OVERNIGHT
R, 82 mins.

“Overnight” tells the deeply repugnant story of the monstrous Troy Duffy, a Hollywood bartender who became the toast of the town after Harvey Weinstein bought his screenplay. His script (described as “Pulp Fiction” with soul, whatever that means) quickly attracts a swarm of B-listers and a flurry of breathless press. All of which went to Mr. Duffy’s head quicker than a bucket of poppers, resulting in a rabid torrent of delusional declarations, bratty behavior, and self-destructive stupidity.

A DV cheapie assembled by former associates (turned enemies) of Mr. Duffy, “Overnight” gleefully recounts how the walls came tumbling down. The Brood, Mr. Duffy’s rock-god side-project, is released to nonexistent sales. Agents stop returning calls, Patrick Swayze no longer comes by for a round of pool. No matter how many people he alienates, no matter how little he realizes the whole thing was hype, Mr. Duffy just keeps on ranting and raving and gulping down booze. What a jerk.

There are, I suppose, reasons to appreciate “Overnight.” It’s a minor chapter in the ongoing saga of Miramax nuttiness; a watershed moment in the history of indie-auteur arrogance; a freakshow that out-freaks the most grotesque reality TV. Whether through lack of interest or lack of access, the filmmaker’s show little interest in contextualizing their story in the larger socioeconomic dynamics of the industry. Finally, then, this insider account seems no more than a lip-smacking act of revenge. Troy Duffy may deserve it, but I’d just as soon have let him vanish into obscurity.

– Nathan Lee

NOEL
PG, 96 mins.

With all the elegance of an E-Z Pour bottle of eggnog, Chazz Palminteri’s “Noel” provides a look into the pathetic lives of those forced to spend the holidays alone, and an affirmation that those who do spend it with family and friends are somehow blessed. The cinematic spectacle of people trying to connect takes on a pornographic urgency: Who will get together in time for the obligatory snowfall and the twee piano cues?

By most standards, “Noel” is harmless, the story of a few people whose lives connect around Christmas: A lonely, divorced book editor (Susan Sarandon) and a quiet man (Robin Williams, uncredited) who meet in a hospital; a jealous New York cop (Paul Walker) who falls out with his fiancee (Penelope Cruz); and a troubled man (Marcus Thomas) who tries to relive the one happy Christmas he had by getting himself admitted into a hospital.

Mr. Palminteri has assembled a great cast, and they make some of the script’s stranger convolutions more palatable. Extra credit goes to Mr. Walker: His character’s seemingly bipolar mood swings would seem silly from a hammier actor. He and his fellow actors almost make up for the disposable and desperate Yuletide cheer on display.

– Bilge Ebiri

LA PETITE LILI
unrated, 104 mins.

Subdued desire lies at the heart of Claude Miller’s deceptively simple comedy-drama, loosely based on Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” True to its source, the first half of the film is taken up by an extended afternoon idyll near a lake in Brittany.

Mado (Nicole Garcia), a famous actress living with her lover and director Brice (Bernard Giraudeau), is having trouble with her idealistic son Julien (Robinson Stevenin), who aspires to make daring experimental films with his girlfriend Lili (Ludivine Sagnier).

Julien considers Brice to be an untalented hack, and, after his own stab at DV filmmaking isn’t given the proper respect by mom and their friends, he pouts off.

Despite this outburst, these scenes have a curiously easygoing feel. Mr. Miller should be praised for refusing to indulge in easy conflicts, but the aimlessness threatens to consume his film.

“La Petite Lili” gathers force only in its final act, which flashes forwards a few years. Lili has become a hot young actress; she finds that Julien, whom she hasn’t seen in years, is about to make his first real feature, a re-telling of the events of that fateful afternoon. She lobbies for the part and gets it.

The finale takes place on an eerie, artificial soundstage, where Julien’s cast recreates the first half of the film. It’s a surprisingly edgy denouement to an otherwise gentle film. And it’s riveting.

– Bilge Ebiri