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Review by: Jack Foley | Rating:
Two
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: Deleted scenes. Theatrical trailer.
Alternate ending. Mark Brian Smith and Troy Montana interview
on Backstage with Barry Nolan. Scene selection.
TROY Duffy could have been a contender - but for a self-destructive
arrogance that alienated just about everyone around him.
In 1997, the scruffy, blue-collar bartender was plucked from
obscurity when Miramax offered him $1 million for a screenplay.
Overnight, Duffy went from relative unknown to one of the hottest
prospects in Hollywood, making the cover of numerous magazines
and reportedly securing a promise from Miramax's co-chairman,
Harvey Weinstein, that he would help purchase the bar where Duffy
worked.
There was even talk of a lucrative record deal for Duffy's band,
comprised of friends, that would have seen them make history.
Yet success proved elusive largely because of Duffy's colossal
egotism, which placed him at odds with just about everyone around
him - from his closest friends and family, to major league players
within the film and music industry.
Overnight, the documentary, charts Duffy's slow fall from grace
in painstakng fashion, having been filmed by two of his closest
collaborators.
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It chronicles the foul-mouthed arguments
he had with casting agents and producers; the money wrangles he
continually had with friends, and his own out-of-control egotism
that contributed largely to his downfall.
Duffy was convinced he was put on the planet to serve a higher
purpose; that he was capable of achieving something that no one
else had done before.
He believed he was special and damn-near untouchable and had
no qualms about 'going to war' with the Hollywood elite - no matter
how powerful the people lined up against him.
For potential film-makers, or anyone with an interest in the
machinations of the film industry, Overnight provides a compelling
insight into the thin line that exists between success and failure.
It shows how the Hollywood machine can break a person just as
quickly as it can make them and proves that success isn't always
guaranteed even when it's right in front of you.
Thanks to Overnight, Duffy's tale will not be forgotten, even
though his movie has been.
The documentary, directed by Tony Montana, serves as an excellent
cautionary tale for anyone seduced by the lure of fame - check
your inner monster first, as that could be your biggest chance
of failure.
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