Private Number Movie Review – Don't Answer the Phone

Runtime: 95 minutes

Release Date: May 1, 2015

Rating: R

Director: LazRael Lison

Michael Lane had a rough life but recovered. Though he wrote a fairly successful book, he has a hard time sitting down to concentrate on his next novel. He manages to keep things together for awhile, but as more stuff happens, he finds himself having a hard time coping. His wife, Katherine, isn't helping either. Though he's been clean and sober for years and attends AA meetings, she just adds to his stress by constantly bringing up how much she wants to have a baby.

It doesn't help that he keeps fighting with his neighbor or that Katherine keeps inviting over friends he doesn't really like. The more stress he feels, the more he wants to start drinking again. That is when the phone calls start happening. The caller keeps asking if he remembers her and dropping hints about his past. When the person breaks into their home, they finally call the police for help, but the police seem less than interested in the case. As the calls keep coming and Michael learns more about a serial killer who targeted people in the past, he realizes that he may have a connection to those cases, which makes him turn back to the bottle again.

Looking at the cast list for Private Number might make you wonder if the casting director was drunk. Nicholle Tom, probably best known for her role on The Nanny, plays his wife Katherine, and Judd Nelson, who needs no introduction, plays the sheriff who has no interest in the case. We also get Tom Sizemore as Jeff, Michael's AA sponsor. Most actors only have a few scenes, which leaves the weight of the film on the shoulders of just two actors.

Nicholle Tom might be a great actress now, but you can't tell it going by this movie. Katherine is one of the worst wives in the history of the planet. Her character is so annoying that I wanted to strangle her myself. After he tells her that now is not a good time to have a baby and explains why, she literally throws herself at him and tries to seduce him. She spends the whole movie whining about how he's a horrible husband while still wanting to have a baby with him. She even threatens to leave him if he won't have a baby with her RIGHT NOW.

Luckily, we have Hal Ozsan as Michael. I really don't understand why this guy doesn't get more work! Some might not him for his role as director Todd on Dawson's Creek, but he's been in so many movies and TV shows that you'll recognize him as soon as you see him. He is perfectly cast as Michael. You buy him as a struggling writer who just wants some recognition, and you'll be on his side as he tries to unravel the mystery of his unknown caller.

Private Number has the type of ending that you can see coming a mile away. Even though I knew how it would end, I still wanted to keep watching. Ozsan does an amazing job of getting you caught up in the story and wanting to find out more about the mystery surrounding Michael. While Private Number got a lot of bad or poor reviews, I actually enjoyed it and would recommend you give it a shot.