Overnight Delivery
Encyclopedia
Overnight Delivery is a 1998
romantic comedy film
directed by Jason Bloom
and was rated PG-13 by the MPAA and released direct-to-video. It featured Reese Witherspoon
and Paul Rudd
, prior to both becoming considerably bigger film stars.
) is a student at Twin Cities College, Minneapolis, Minnesota
. He is in a long-distance relationship with his high school girlfriend, Kimberly Jasney (Christine Taylor
), who is currently a student at the University of Memphis, Tennessee
. Trips loves Kim, even though they have never consummated their relationship.
One day when Trips calls Kim, her roommate's reply leads him to believe that Kim is cheating on him with some guy named "The Ricker". Heartbroken, he goes to a strip club, gets drunk and becomes acquainted with one of the club's dancers, Ivy Miller (Reese Witherspoon
). She suggests to Trips that he get back at Kim by sending her an abusive letter and a topless picture of himself with Ivy. Trips complies by sending the package through Global Express, an overnight delivery service.
The next morning, Trips discovers that "The Ricker" is, in fact, Kim's girlfriend's dog whom Kim had to dogsit. Regretting his mistake, he realizes he has 24 hours to retrieve the package before it gets to her. Trips and Ivy go to the Global Express office where, by chance, they encounter a spiteful classmate of Trips' (Sarah Silverman
) who refuses to help them. Trips tries to talk the deliveryman (Larry Drake
) into giving him the package, but he thinks Trips is a spy for the company, and refuses to break the rules.
Trips buys an air ticket to Memphis, but his co-passenger turns out to be a serial killer
, John Dwayne Beezly (Tobin Bell
), who takes him hostage. Trips escapes and runs into Ivy on the road. Fearing that if he went back to the airport FBI would question him and he would not make it to Memphis in time, He begs Ivy to drive him all the way. They happen upon the Global Express delivery truck at a gas station. Trips breaks into the truck and locates the package, but the truck unexpectedly drives off. Ivy gives chase but despite their efforts they fail to retrieve the package.
Their next stop is Des Moines, Iowa
, but even there the airport officials do not allow Trips to board the connecting flight. So they decide to travel to St. Louis, Missouri
to board another connecting flight. En route to St. Louis they have an argument which leads to an accident which ends up with their vehicle falling into the river. They have dinner in a cowboy diner and then try to run out on the check, but get arrested. After posting bail, they are let off and once again happen upon the delivery truck outside a diner. While the deliveryman is having dinner, Trips decides to empty the truck's gas tank in order to stall him, but a carelessly flung cigarette butt sets fire to the gas and causes the truck to explode. But even that doesn't stop the deliveryman (who is clearly over the edge by now) and he drives off. Trips and Ivy then steal a drunk's car and drive to Kim's campus.
After saying goodbye to Ivy, Trips gives chase to the delivery man and stops him in time. But after meeting Kim, Trips suddenly realizes that after all he and Ivy have been through, he loves her and not Kim. After breaking up with her, he runs into another guy who is wearing the same kind of locket that Kim gifted to him long back. Trips correctly surmises that the guy is none other than "The Ricker", so Kim was cheating on him after all. He allows the delivery man to deliver the package, and confesses his love to Ivy, who kisses him passionately.
did uncredited work on the film, including an early draft of the script, when he then decided to have his name removed from the final product. The film was directed by Jason Bloom
; this was his second film, his first being Bio-Dome
. The producers include Roger Birbaum and Bradley Tenkel, and the production companies are MPCA and Caravan Pictures
. The film cost a total of $10 million to produce and an extra $10 million for advertising. The film lasts approximately 87 minutes.
of Minnesota
. Exterior scenes were filmed in Minneapolis, Saint Paul
and rural Minnesota
. The film included landmarks such as Ground Zero nightclub, used as the “strip club”, Minneapolis convention center as the “airport”, and University of St. Thomas
as The University of Memphis.
In the scene when Ivy drove Paul Rudd's character Trips to the airport, the building which he was dropped off at is actually the Minneapolis Convention Center
and not Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
.
was originally going to skip out on her part in Chasing Amy
to play Ivy in this movie, but she lost the part to Reese Witherspoon. Kevin Smith—Adams' boyfriend at the time—has a documented grudge against Witherspoon and cited a rumored incident during the movie shoot.
gives this movie 43%, with an average of 4.9 out of 10, which is considered a rotten review.
Justine Neal from Star Tribune
has the same negative views towards this movie. In what should have been a good film produced in Minnesota Neal says, “Overnight Delivery gets lost in a unworthy script.” He states that all the right elements were present and puts blame on bad writing and inexperienced production. When talking about the potentially rising stars at the time, Rudd and Witherspoon, he says, “Unfortunately, they’re not yet strong enough in Overnight Delivery (two stars out of five stars) to overcome predictable unimaginative writing.”
Rebecca Murray writing for About.com
disagrees and gives Overnight Delivery a decent review. She stated that the movie did not receive the attention it deserved by going straight to video, and it should have been given a better shot. “I actually laughed out loud at parts of Overnight Delivery and wish it had been given a better shot at theatrical run.”
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
directed by Jason Bloom
Jason Bloom (director)
Jason Bloom is a American film and television director whose films include Bio-Dome starring Pauly Shore and Overnight Delivery starring Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon. He also directed Viva Las Nowhere with James Caan and Daniel Stern and Irving with James Belushi...
and was rated PG-13 by the MPAA and released direct-to-video. It featured Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
and Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
, prior to both becoming considerably bigger film stars.
Plot
Wyatt Trips (Paul RuddPaul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
) is a student at Twin Cities College, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Experimental College of the Twin Cities
The Experimental College of the Twin Cities is an experimental college in the Minneapolis - Saint Paul area that provides peer-based and free education to the wider community...
. He is in a long-distance relationship with his high school girlfriend, Kimberly Jasney (Christine Taylor
Christine Taylor
Christine Taylor-Stiller is an American actress.- Early life :Taylor was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joan, a homemaker, and Skip Taylor, an owner of a security company. She grew up in neighboring Wescosville, Pennsylvania...
), who is currently a student at the University of Memphis, Tennessee
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
. Trips loves Kim, even though they have never consummated their relationship.
One day when Trips calls Kim, her roommate's reply leads him to believe that Kim is cheating on him with some guy named "The Ricker". Heartbroken, he goes to a strip club, gets drunk and becomes acquainted with one of the club's dancers, Ivy Miller (Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
). She suggests to Trips that he get back at Kim by sending her an abusive letter and a topless picture of himself with Ivy. Trips complies by sending the package through Global Express, an overnight delivery service.
The next morning, Trips discovers that "The Ricker" is, in fact, Kim's girlfriend's dog whom Kim had to dogsit. Regretting his mistake, he realizes he has 24 hours to retrieve the package before it gets to her. Trips and Ivy go to the Global Express office where, by chance, they encounter a spiteful classmate of Trips' (Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Kate Silverman is a Jewish American comedian, writer, actress, singer and musician. Her satirical comedy addresses social taboos and controversial topics such as racism, sexism, and religion....
) who refuses to help them. Trips tries to talk the deliveryman (Larry Drake
Larry Drake
Larry Drake is an American actor.Drake was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Lorraine, a homemaker, and Raymond Drake, a drafting engineer for an oil company. Drake is renowned for his portrayal of developmentally disabled Benny Stulwicz on the television show L.A...
) into giving him the package, but he thinks Trips is a spy for the company, and refuses to break the rules.
Trips buys an air ticket to Memphis, but his co-passenger turns out to be a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
, John Dwayne Beezly (Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell is an American film and television character actor. After years of work doing stand-ins and background work on films, he got his first major acting job in Mississippi Burning and went on to star in made-for-television films and guest star in television shows throughout the 1990s.Bell...
), who takes him hostage. Trips escapes and runs into Ivy on the road. Fearing that if he went back to the airport FBI would question him and he would not make it to Memphis in time, He begs Ivy to drive him all the way. They happen upon the Global Express delivery truck at a gas station. Trips breaks into the truck and locates the package, but the truck unexpectedly drives off. Ivy gives chase but despite their efforts they fail to retrieve the package.
Their next stop is Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, but even there the airport officials do not allow Trips to board the connecting flight. So they decide to travel to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
to board another connecting flight. En route to St. Louis they have an argument which leads to an accident which ends up with their vehicle falling into the river. They have dinner in a cowboy diner and then try to run out on the check, but get arrested. After posting bail, they are let off and once again happen upon the delivery truck outside a diner. While the deliveryman is having dinner, Trips decides to empty the truck's gas tank in order to stall him, but a carelessly flung cigarette butt sets fire to the gas and causes the truck to explode. But even that doesn't stop the deliveryman (who is clearly over the edge by now) and he drives off. Trips and Ivy then steal a drunk's car and drive to Kim's campus.
After saying goodbye to Ivy, Trips gives chase to the delivery man and stops him in time. But after meeting Kim, Trips suddenly realizes that after all he and Ivy have been through, he loves her and not Kim. After breaking up with her, he runs into another guy who is wearing the same kind of locket that Kim gifted to him long back. Trips correctly surmises that the guy is none other than "The Ricker", so Kim was cheating on him after all. He allows the delivery man to deliver the package, and confesses his love to Ivy, who kisses him passionately.
Cast
- Paul RuddPaul RuddPaul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
as Wyatt Trips - Christine TaylorChristine TaylorChristine Taylor-Stiller is an American actress.- Early life :Taylor was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joan, a homemaker, and Skip Taylor, an owner of a security company. She grew up in neighboring Wescosville, Pennsylvania...
as Kimberly Jasney - Reese WitherspoonReese WitherspoonLaura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
as Ivy Miller - Larry DrakeLarry DrakeLarry Drake is an American actor.Drake was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Lorraine, a homemaker, and Raymond Drake, a drafting engineer for an oil company. Drake is renowned for his portrayal of developmentally disabled Benny Stulwicz on the television show L.A...
as Hal Ipswich - Sarah SilvermanSarah SilvermanSarah Kate Silverman is a Jewish American comedian, writer, actress, singer and musician. Her satirical comedy addresses social taboos and controversial topics such as racism, sexism, and religion....
as Turran - Stephen YoakamStephen YoakamStephen Yoakam is an actor who has appeared in several motion pictures and television movies. He also guest starred in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes "When It Rains..." and "The Dogs of War" as the Romulan Subcommander/General Velal....
as the SWATSWATA SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
Leader - Tobin BellTobin BellTobin Bell is an American film and television character actor. After years of work doing stand-ins and background work on films, he got his first major acting job in Mississippi Burning and went on to star in made-for-television films and guest star in television shows throughout the 1990s.Bell...
as John Dwayne Beezly/Killer Beez - Buff Sedlackek as the teacher
- Richard Cody as the rancher
- Tim Mcniff as the TV anchor
- Christie Ellis as Didi
- Alex DelPriore as George
- Nathan Frenzel as the singing waiter
Writing
The film was written by Marc Sedaka, Steven Bloom. Kevin SmithKevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
did uncredited work on the film, including an early draft of the script, when he then decided to have his name removed from the final product. The film was directed by Jason Bloom
Jason Bloom
Jason Bloom is a lacrosse player on the Washington Stealth of the National Lacrosse League. He also played for Coquitlam Adanacs of the Western Lacrosse Association in the summer of 2006. Bloom was the captain of the Under-19 British Columbia Selects, MVP of the B.C...
; this was his second film, his first being Bio-Dome
Bio-Dome
Bio-Dome is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Jason Bloom. Bio-Dome was produced by Motion Picture Corporation of America on a budget of $15 million and was distributed theatrically by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer....
. The producers include Roger Birbaum and Bradley Tenkel, and the production companies are MPCA and Caravan Pictures
Caravan Pictures
Caravan Pictures was a film production company arm of Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group , formed by Roger Birnbaum and Joe Roth....
. The film cost a total of $10 million to produce and an extra $10 million for advertising. The film lasts approximately 87 minutes.
Locations
The entire film was shot in the Twin CitiesTwin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Exterior scenes were filmed in Minneapolis, Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
and rural Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The film included landmarks such as Ground Zero nightclub, used as the “strip club”, Minneapolis convention center as the “airport”, and University of St. Thomas
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
as The University of Memphis.
In the scene when Ivy drove Paul Rudd's character Trips to the airport, the building which he was dropped off at is actually the Minneapolis Convention Center
Minneapolis Convention Center
The Minneapolis Convention Center is a large convention center located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is located one block away from Nicollet Mall near Orchestra Hall. The Minneapolis Convention Center has a quadruple-domed roof and because of its volume can host multiple events on the...
and not Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in the five-state upper Midwest region of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.-Overview:...
.
Casting
Joey Lauren AdamsJoey Lauren Adams
Joey Lauren Adams is an American actress who has appeared in more than thirty films. She is known for her distinctive, raspy voice and for her roles in View Askewniverse films, particularly Mallrats and Chasing Amy, with the latter giving her a Golden Globe for Best Actress nomination.-Career:She...
was originally going to skip out on her part in Chasing Amy
Chasing Amy
Chasing Amy is a 1997 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith. The central tension revolves around sexuality, sexual history, and evolving friendships. It is the third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series....
to play Ivy in this movie, but she lost the part to Reese Witherspoon. Kevin Smith—Adams' boyfriend at the time—has a documented grudge against Witherspoon and cited a rumored incident during the movie shoot.
Reception
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives this movie 43%, with an average of 4.9 out of 10, which is considered a rotten review.
Justine Neal from Star Tribune
Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
has the same negative views towards this movie. In what should have been a good film produced in Minnesota Neal says, “Overnight Delivery gets lost in a unworthy script.” He states that all the right elements were present and puts blame on bad writing and inexperienced production. When talking about the potentially rising stars at the time, Rudd and Witherspoon, he says, “Unfortunately, they’re not yet strong enough in Overnight Delivery (two stars out of five stars) to overcome predictable unimaginative writing.”
Rebecca Murray writing for About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
disagrees and gives Overnight Delivery a decent review. She stated that the movie did not receive the attention it deserved by going straight to video, and it should have been given a better shot. “I actually laughed out loud at parts of Overnight Delivery and wish it had been given a better shot at theatrical run.”