Date Night: The Best All-Nighter Movies Ever

by Mindy Monez April 7, 2010 4:20 PM
Date Night: The Best All-Nighter Movies Ever

The new movie Date Night, in which Steve Carell and Tina Fey star as a suburban couple haplessly stuck in the middle of some sort of crime spree for an evening's time, is the latest installment in the grand tradition of "up-all-night" movies. To commemorate the occasion, I've pulled together my favorite cult classics of the underappreciated genre and listed them here. Feel free to peruse and then promptly tell me all of the ones I forgot.

Midnight Madness
I respect an evil genius who puts his MENSA abilities to use creating a stereotypes-only scavenger hunt. This movie is also special for being one of the very few that has ever made me think L.A. looked like awesome fun. Mini-golf! The Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery! Chubby twins on scooters! And no one got lost in the La Brea tar pits like I did once when I was a kid!

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Finally, a stoner movie made for a wider audience than just stoners. Ironic fast-food chain foodies, fans of naked Chris Meloni, people who enjoy NPH's incomparable hitchhiking work, and directionally-challenged cheetah enthusiasts alike enjoyed this movie. And hang gliders? Forget about it. They won't shut up about this thing.

From Dusk 'Til Dawn
You know how strip joints are -- they totally bleed you dry (sorry). But you know what's really great about this movie, aside from all the vampire strippers? Quentin Tarantino's acting. He played a deranged killer, and everybody bought it. It was the first and last time his acting wasn't unremittingly grating, and we got some great gore out of it, too.

Adventures in Babysitting
She got the children exposed to rampant discussions of infidelity, shoot-outs, forced jazz club performances and car thieves, and one of the kids ended up dangling out of a window by a rope, but Elisabeth Shue was still a better babysitter than I ever was.

Before Sunrise
Very romantic, very '90s, very Richard Linklater, and a perfect portrait of Ethan Hawke before he started fighting the hot. Not much happens in it, but still this movie is what every American hopes their European adventures are like, but never are.

Cloverfield
Worst. Party. Ever. The Statue of Liberty's head crashes it uninvited, and eventually you have to walk five miles in the subway just to end up exploding at Bloomingdale's, or, if you're lucky, being eaten alive in Central Park as the sun comes up. Bet it was a cash bar, too.

Dazed and Confused
Another Linklater one (the guy needs to lay off the caffeine and sleep sometimes), the brilliance of Dazed and Confused is its simplicity: it's just a bunch of high school seniors in the 70s trying to smoke weed and get laid and impress a High School Harry version of Matthew McConaughey. And what's more universal than that?

After Hours
Griffin Dunne had two great all-nighter movies -- this one and Who's That Girl?, but we prefer the one with Cheech and Chong as burglars than the one where Dunne had to babysit a wacky Madonna and her pet cougar.

The 25th Hour
An underrated movie for both director Spike Lee and star Edward Norton, 25th Hour explores what an ordinary man would do with his final day of freedom before beginning a seven-year prison sentence. He would spend the majority of the day seeking out Russian mobsters to find out how to avoid being raped in prison, is what he would do, by the way. In case you were wondering.

Discuss your favorites below, and read our dating guide to New York City!

44 Comments

April 7, 2010 5:59 PM
Elizabeth
Reply

Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist!

April 7, 2010 6:20 PM
Sailor
Reply

You've included my favourite, After Hours. Can't top that one, in my opinion.

April 8, 2010 10:45 AM
Kristen
Reply

Dude, how does Cloverfield keep getting mentioned by TWoP people as being a good movie? It was such crap!

Harold and Kumar! Great movie.

What about Superbad? I guess they weren't technically up all night, as it was still dark when they went home to their sleeping bags. :)

April 8, 2010 11:56 AM
acrudolph
Reply

Harold and Kumar - is awesome!

But "GO" is one of my fave all-nighters, too.

April 8, 2010 12:00 PM
SaneN85
Reply

I'm glad to see Dazed and Confused on this list.

April 8, 2010 12:01 PM
Tom
Reply

How about one of the original all-nighters ... American Graffiti?

April 8, 2010 12:05 PM
bahamarita
Reply

It's old but holds up...what about "Night Shift"????

April 8, 2010 12:07 PM
Heather J
Reply

I came to this page specifically to add Midnight Madness to the comments, and lo and behold it was already at the top of the list! TWoP, why did I ever doubt you? All I can say is... FAGABEEFY!

April 8, 2010 12:14 PM
Heather J.
Reply

I agree with acrudolph about GO, one of my faves of all time.

April 8, 2010 12:27 PM
Zan
Reply

What about Sixteen Candles?

April 8, 2010 1:53 PM
Mo
Reply

The Out of Towners--the original one, with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis.

April 8, 2010 2:04 PM
Terry
Reply

Into the Night with Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Goldblum.

April 8, 2010 2:13 PM
mojoco
Reply

I loved "Go," too.

April 8, 2010 2:20 PM
Greg
Reply

"Warriors, come out to play-yay!!!". How did you miss this one.

April 8, 2010 2:30 PM
Cheryl
Reply

How about Miracle Mile? Up all night and then the worse happens. And I mean the worse!

April 8, 2010 3:03 PM
KB
Reply

Sure you don't mean the "worst"?

April 8, 2010 3:23 PM
Chloe25
Reply

Harold & Kumar was an instant classic (the sequel was rubbish). I literally sob with laughter every time I watchi it. 'Nick & Norah' is not only one of my FAVORITE all night movies, but in my top 10 NYC movies as well.

April 8, 2010 6:16 PM
Anonymous
Reply

I agree with Zan, where's 16 Candles?

April 8, 2010 8:58 PM
KP
Reply

I have not thought about Midnight Madness in a million years! Thank you for reminding me of it.

April 8, 2010 9:27 PM
Tom
Reply

I'd forgotten about that too! I LOVED that movie when I was a kid. ANd it was Michael J. Fox's first US role. Now I need to go rent it.

April 8, 2010 9:46 PM
tg
Reply

25th hour is a great film. great performances. great plot. sad ending.

April 8, 2010 9:51 PM
mannie
Reply

Sixteen candles, the Out of Towners and Nick and Nora's infinite playlist.

April 8, 2010 11:25 PM
Craig
Reply

Little indie flick called "Groove," that follows a rave from the planning stages to the morning after. LOVE THAT MOVIE.

April 9, 2010 12:09 AM
roundtheworld
Reply

kill me later - Selma Blair's best role

April 9, 2010 6:54 AM
Emmy
Reply

I agree that GO is a glaring omission.

In my personal favorites list, I would also add teen nostalgia faves Sixteen Candles and Can't Hardly Wait (the latter is not a great movie, but I find Seth Green hilarious in it).

April 9, 2010 7:25 AM
rose
Reply

American Graffiti - as mentioned above - a good movie that captures a certain time period in America.

More currently - was the Hangover an all night, one night film? I enjoyed that move as well.

April 9, 2010 8:24 AM
Vanessa
Reply

Where the hell is "The Hangover" probably the best one-nighter movie.

April 9, 2010 9:16 AM
Laura
Reply

The Allnighter with Joan Cusack and Susannah Hoffs? Crazy fun!!

April 9, 2010 9:29 AM
Crystal
Reply

What about Pineapple Express? It happened during one day, right?

April 9, 2010 10:11 AM
Amanda
Reply

Can't Hardly Wait! All night party, X-Files references, the line "You could get drunk. You could get addicted." that always makes me laugh, Barry Manilow, a stripper, a Guns and Roses sing along - how could you not love it!

April 9, 2010 10:11 AM
dallen
Reply

Although good, "The Hangover" took place over a weekend and doesn't qualify as an all-nighter.

Place my vote for "American Graffiti", please.

April 9, 2010 1:48 PM
Sandy
Reply

Sixteen Candles!
Can't Hardly Wait!

April 9, 2010 2:20 PM
Trvr
Reply

Into the Night with Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Goldblum. John Landis is the director and a hitman. It never gets the credit it deserves.

April 10, 2010 11:09 AM
Shambrose
Reply

200 CIGARETTES. It has everyone and their brother in it.

April 10, 2010 12:15 PM
Elsie
Reply

Night on Earth - "An anthology of 5 different cab drivers in 5 American and European cities and their remarkable fares on the same eventful night." Excellent film!

April 10, 2010 6:21 PM
Erin
Reply

Saul from Pineapple Express is one of my favorite characters, which is why I remember that the movie takes place over more than a day. The night before they raid the warehouse, there's the night they spend in the woods, and the car 'puts itself out of its misery' after listening to talk radio all night

April 11, 2010 8:32 AM
Jenn
Reply

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Superbad

April 11, 2010 2:12 PM
Michael
Reply

Here's one probably no one was going to add:

Eyes Wide Shut

Neither action nor comedy, but up all night

April 11, 2010 3:08 PM
Jessi
Reply
replied to comment from Elizabeth

agreed! thats like one of my favorite movies EVER!

April 11, 2010 9:03 PM
ms san francisco
Reply

Judgement night!! Viva the pivster

April 11, 2010 11:48 PM
atleea
Reply

After Hours - incredibly confusing but great none-the-less. The entire evening around seeing that movie in the theater was bizarre, down to hearing my buddy's girl pass gas as she exited the car at the end of the night.

April 12, 2010 1:07 AM
Alissa
Reply

I was all ready to write an indignant comment about your ommiting "Before Sunset" (one of my favorite movies of all time) but then you didn't! Kudos!

April 12, 2010 11:01 AM
Scott
Reply

In memory of Corey Haim, License to Drive

April 14, 2010 3:20 PM
DBC
Reply

The Night before with Keanu Reeves and Lori Laughlin was an awesome movie

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