very dark humor here as well. Still, it's far from a light or glib film. Stiller shooting up in a car next to his baby in a carseat is pretty rough. The film also features Maria Bello as a fellow recovering junkie and also has Elizabeth Hurley showing some surprising acting chops as Stalh's head-in-the-sand wife. The film doesn't quite come together as a whole, but Stiller gives a fine dramatic performance that holder your interesest and keeping you with the film throughout. And anything with Fred Willard, even in a bit part, is worth watching, right?

I'm sorry, but taking Ben Stiller seriously is a tough thing to do. At least for me. Him huffing and puffing and shooting heroin into his neck (even with the infant present) just seemed silly to me. And his face made me laugh.

A low-budget indie feature from 1998 that is based on the head writer of the hit sitcom Alf, who was a serious heroin addict during the time that he became one of the show's most prominent members on the creative board. It details his abandoning of his wife and child as well as his downfall from the entertainment industry as he spirals into the uncontrollable habits of his addiction. Its a downer with an odd sense of humor and an up front confession of one man's losses through the choices he makes as an addict.

Permanent Midnight is based on the autobiography by Jerry Stahl, a Hollywood writer who's life spiralled out of control due to a heroine addiction. At the time he was writing for the tv series ALF he was earning $5000 a week and had a $6000 per week drug habit. His story is legend in Hollywood and his exploits rivalled that of Hunter S Thompson. Ben Still is perfectly cast as Stahl. He looks just like him and his performance is incredible... in fact he has never been better. The film is heavy and some of the scenes of him shooting up are grotesque and difficult to watch... a scene of him injecting heroine into his neck while he sits beside his baby daughter is heartbreaking. The film is also backed with some great support actors such as Maria Bello, Owen Wilson, Charles Fleischer, Janeane Garofolo, Fred Willard and Peter Greene. As the poster suggests, Elizabeth Hurley also stars but she's the weakest link in this chain. I've never considered her a good actor and she is sadly miscast in this one. Nevertheless it's a powerful film and most definitely a rarity for Ben Stiller. He puts his entire being into the role.

Sad true story with no real victory. Sure, Stahl eventually overcame a several decade addiction that put him in further debt that his success (with ALF) could hold him up. He's really done nothing since then. A couple screen plays and a handful of CSI episodes. What a waste he made of his life. But again, maybe what he has going on behind the scenes is much better for him than Hollywood success.

What Permanent Midnight (fairly) successfully captures in a spiraling drug habit (at least as much as an hour and a half allows), it fails at in portraying how hard it actually is to get clean. Still, Stiller delivers a solid performance. I am not a fan of his comedy roles, but he did a good job with this material.

I somewhat enjoyed this pointless drama.

I had alot of problems with permanent midnight, but it is undeniabley shocking and hard to endure

Stiller in a really powerful role. This is dark, gritty, depressing and real. A+