Watching In Search of a Midnight Kiss is a bit like tuning into an episode of The Crystal Maze and not being greeted by Richard O'Brien. It is fine, but it could have been a whole lot more; perhaps with the help of an eccentric bald genius at the helm, it could have been absolutely fascinating, but alas there is no such thing in the movie. What this movie does have however is a pair of emotionally drained and fragile characters that are at times brash, abrasive, sarcastic, bitter. Not all necessarily in that order right enough. It stars Scoot McNairy as a Wilson; a loveable loser type that is going through a rough patch in his life. Loveable is perhaps the wrong word to use here as Wilson is alone and miserable as the film begins. He is only encouraged by the few minute friends that surround him. As he reluctantly awakes from his slumber to place a personal ad on the internet, he manages to have his first bit of success just before the year is out.

Wilson meets Vivian; a beautifully looking young female that possesses a feisty personality matched with a tough, bold exterior played by Sara Simmonds. The character of Vivian is a perfect reflection of Los Angeles, the setting for this rough and gritty love story. However this is now where my mind begins to play tricks on me. There is something special about Sara Simmonds but I cannot quite place my finger on what it is yet. Her performance in this film is nothing outstanding; it won't be praised for years. But at points in the film you are given flashes of her quirky charm that are a delight to watch. On the other hand however there are points in the film that the character of Vivian becomes grating. I am going to give Ms Simmonds the benefit of the doubt here and put it down as a creaky script. This begins a recurring scar throughout the film, moments and pieces that are brilliant coupled with a number of scenes that just fall flat and run out of steam. Thankfully with some of the locations in Los Angeles being so radiant in the black and white imagery that fills the screen you can look elsewhere while a few of the scenes are played out. But the lacking scenes still nag in the back of your mind and constantly remind you that they are still there. Overly critical perhaps, but when a film is on the verge of being something fantastic it is becomes something frustrating. The film is worth watching, just don't going in expecting too much from it. It trundles along quite nicely and does what it says in the tin, or should that be title?