Overnight (Boston Film Festival)
Monday, September 14; Loews Boston Common #3
* * * ¾ (out of 4)

If by any stroke of luck, you ever hit it big in any facet of the entertainment industry, watch this movie to learn precisely what not to do. There were many times in this movie I sat dumbfounded by the complete lack of professionalism, common courtesy, or simple common sense exhibited by Troy Duffy. It’s a hard pill to swallow, assuming that anyone could be this diluted, but the evidence presented by filmmakers Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana is very consistent, and pretty much speaks for itself.

The documentary follows the rise and plummet of Troy Duffy, who several years ago was being lauded as the next big thing in Hollywood. The Boston bartender wrote a script called The Boondock Saints, which caught the eye of Miramax bigwig Harvey Weinstein. Duffy embarked on a dream journey, landing a deal that saw his script sold, and placed him not only in the film’s directing chair, but also producing and performing the soundtrack with his band. Overnight was originally contracted to tell Duffy’s rags-to-riches story in all its sparkling glory, but as the film began to fall apart, Duffy did as well, and supplied the filmmakers with some much more interesting material, necessarily changing the direction of their film.

Some of the footage is unbelievable. Duffy’s outbursts are obscene, rude, ungrateful, self-serving, and disgusting. Instead of being the ultimate rise to fame that everyone wanted and expected, Duffy becomes the poster child for inflated egotists, launching his abuse at everyone around him, including everyone who made his success possible, from Weinstein himself to Duffy’s own younger brother. The film shows a frightening progression in Duffy as his inner circle gets tighter and tighter, until he has burned every bridge possible, and stands alone to take the majority of the heat.

There’s no doubt the film is biased, but it seems like it would be hard to show anything else. Mark Brian Smith was on hand after the film to answer questions, and according to him, the footage used was not only typical of Duffy, but the filmmakers “could have used much worse.” Smith and Montana joined Duffy’s circle a while before the deal for Saints was struck with Miramax, and got to know Duffy & Co. very well. Smith said after the showing that the personality Duffy exudes in the film was not something that came with fame, but something that was enhanced by fame. The film succeeds in showing that Hollywood’s next wonder-boy, albeit an excellent writer, was not prepared to play the game, and refused to keep his ego in check at the most vital times.

To the filmmakers’ knowledge, Duffy has issued only one response to the film, allegedly calling it two hours of bullshit. His lack of resistance only lends credibility to the portrayal in the film. Smith and Montana take a hefty risk in showing a story whose main character really has no redeeming qualities – even his ambition is so overdriven that it is angering. Braver still is their decision to tell as much of the story as they can, and truthfully; they too were taken by the allure of show business power, and they admit to it fully in the film. Overnight is an exemplary look at a promising situation gone terribly, terribly wrong, and sets an example everyone could follow by showing the example no one should.