Say good night to Jake Paltrow’s career

I cannot believe that a movie starring Martin Freeman and Simon Pegg could be more boring than my own life. It doesn’t seem like Jake Paltrow knew what kind of movie he wanted to make with “The Good Night,” and thus his feature-length directorial debut is a genre-defying, emotionless testament to vague story-telling and insider Hollywood connections. It’s clear that the name “Paltrow” (Jake is Gwyneth’s brother) is what convinced studio executives to fund his film, not merit.

Gary (Freeman) is a middle-aged, depressed, has-been British pop star. He hates his job, and his relationship with Dora (Gwyneth Paltrow) has become a hollow, loveless sham. His only consolation comes when he sleeps. Every night Gary experiences the same repeating dream detailing a romantic encounter with an alluring woman (Penélope Cruz). He eventually takes classes on “Lucid Dreaming,” taught by diminutive oddball Mel (Danny DeVito), in the hopes of prolonging his subconscious escapist fantasy.

The film’s attempted stylistic devices and loose plot seem to be employed in an effort to reflect Gary’s lack of control in his life. Unfortunately, as Gary begins to get his life back together, the shoddy transitions, unclear symbolism and vague emotional tone remain. The film’s style is not a thematic reflection of the main character’s emotional state but rather the result of poor and inexperienced directing.

Furthermore, there is no driving force within the narrative. The story touches on a myriad of somewhat interesting ideas but never explores the thematic possibilities. Instead, the plot drags on. The dream sequences become excruciatingly redundant, and Gary’s real-life interactions become an exercise in futility. Jake Paltrow has no semblance of control over his own movie, and his director’s commentary track (the DVD’s only extra feature) is uninformative and boring.

All the film’s problems stem from Paltrow’s inability to create characters that the audience will care about. Despite all the big-name actors, the characters are two-dimensional caricatures: the depressed introvert, the nagging girlfriend, the successful friend and the zany, wise old sage. Not even Pegg’s occasional nuggets of humor could save the film, and I’m not really sure anything in existence could. Save yourself a few bucks and a few hours and watch something – anything – else.