In this episode of Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael discuss Miracle Mile (1988), Steve De Jarnatt’s strange, urgent blend of romantic drama and apocalyptic thriller set over the course of one increasingly frantic night in Los Angeles.

Through the show’s voice note conversation format, the hosts talk about the film’s tonal shift from dreamy meet cute to nuclear countdown nightmare, and how that pivot never feels ironic or detached. They explore the film’s ticking clock structure, its portrait of late 80s Cold War anxiety, and the way ordinary people react when faced with unimaginable news.

They also discuss how Miracle Mile balances sincerity with absurdity, why its emotional core gives weight to its high concept premise, and how its ending reframes the film less as spectacle and more as a tragic love story caught in the machinery of history.