All Nighter plays in the same pool as Why Him? and a million other movies in which an overbearing father has a to deal with the off-putting partner of his daughter. It’s a gendered oeuvre that is often used as a vehicle for slapstick, but here it manages to accomplish more than that.
The awkwardness starts early and vigorously, before the title splash, even. Martin (Emile Hirsch) accompanies his girlfriend Ginnie (Analeigh Tipton) to meet her father, Mr. Gallo (J.K. Simmons). Dad is a besuited businessman, and boyfriend is a scraggly musician. The passive-aggressive conflict is muted but blatant, as boundaries are firmly established from the jump.
Fast forward six months, and the odd couple are on the hunt. Ginnie has disappeared, and Oh lord, will we ever find her! It’s a nice romp through Los Angeles, but her continued absence means teeth are pulled at every stop, and there are lots of stops.
The character parade is a doozy. Roberta (Kristen Schaal) and Gary (Taran Killam) play a smiling couple with lots of quirky problems, and Stephanie Allynne’s disaffected barista is tops. Worst-ever roommate Jimothy (Jon Daly) leaves an odd and off-putting wake in his path.
There’s no good explanation for it, but Hirsch and Simmons actually develop some chemistry, and a bit of a father/son dynamic comes into play. Advice is doled out. Bonds are made over Bob Seger. It’s a May-December bromance.
Ultimately, the film succeeds for the ways it doesn’t fall into the trap of the “Annoyed Dad” story. Hirsch is endearing, and even gives a nice musical performance to end the movie, complete with his beta-male banjo. Simmons isn’t quite as deadly as he can be, but he applies the right amount of stern to the situation.
All Nighter is silly, but not overly so, and ends strong. Whether that’s enough for it to make a run in theaters is anybody’s guess, but it’s a compact, well-acted buddy pick that manages to outkick its coverage.
