12:01 (1993)

Based on the short story "12:01 PM" by Richard A. Lupoff, this is a fabulous film.The protagonist witnesses the murder of a woman he secretly likes. She is killed in front of him and he is unable to do anything to save her. That night he goes to a bar to drown his sorrows and mourn her death. And as he is returning home, there is a storm and he gets an electric shock at exactly 12:01 AM.The next morning he heads to office and is stunned to see the same girl he had seen murdered last evening. She's alive, and hale and hearty! How?He now realizes that the day hasn't moved on. It's still the previous day! And that evening he sees her gunned down yet again!The next morning he wakes up eagerly and sees it's the same day again and the woman is alive and will be killed as expectedly in the evening. And she is gunned down again and again and again, repeatedly, at the same time, again and again. So now he has all the time in the world to stop the murder of the love of his life, and it's not as easy as it sounds. In fact, it's going to be hell for him. I found this better than Groundhog Day, and I mean it.

The dead end clerical life of lovable loser Barry Thomas (Jonathan Silverman) literally goes for a loop when an atomic mishap at work traps him in a time bubble. Every morning the alarm clock announces the same Tuesday and every afternoon Barry is forced to witness the murder of Lisa, the brilliant co-worker he adores from a distance. Like other TV movies of its time, this one hedges its bets with the kitchen sink approach of hinging the resolution to both misfortunes on an industrial espionage mystery. 1993's leaner 'Groundhog Day', from which 12:01 borrows much, demonstrates the pitfalls of tripling down. The plot is as credible as Barry's predicament. Helen Slater as the love interest is appealing if slightly bland and confused, and much too trusting of "I'm a time traveller, baby" advances. The bigger problem however is Barry. On the surface a cloying, goofy good guy recognizable from dozens of 90's sitcoms, he expresses the most distress about Lisa's death that he missed the chance to sleep with her. His reaction to the world altering realization of time travel is lame humour and he's frustratingly slow on the uptake. The writers seem to forget only Barry recalls his previous Tuesdays with Lisa. Real coworkers would respond with repulsion and disciplinary action to Barry's approaches later in the movie. The result is a confused, unconvincing mess mixing phony love-at-first-sight platitudes with uncomfortable sexual pursuit. Solid performances from Hollywood stalwarts like Martin Landau go wasted.12:01 is a very forgettable time waster for those hoping for a return to formulaic 90's TV plots, an exercise in prime-time déjà vu minus the laugh track. Watch Groundhog Day over instead.

I can't really express in writing just how extremely happy I am that 12:01 is finally out on DVD. It's been on my wish list since the DVD format was invented. The only copy I had was on the VHS that I had recorded off the air (with commercials (:(( on FOX-TV in 1993 and watched over and over and over, not unlike Barry's day repeating. As others have noted, the always beautiful Helen (Supergirl) Slater positively glows in this film. In the lead role, Jonathan Silverman excels as the discouraged office worker who witnesses his only real love being murdered in broad daylight, then being given the chance to undo it, while being thwarted at every turn.As a fan of all time-warp stories, I count this as my favorite. Had it been released in the theater, it would have done very well indeed. It is good for all ages to see the the lengths that the hero of the story goes to in his desperate attempt to save the lady that he loves from afar. Ten stars out of ten and two thumbs up from me.Run, don't walk, to get this exceptional movie while it's available!

It's been 10 years since I saw this movie, but it still sticks out in my mind as surprisingly enjoyable. Jonathan Silverman (best known for "Week-end at Bernie's") is always appealing and quirky, and this film is essentially a romantic comedy masquerading under a sci-fi plot device.Forget about the plot device. What makes this movie compelling is its depiction of somebody who is forced to throw caution to the winds, and who abruptly finds himself in a bizarre situation where his (normally paralyzing) social awkwardness is no longer limiting. Despite the sci-fi clichés, Silverman makes the romantic angle genuinely touching to watch, notwithstanding the fact that the heroine, played by Helen Slater, remains something of a cipher.In sum, if you're looking for a breezy sci-fi comedy that you can watch with a girl, this is good bet. You probably won't find it in Blockbuster, but some of the other video stores might have an old copy tucked away.