Kiss Daddy Goodnight

Product Description

Woman drugs and robs unsuspecting men on the streets of New York, and then she becomes stalked by a mad man. Uma Thurman's first starring role from 1988.

Customer Reviews:

A Must See - Low Budget notwithstanding!!!!.......2006-08-29

I felt really fortunate when I found Uma's first role appearance was also a Noire film (I confess I am partial to foreign, indie & noir films). But I DO hope somebody re-releases this DVD after a good re-mastering or whatever is they can do, as DIGIVIEW released this movie in a low low low budget format.

As a low budget NOIRE (Black) Indi film, you may perhaps expect a not-so-perfect sound/light/editing. But I kept trying to adjust my TV settings for colour & sound, thinking the problems could not come from the DVD. Well unluckily the DO!!

Most of the movie accours at night, which it is totally appropriate to set the mood, but for many scenes my screen was nearly pitch dark and the sound was poor and changed levels in many places. A real Pity!

Based on the plot summary the movie is about Laura (Uma), a femme fatale in NY, who seduces, drugs and robs men. TRUE. But as said in another review here, it seems to have NO relation with Anything else in the rest of the movie.

Apart from Uma's robbery's (she does not seem to sell the stuff she robs though (???)), there is also a friend who walks through the movie trying to escape the police for some robberies, while trying to put back together his music band; and all this does not seem to tie in too much with Laura's life.

Then, and perhaps the most interesting and promising story line, there is her link to her neighbour, a friendly old man (their relationship not fully clear) but who we gradually realize is obsessed with her, through a creepy / strange relationship with his own daughter, an Uma look alike.

IMHO this movie has still a lot of untapped, un-remastered potential, but the script would need a lot of rework, as the story it not clear nor tight enough. LOW BUDGET notwithstanding, I consider it a must have for Noir film /Uma Thurman Fans.

Cult Gem -- This movie ROCKS!!.......2006-01-08

I'm not going to go into story detail on this one. All I'll say is it's a multi-threaded character study-noir thriller, with an outstanding cast and a funky artsy New York indie tone. How anyone could even vaguely compare this to a Lifetime movie is beyond my comprehension. It belongs in the ranks of obscure under-appreciated cult classics. It's easy to see how this launched Uma Thurman's career. Her portrayal of a cutting edge hipster who's equal parts lost little girl is insanely delightful. Steve Buscemi is equally impressive in a small but tasty role, and Matt Dillon's bro Paul is perfect as a not-so-bright street urchin coming to terms with his loser existence. Paul Richards deserves mention as well, bringing a warped dignity to his character in a subtle and naturalistic performance. All this wrapped up in a neat little seedy thriller whose theme is moral relativism. If you hate big Hollywood packages and pretentious lackluster indie movies, try this puppy on for size. Warning: this one has a dark East Coast feel. Sort of a twisted sadistic version of Smithereens. If you need your morality Midwestern cut and dried and feel that today's movies are polluting our society, this definitely ain't for you. This goes on my Top Ten of all time list.

"You've been in Baltimore too long.".......2005-11-03

KISS DADDY GOODNIGHT (1988) is a decent enough thriller - the kind of film you'd sit through on the Lifetime Channel and feel was not a complete waste. It's got enjoyable (if predictable) plot twists and a good central character.

However, I doubt that anyone watching this would do so for those reasons. Many DVD distributors have released this movie in a budget format, all of them making a big deal out of the presense of Uma Thurman and Steve Buscemi. In fact, this is Thurman's first role (according to the Internet Movie Database it was even her first audition -- she was hired immediately) and she stars.

Thurman was only eighteen when this movie came out, and yet she already displays a certain maturity. A lesser actress would have been swamped out by this role which the script leaves fairly undefined. But even in her youth she carries this off with style.

Now onto the movie itself. I have never seen a film where the opening credits immediately destroys any possible good-feeling or enthusiasm one could have towards a potential viewing experience. Given the plot summary (see below) I was expecting a dark, psychological thriller with (perhaps) some black comedy aspects. I sat myself down hoping for a tense and atmospheric picture.

Then the opening credits actually start and I had to stifle a shudder and a laugh. Making fun of bad 1980s computer-generated credits is a little too easy, but nothing screams "low budget!" louder. It immediately lowers the audience's expectations about the rest of the movie's production values.

That said, given this is an independent film clearly made with very little money, the general production values aren't awful. Of course, the producers accomplish a lot of this by filming with a lot of low lighting (read: in the pitch dark), but it does adequately set the tone the filmmakers were presumably going for.

The plot summary on the DVD box and, indeed, posted in many locations on the Internet suggests that it's about Uma Thurman as a sultry femme fatale who seduces older, dumber men, drugs them and then robs them blind. And, true, this does happen in the movie. The downside is that it really has nothing to do with the rest of the movie.

At least I don't think it does. But it's a little difficult to tell which movie is actually the focus, because there appear to be about three movies squeezed in here. There's the Uma-as-con-woman movie. The Uma-as-victim-of-older-man movie. And Paul Dillon's character seems to be off in some third movie which features him trying to get his band back together, man. I'm sure that at some point during the scriptwriting there was a kind of thematic link between these subplots, but the end result seems more like one movie having cameo roles in other movies.

By the way, the Uma-as-victim movie involves Thurman's relationship with her upstairs neighbor who at first appears to a kindly older man, but who gradually becomes more obsessed and violent. I don't know if it's just me or not, but I'd swear that the actor based his performance on Gore Vidal. He certainly appears to have Vidal's speech patterns and mannerisms. But maybe that's just me.

You'll notice a last name in the cast list. Paul Dillon plays Thurman's loser friend (and he's from Baltimore; Lord help us), but you'll be more familiar with his brother, Matt. Paul does not seem to have had much of an acting career beyond this film. He only has two other credits at IMDB, one of which is "Cop #1" in something called SPIKE OF BENSONHURST (sounds delicious).

Speaking of the cast list, if you buy this movie with the expectation of seeing a lot of Steve Buscemi doing his usual Steve Buscemi schtick, you'll no doubt be slightly disappointed -- he's only in one short scene. He plays the former lead guitarist in Paul Dillon's band and his first line is "Eeeeeh, alright... Eeeeeeh, wanna beer?" This pretty much encapsulates his entire three and a half minute performance (I timed it). Though despite his brief appearance, he is quite entertaining while he's there.

Additionally, I should give credit to the actors playing Thurman's victims who are so slimy and creepy and unpleasant, that I wished she'd have killed them instead of merely rendering them unconscious. (Actually, watching the film the first time I thought she had indeed been leaving a string of dead rich guys in her wake. It was only after reading summaries on-line and rewatching some passages that I realized my mistake.)

There are enough strange touches to keep this film entertaining; whether they were deliberate or not is none of my concern. Every television in the movie (except, for some reason, Buscemi's) only shows old Donald Duck cartoons. There's a very arty flashback to the creepy older man's daughter leaving on a plane.

It seems to anticipate by a few years the Pulp Fiction style of having two characters sit and talk about unrelated topics purely to demonstrate their personalities. Now, before you hurt yourselves laughing, I will gladly concede that Tarantino did a far far better job that these writers. And yet I couldn't help but be reminded of the dialog from that later film.

There is no mistaking this for a anything but a cheaply-made independent film, created by people with a little more enthusiasm than talent. You can see glimmers, however, of where this could have been a much stronger movie. The script is almost there; it needs another draft or two to allow the screenwriters to figure out exactly where the main focus of events should be. The sound editing is poor in places (noticeable changes in the sound levels during cuts within a scene) and the production in general has a very home-made feel to it. But it's a very interesting film in many ways, and I do recommend it to anyone with an interest in studying independent filmmaking. You see things going right and things going wrong. And, for Uma Thurman fans its absolutely fascinating seeing the birth of her movie career, seemingly already with full possession of her powers.

Average customer rating:

B-Grade flick with brother of famous actor
Not that good, not as bad
Uma's First...
A bad movie featuring the impressive debut of Uma Thurman
BAD MOVIE

Kiss Daddy Goodnight
Starring: Uma Thurman , Paul Dillon (IV) , Paul Richards (II) , Steve Buscemi , and Annabelle Gurwitch
Director: Peter Ily Huemer
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000CDLC0
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Product Description

Laura (Uma Thurman) gets dressed to kill, hangs out at bars, and lets all sorts of men pick her up. Little do they know that she's about to drug and rip them off, for hers is a life of trouble, exploitation and seduction - a predator with no morals. Then two men enter her life, which changes everything. The tables are turned as the hunter becomes the hunted and Laura is thrust into a murderous m nage a trois. Stalking, obsession and murder are in her midst...but whose murder?

Features:

Full Screen Version

2.0Dolby Stereo Surround

Digitally Mastered

Interactive Menus

Captioned

System Requirements:

Running Time: 90 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

B-Grade flick with brother of famous actor.......2007-06-19

I'll bet Matt Dillon's parents are pi**ed that they didn't have one child per year to infiltrate the film industry with tough guy silent types in leather jackets. as it is all we got is Matt, Kevin and now Paul!

Not that good, not as bad .......2004-12-17

When i got the dvd i wasnt expecting a good movie at all based on reviews but the movie wasnt completely horrible. I thought Uma Thurman was really amazing in her first ever acting role, and Steve Buscemi is incredible when he shows up for an appearance and makes the film hilarious. The directing sucked my third nipple, and the end of the movie was really poorly written. Only recomended to Uma fans and if you wanna see Steve Buscemi in a hilarious minor role. 2.5/5

Uma's First..........2004-06-11

Yep, this is indeed Uma's first film. She plays Laura, a gal who seeks out rich men, let's them pick her up and take her back to their residences, where she drugs them and robs them blind! An old friend named Sid (Paul "Not Matt" Dillon) shows up at Laura's place unexpectedly. Laura lets him stay with her while he tries to find his old bandmate Johnny (Steve Buscemi). Meanwhile, Laura goes on with her "career". She has an older gentleman friend named William Tildon (Paul Richards), who is quietly obsessed with Laura because she reminds him of his daughter. William gets increasingly weird and Laura seems clueless about his obsession. Laura is being followed by a mysterious dark sedan that appears outside of her victiims' homes. Is it William? Sid? I enjoyed this movie. It's not the best ever, but it's certainly not a bad debut for Ms. Thurman. I gave it 4 stars because I couldn't take my eyes off of her! You can definitely see how / why she would go on to be in films like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...

A bad movie featuring the impressive debut of Uma Thurman.......2003-09-17

Kiss Daddy Goodnight's only real claim to fame is its casting of Uma Thurman in her first major film role. Shot on 16mm film by director Peter Ily Huemer, this odd independent film from 1988 has little going for it in terms of plot, production quality, and vision, yet Thurman's performance injects something into the experience that makes it worth watching. Thurman plays Laura, a mysterious girl with a face that belies her character's unsavory proclivities; living alone in some obscure apartment building, Laura takes care of herself by going to bars, accompanying seemingly wealthy men home, slipping them a mickey, and robbing them. She actually has a rather complete set of wigs, each identified by the name she adopts for her money-making excursions. Early on in the film, an old acquaintance named Sid (Paul Dillon) shows up and does his best to drag the movie down into oblivion by dressing and acting as if he were Rocky Balboa. Sid's character is a stone that drags this film down into the depths of futility, and the disjointed plot does basically nothing to help the situation. On the other side of Laura stands an older male neighbor named William (Paul Richards). His relationship with Laura is a friendly one, but his fondness for the younger lady never feels exactly right. Midway through the film, Laura finds herself being stalked by some unknown individual, and tragedy begins to emerge from the shadows. The final climax offers little in the way of surprise, and then a clumsy ending seals the deal on a generally unimpressive film.

Thurman, though, bears watching in this role. She really had little to work with here, swimming upstream against a plot that seemed intent on introducing basically senseless scenes whenever the film actually managed to draw one's interest. Sid spends the first half of the film looking for an old acquaintance named Johnny in hopes of putting together a band, making me question at the time why he was even in the film to begin with. Paul Dillon gives a pretty decent performance as the older man William, but the ending of the film does a lot of damage to the good work he put in early on. When all is said and done, Laura is the only character it seems possible to connect to, and Uma Thurman's impressive performance adds the layer of complexity necessary to make any part of this whole experience the least bit worthwhile; this is really a two-star film, but I'm giving it three stars solely on the basis of her performance. Uma Thurman fans would do well to seek this film out, as it is her first movie, but there's really no reason for the casual viewer to make a point of seeing Kiss Daddy Goodnight.

BAD MOVIE.......1998-12-17

I had been trying to find a copy of this movie for a long time, when finally I spotted a used copy at my favorite used video store. Let's just say I was extremely disappointed. Bad acting, bad plot, bad directing... even the quality of my tape was bad. The movie's only redeeming quality is seeing a young and beautiful Uma Thurman in her first role.

Average customer rating:

B-Grade flick with brother of famous actor
Not that good, not as bad
Uma's First...
A bad movie featuring the impressive debut of Uma Thurman
BAD MOVIE

Kiss Daddy Goodnight [Region 2]
Starring: Uma Thurman , Paul Dillon (IV) , Paul Richards (II) , Steve Buscemi , and Annabelle Gurwitch
Director: Peter Ily Huemer
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00004T11J

Customer Reviews:

B-Grade flick with brother of famous actor.......2007-06-19

Not that good, not as bad .......2004-12-17

Uma's First..........2004-06-11

A bad movie featuring the impressive debut of Uma Thurman.......2003-09-17

BAD MOVIE.......1998-12-17

Intense Thrillers (4 pack) - Laser Moon/Night Caller/Kiss Daddy Goodnight/How Awful About Allan

Average customer rating:

INFO...
how to make a quick buck

Intense Thrillers (4 pack) - Laser Moon/Night Caller/Kiss Daddy Goodnight/How Awful About Allan
Starring: Uma Thurman , Traci Lords , Anthony Perkins , Peter Fonda , and Gary Busey
Manufacturer: Legacy Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0009X583W
Release Date: 2005-03-02

Customer Reviews:

INFO..........2007-09-07

LASER MOON: Featuring former porn star Traci Lords, the "Laser Moon Killer" uses a surgical laser to kill his beautiful victims every full moon. In order to stop the carnage, a rookie cop must use herself as bait for the perverted murderer, hoping the plan lures him out into the open--and lands him behind bars!
HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLAN: A blind man tormented with guilt for his father's death by fire is manipulated by his sadistic sister.
NIGHT CALLER: Two ex-football players concentrate on living the good life in Miami. In their spare time, they're private eyes, but their partying lifestyles are thrown for a loop when they accept a mysterious challenge from an exotic beauty.
KISS DADDY GOODNIGHT: A woman who picks men up only to rob them meets her match in a man who wants her all to himself. This suspenseful drama features Uma Thurman (DANGEROUS LIAISONS) and Steve Buscemi (IN THE SOUP, ARMAGEDDON).

how to make a quick buck.......2005-08-28

Although this DVD-set offers tense, squeezing a few dollars more must have been its main purpose. The only positive is made by its fair pricing.

All 'names' attached surely did better elsewhere, reflecting the eighties (Anthony Perkins, Uma Thurman) or early nineties (Traci Lords, Peter Fonda). To go short, this compilation leaves you with an obsolete aftertaste -- even to those keen on reviving old times.

Intense Thrillers, Vol. 1: Kiss Daddy Goodnight and How Awful About Allan

Average customer rating:

INFO...

Intense Thrillers, Vol. 1: Kiss Daddy Goodnight and How Awful About Allan
Starring: Uma Thurman , Anthony Perkins , Steve Buscemi , Julie Harris , and Joan Hackett
Manufacturer: Legacy Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0009X57XS
Release Date: 2005-03-02

Customer Reviews:

INFO..........2007-09-06

Intense Thrillers V.1 - Double Feature.
KISS DADDY GOODNIGHT: Laura (Uma Thurman in her film debut) gets dressed to kill, hangs out at bars, and lets all sorts of men pick her up. Little do they know that she's about to drug and rip them off, for hers is a life of trouble, exploitation and seduction - a predator with no morals. Then two men enter her life, which changes everything. The tables are turned as the hunter becomes the hunted and Laura is thrust into a murderous m nage a trois. Stalking, obsession and murder are in her midst...but whose murder? This suspenseful drama also features and Steve Buscemi (IN THE SOUP, ARMAGEDDON).

HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLAN: Anthony Perkins stars as Allan in this suspenseful, well-shot PSYCHO type film. As a made-for-TV flick, it utilizes many of the same kinds of 'standard back lot' sets that Hitchcock used. Allan rescues his sister from their burning home, only to become blinded in the process. But was it an accidental fire, or was it arson? Also stars Julie Harris. Director Curtis Harrington also helmed other cult favorites... PLANET OF BLOOD, WHO SLEW AUNTIE ROO?, and NIGHT TIDE.

Before They Were Famous: Kiss Daddy Goodnight/Silence of the Heart

Average customer rating:

INFO...

Before They Were Famous: Kiss Daddy Goodnight/Silence of the Heart
Starring: Uma Thurman , Charlie Sheen , Chad Lowe , Steve Buscemi , and Howard Hesseman
Manufacturer: Legacy Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0009X57TM
Release Date: 2005-03-02

Customer Reviews:

INFO..........2007-09-10

TWO MOVIES........ 1. KISS DADDY GOODNIGHT: Laura (Uma Thurman in her film debut) gets dressed to kill, hangs out at bars, and lets all sorts of men pick her up. Little do they know that she's about to drug and rip them off, for hers is a life of trouble, exploitation and seduction - a predator with no morals. Then two men enter her life, which changes everything. The tables are turned as the hunter becomes the hunted and Laura is thrust into a murderous m nage a trois. Stalking, obsession and murder are in her midst...but whose murder? This suspenseful drama also features and Steve Buscemi (IN THE SOUP, ARMAGEDDON)...... 2. SILENCE OF THE HEART: The made-for-TV drama SILENCE OF THE HEART touches on the sensitive topic of suicide by exploring the reactions of friends and family to a young man's actions. TV veteran Richard Michaels directs a young Charlie Sheen as Ken, a teenager trying to comprehend the death of his beast pal Skip. As he probes the psychologies of those around him, Ken becomes increasingly frustrated with the deep denial of Skip's family as well as his own feelings of inadequacy for not being able to help his friend. Featuring a musical score by legendary French composer Georges Delerue (JULES AND JIM, HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR) SILENCE OF THE HEART examines the significance of a delicate topic through strong performances.

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