We’re back with the featured Letterboxd Lists reviews for 2025! This year we are starting with an entry on the Letterboxd’s Top 250 Sci-Fi Films list. Believe it or not, the Top 250 Sci-Fi is a list that was not covered at all last year. Well, that changes with #149 on the list as of this writing…Miracle Mile (1988).
Title: Miracle Mile
Director: Steve De Jarnatt
Released: May 19, 1988 (United States)
Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes
Available to stream on: MGM+, Prime Video, and Pluto TV
Harry Washello (Anthony Edwards) is over the moon. It only took him 30 years, but he has finally found the girl of his dreams in Julie (Mare Winningham). After a day at the Tar Pits, Harry wants to see Julie again that night but she lets him know that she has to work. However, she gets off at midnight and Harry seems eager to see her so he agrees to meet her as soon as her shift ends outside the restaurant she works at.
To pass the time, Harry goes back to his hotel and decides to set an alarm and take a nap. As Harry’s luck would have it, the hotel experiences a power outage while he’s asleep. The power comes back and his alarm eventually goes off. He jumps out of bed and gets ready as he realizes that the TV says it’s nearly 4am.
Arriving at Julie’s work right at 4am, Harry asks if she’s still there. One of her co-workers obviously says no and that it’s way too late for him to try and call her. Ignoring the advice, Harry steps outside and into the phone booth to call Julie. To no one’s surprise, he gets her answering machine, so he leaves a message apologizing for being late and trying to explain what happened. As he turns to head back inside, the payphone rings and he answers hoping to hear Julie on the other end.
Unfortunately, it’s not Julie on the other end of the line. No, it’s someone by the name of Chip who is frantically explaining that nuclear war is going to break out in just over an hour. Harry eventually is able to get a word in edge wise and asks who Chip is and if this is a joke. Chip realizes he dialed the wrong number while trying to get ahold of his dad. He then tells Harry to apologize to his dad, we then hear gunfire on the other end of the line.
Harry slowly walks back into the restaurant and sits down at the counter, still trying to process what he just heard. When he tries to explain what it was he heard on the phone, the staff and patrons all look at Harry like he has three heads. Surely he is just another drunk rambling about some end times nonsense.
But what if Chip was right?
For the first maybe 15-minutes or so of Miracle Mile (1988) you think you’re about to settle in for a feel-good story about a dorky guy who finally finds the girl of his dreams. While that is technically what we get, it’s certainly not the love story I was expecting.
Once Harry gets off the phone with Chip, things take a sharp turn. Pivoting from love story to possible impending destruction of Earth is quite the bold swing for a movie that clocks in at just under 90-minutes. While I was onboard with the idea in theory, the finished product never quite came together in a cohesive way. Honestly, it’s a bit of a mess…but it’s a lovable mess.
In a cast full of “that guy/girl from that thing”, Anthony Edwards brings an endearing amount of heart to the role of Harry Washello. Despite the chaos unfolding around him, Harry’s determination to get to Julie reminds us that this started out as a romantic comedy.
If there is one major issue I have, it’s that the conversations that take place seem like an afterthought. Very rarely does the dialogue match the tone of the situation, let alone feel natural. There are also portions of the film that feel busy just for the sake of being busy.
That being said, other facets of De Jarnatt’s writing and direction are what makes Miracle Mile (1988) work for me. As the viewer, we’re just as much unsure of what’s really going on as Harry is. When the tension is escalating, for the most part it feels palpable and real.
Were it not for me seeking out the featured lists on Letterboxd, I’m not sure Miracle Mile (1988) would have ever been on my radar. However, I can say that I’m glad I watched it and would recommend everyone check it out at least once.
Have you seen Miracle Mile (1988)?
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