12:01 PM (1990)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Jonathan Heap

Writers:

Richard Lupoff (story)
Stephen Tolkin (writer) ...

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Short

Plot:

A short similar in plot to "Groundhog Day", but more serious. A man is stuck living his life in the same 59 minute time frame...

Plot Keywords:

Time | Clock | Physics | Time For Title | Acronym In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Jane Alden	...	Stephanie
Kurtwood Smith	...	Myron Castleman
Don Amendolia	...	Prof. Nathan Rosenbluth
John Bachelder	...	Blazer driver
Rick Ford	...	Junior executive #2 (as F. Richards Ford)
Laura Harrington	...	Dolores
Philip Morton	...	Walking man #1
Mark Neely	...	Bum
Tom Reed	...	Walking Man #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bill Sovier	...	Man in hat
Ric Stoneback	...	Man on bench (as Rick Stoneback)
Robert M. Taub	...	Junior executive #1
Kirk R. Thatcher	...	Newstand man (as Kirk Thatcher)
Carol Zarlengo	...	Newstand woman

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:Unrated

Company:

Chanticleer Films

Goofs:

Continuity: On the first day, the trash can contains a bright blue plastic bag. On the second, only a piece of rope hanging over a handle is visible.

Movie Connections:

Remade as 12:01 (1993) (TV)

Like a needle on a record player

Imagine that, for some inexplicable reason, the entire Universe has been set to a continuous time loop. As soon as the specified time is over, everything in the Universe is reversed back to where it was, the loop restarts, and nobody even realises that this is happening over and over and over again… except for you. If, in your mind's eye, you've already formulated a mental image of a frustrated-looking Bill Murray and a cute little groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, then you can be forgiven for the oversight. I am not referring to the hit 1993 film 'Groundhog Day,' but to a fascinating short film from three years earlier entitled '12:01 PM.'

'12:01 PM' is based on a short story of the same name, written by Richard A. Lupoff and published in the December 1973 edition of 'The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.' The film stars Kurtwood Smith as Myron Castleman, a meek office worker who finds himself stuck in the aforementioned predicament. However, unlike Bill Murray, Myron is only afforded 59 minutes at a time before the inevitable loop repeats itself. Desperate to uncover an explanation for the maddening phenomenon, he eventually seeks the help of a physicist, Prof. Nathan Rosenbluth (Don Amendolia), who had predicted the "time bounce."

Stunningly acted by Smith, and astoundingly clever and original in its execution, '12:01 PM' is an intriguing science-fiction short, sometimes funny and sometimes terrifying. In 1993, it was remade as a feature-length television movie (called '12:01'), starring Jonathan Silverman and Jeremy Piven. 'Groundhog Day' was also released that same year, and it could be argued that Harold Ramis and his team stole the film's general concept, but Jonathon Heap and Richard A. Lupoff ultimately decided not to pursue legal action.