When the Starlight Ends (2016) Poster

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5/10
Not his best work
marybwalmsley14 November 2019
I have seen this kid act in Outlander. He is a good actor. This movie did not showcase his talents. No worries! He will continue to surprise us all👍
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7/10
Could've been so much better
monimm1818 April 2021
Oh, what a pity... This could've been a really good film, actually. I thought it had some intereting ingredients: an intriguing story about love and loss, coping with the consequences of the choices we make, the price people pay to follow their calling or achieve success, handling regret, all charmingly sprinkled with a touch of existential pondering. Also, a great match for the lead role and good supporting role actors.

I don't know what else was wrong about making this film besides apparently very little funding. Poor directing, editing, camera work? A dire need for more close-ups? Different camera lenses? A little bit of everything?

Also, it was disappointing to see the lead actors' potential squandered in a chaotic feature, on roles that could've been much better.

Needless to say that the final product turned out pretty mangled and felt a bit dull. Too bad...
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7/10
High Hopes Dashed
hlash-8944317 August 2019
I love Sam Heughan but thought this script a little pretentious perhaps. And I couldn't help but smile at his attempt at an American accent. I kept thinking it was Christian Slater talking. I think he tried to slow his speech down so he could sound American but it came off a little weird and he slipped into mild Scots every now and then. I guess he gets bored being Jamie Fraser and wanted to try something new and different. I think this was a little too different. Especially since I have seen him in an interview say he likes the action parts of Outlander. I think all actors like to experiment. Look at Keanu Reeves. He's been in quite a few duds and I honestly don't think he has quite the range that Sam does. Better luck next time, Sam. Still love you.
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4/10
Awkward
MariaLBD20 February 2019
Sorry, Sam. Strange script. Confusing editing. I can believe Sam Heughan as pretty much anything except awkward and lacking confidence. I basically felt uncomfortable the whole time I was watching it.
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3/10
I love Sam but...
lisamitchell-9711731 July 2019
Sam was the only good thing about this movie and it wasn't even because of his acting. Honestly, as good of actor as he is he was NOT in this film. It was awkward and weird and not in a good way.

Sam himself says he's horrible at accents... yeah his slipped a bit quite often throughout the movie.
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7/10
Surprisingly Offbeat and Clever
oldharleygurl4 December 2020
Sam Heughan did a great job as this character. The criticism that his American accent needs work is unwarranted. People come to America from everywhere in the world - the faint trace of an accent from another place suits the author character perfectly. It was a refreshingly offbeat movie. Just a bit difficult to sort out the story, which is a shame because that caused the movie to just miss being an excellent one. Still, it is entertaining and interesting and certainly good enough to watch more than once. Enjoy.
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1/10
Writer?
twelve-house-books22 May 2021
I'm a writer of multiple genres, and widely published for over four decades to date. The script is pretentious and unrealistic, and was not written by a real writer, but a hack. Too bad. Quirky comedies have their place. Skip this one.
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9/10
Great story.
ssigal-4193316 March 2018
Sam Hueghan does a 180 Degree turn into an introverted writer, re-writing his lift story several times to be with his love. A few glitches in sound and editing but funny moments and good dialog life this indie.
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7/10
Different romance movie
rosessoul12 October 2019
The film is about Sam Hueghan, who was associated with Arabella Oz. Cassandra asks her lover to let go of his administrative job because it takes all his time and effort and may kill his talent by writing. In contrast, she works two jobs to meet their material needs. Jacob can publish his first book quickly and make up to his lover by buying the house he wants and a car to go with her in romantic date . Cassandra is waiting for her lover to ask her husband to marry, while her lover is busy exploiting all their feelings and attitudes as a source of inspiration for writing. An emotional gap occurs between the two after some arguments, Cassandra has separated from Jacob, although he is love her. Jacob uses writing and imagination to try to rewrite everything that happened between them differently, perhaps to get a happy ending. The beginning of the film seemed a bit weak, and Arabella did something . Gradually progresses with the progress of the film. In addition to the story, I liked Sam's performance. His voice was a perfect as a narrator of the story. His performance was assorted throughout the film, although in little scenes it was increased acting, but that is good for him he left from the safety zone (roles or historical work) and the Scottish dialect.
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1/10
Sooooooooooo bad
robertrulison14 September 2019
I can't remember the last time I saw a movie so bad.

It's starts off with terrible writing, like right from the first word. Then adds bad acting (mostly from the direction I believe).

Mix in a disjointed plot, rough flashbacks, and a droning narration and it will make a good day, well, less good.

The highlight? David Arquette...if you can believe it.

You were warned.
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8/10
Introspection and Life Choices?
billandregina14 March 2018
I didn't know the politics of this Indie Film when I bought it. Sam H. monologuing in an American Accent was different and showcased a certain acting range. I expect eccentric from Indie films and that they are uncomfortable and off putting. This film does meet my expectations. It will be a rare gem in my collection with Sam H. despite the politics.
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3/10
Break
isajademarilyn13 October 2021
I've heard a director once saying: "Directors have a huge responsibility, they can make or break a performance." Movie editors too, and I strongly believe the whole crew is very important.

Here, at some point, everyone failed, and it was a pain to watch.
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3/10
It's all in the editing
zoeray-125 March 2018
In most movies (all movies) editing can make or break a movie. This is the case with When the Starlight Ends, it broke it. It was confusing and choppy. I am only giving this movie 3 ( and I am being generous) stars because I liked Arabella Oz and Sam Heughan. Although they had zero chemistry I did like the funny moments they shared. I would have liked to see how it was originally intended to be seen. The talent of Sam Heughan was a total waste of his talent. They also should have let him keep his accent. I don't normally give negative reviews or reviews at all. If you see this movie just enjoy Sam.
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1/10
Horrible. Just. Horrible.
kz917-112 April 2018
I was so excited to see Sam Hueghan in a movie and then I watched it...

A story within a story premise as a writer writes about his life and love and the foibles that happen. Did he make the right decision choosing his writing over love?

He ponders and ponders and explores different timelines if he had chosen differently. Including being a dog walker, having an affair, and murdered by an alien.

None it really made any sense.

Skip It! Even Sam couldn't save this monstrosity.
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1/10
Sam work on your american accent.
jenniferpfaffdiller19 June 2018
I was so excited to see this because of Sam but it honestly hurt watching his crappy acting in this. I love 'Outlander' and he does superb acting in that so I think that he has a case of the 'Jamie Dornan' acting illness (lol). Because if you have seen Dornan in stuff with his native accent or even British one he is phenomenal but it seems like his american one trips him up maybe he thinks about it too much. Well it seems that Sam has the same problem. He needs to pick his projects for carefully or how else will he be able to prove that 007 could be up his alley?
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8/10
Bittersweet
floppy14311 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In the end, Jacob fails to grasp real life. He goes back to his introverted alternate universe. Like most of us I guess. Choppy editing. Could do with a little more introspection with Cassandra. Really intentionally funny in parts. Overall bittersweet. I like.
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3/10
Couldn't even finish it
megmarn-276516 March 2021
I couldn't even finish it. Sam is such a good actor, but this was hard to watch.
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9/10
Let yourself go and just watch it
amybourque9 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, there are some bad things about this movie. The editing is choppy. It's hard sometimes to tell if you are in a fantasy scene or life scene. The dialogue can get cheesy. The main actress is wooden in most of her scenes and could have been replaced by any other generic actress in Hollywood. Sam Heughan cannot speak with an American accent. But it's truly amazingly funny in parts. And heartbreaking in some. You can feel the desperation of Jacob as he tries to figure out what went wrong and how to change things to make it all work out correctly. The way that he counts the days, years, hours and minutes. I wish they would have aged the actors for the final scene instead of using other people. It would have kept with the fantasy theme. They could have let Sam speak natural. It would have not distracted from the movie. I honestly thought he was going to commit suicide or die somehow when he gave his last countdown. It needed some type of emotional twist at the end. For all the usage of the F word, it was unbelievably tween in the sex scenes. Even showing their asses in the skinning dipping scene would have been a little better. It was a good premise. Jacob, the editor and the neighbor were all good. Cassandra needed more depth. And what was with the large man that kept showing up in different places?
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3/10
The American accent ruined Sam's groove
ShazzMatazz30 May 2022
Besides a horrible script, Sam didn't have a chance with an American accent. Instead of acting you can literally see him thinking about the words he must pronounce. Not to mention the bad edits and fake green screen demise. Oh well. At least David Arquette wasn't bad. As far as the other actors they were all pretty bad but Sam and the agent took the cake on the overacting curse. Oy.
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2/10
Better to imagine "When the Starlight (might) End"
esusansmith13 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Everything, from the odd script, to Sam's fake beard, to his lighting cigarettes every other scene, and his truly awful American accent- made this movie truly painful to watch. I gave it 2 stars only because I tried to place myself in his shoes and imagine that he MUST have found something worthwhile in it.
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8/10
Very interesting movie!
helgavanlier4 September 2018
N this film Sam Heughan plays Jacob (= a writer). I find it a very interesting movie. When you love films with deeper layers as philosophical view on / approach, a psycological layer, .... You get a view on how an artist (in this case a writer = Jacob) think / act./ lives : the writer Jacob can see and think very flexibel, has a lot of imagination and can easely move in someone else his footsteps. The writers reality and imagination get mixed up and envolves in very humoristic and dramatic situations .the writer crawls into the skin of his neigbor because he is afraid that his girlfriend has an affair with his neigbor.

At a certain piont the writer (Jacob) overthinks whether he made the right decision to develop his talent or saving his realtionship.

It can be a longly road when your partner lives a totaly differend live and has totaly differend needs in live. The writer Jacob (Sam Heughan) also approached his story on interesting hypotheses:

When you actualy rise above surviving and make a living and actualy do what you are best at and love the most and it also surve a greater purpose does another person has to pay certain price?

Choosing between survive , working hard and rescue your relationship ... or living a life at his full potentional sometimes a lonely road is the dillema of writer Jacob. Sam covers more than 75 % of the film ( is impressive) A brilliant and very strong performance. He is very strong in acting drama scenes , he can easely switch in another identity. I find it a very strong performance. Congrats for Sam Heughan. "You are the starlight Sam! ",
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8/10
Better than expected
cgerard-972717 May 2021
I watched this movie directly after watch Outlander with high expectations of seeing more Jamie Fraser. Boy was I wrong. And disappointed. BUT. Then I watched it again with a more open mind and without preconceived notions of how Sam Heughan should "be" in this film. And guess what? I loved it. Sam nailed Jacob, a moderately eccentric struggling writer putting his hopes of a writing career on hold while working just to make ends meet. Boy meets girl,they fall in love and she supports him while he writes his blockbuster bestseller and their lives become more complicated. I loved Heughan in this role. He made a perfect Jacob, who had as many if not more flaws than he had attributes. Apologies for not remembering her name but his love interest was excellent too as well as all supporting cast. No problem with his American accent - it fit his character. No problem with the editing. The film was fun, thought-provoking, engaging, well written and beautifully acted. Just don't expect Jamie Fraser and you'll totally enjoy it.
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9/10
Interesting movie!
nikkilom20 September 2020
Jacob (Sam Heughan) is an aspiring writer and he always writes about the woman he loves, but she repeatedly let's him know she does not appreciate that, she doesn't not want to live in the public eye. This is a story of love and heartbreak. Great dialogue and good writing for an indie film! Some of the other reviews I've read are very critical. Watch the movie with an open mind and I promise you'll enjoy it!
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