The good old holiday comedy gets a new shine on Prime Video Something from Tiffany’s. Zoey Deutsch (Not okay) and Kendrick Sampson (Unsure) Star in the most luxurious romance film of the season – but it is Something from Tiffany’s a diamond in the rough? Or is this film really pure cubic zirconia?
The essentials: Zoey Deutch plays Rachel, a successful chef living in New York City with her boyfriend Gary (Ray Nicholson). Kendrick Sampson plays Ethan, a novelist vacationing in the town he once called home with his daughter Daisy (Leah Jeffries); his girlfriend Vanessa (Shay Mitchell) is on her way to meet them in New York for Christmas. Ethan also has a big surprise planned for Vanessa: he bought an engagement ring from Tiffany’s and is going to propose to her. But when Ethan bends down to help a man who was hit by a car just in front of Tiffany’s, he accidentally picks up the man’s small blue bag and leaves his engagement ring with a stranger.
This stranger is Rachel’s friend Gary. Keyword dramatic music engraving!
Ethan and Daisy stop by the hospital the next day to check on the stranger (Gary) and that’s where Ethan meets Rachel. Ethan and Rachel hit it off pretty quickly — and then things get complicated when, on Christmas morning, Vanessa opens a pair of earrings and Rachel opens a huge diamond ring. Now Ethan is confused, Rachel is suddenly engaged and a devastated Gary just goes along with it. What effect will this have on Ethan and Vanessa and Rachel and Gary and most importantly Ethan and Rachel?
Which movies will it remind you of?: The enchanting shots of the city and the way this film captures the feeling of the season makes me think of it When Harry met Sally, for sure. And any marital mishap movie that spans Christmas through New Year’s is going to make it big while you were sleeping Energy. And to throw it way back, I would say that this one even has a lot in common with classic holiday-bound romance novels holiday affair or The shop around the corner.
Notable performance: JoJo T Gibbs (Twenties) takes the normally thankless role of the lead actor’s best friend and transforms it into the film’s biggest laugh generator. She crushes every line that’s read (“Don’t worry kid. I don’t know any social cues yet”) and just makes you happy to see her on screen every time. Give Gibbs all the roles.
Memorable dialogue: I love that after Rachel introduced Terri as a business partner, Terri says to Ethan, “I also identify as her best friend.” titanic of books, then that was mine 127 hours from restaurants.”
A holiday tradition: Daisy used to wear ugly Christmas sweaters with her mum and dad every Christmas Eve, but that tradition ended when her mum died.
Two lovebirds: The holiday counter on UPtv is about strangers who pick up the wrong luggage at baggage claim and then use all the stuff inside to reconnect with each other.
Does the title make sense?: I mean, the title was good enough for the Melissa Hill novel that the movie is based on -! And if EP Reese Witherspoon doesn’t change the title, who am I supposed to contest?
Our opinion: Okay, so I feel like I went nuts when I started referring to Hallmark films as the modern day equivalents of all those 1930’s and 1940’s screwball romance movies. They are mostly, sure, but Something from Tiffany’s surpasses them all. From the script to the performances to the cinematography and direction, this film immediately feels like the greats of yesteryear (see: What Movies Will It Remind You Of? above).
Overall there is a wealth of Something from Tiffany’s Optics, from the warm glow of Gillini’s to the way everyone really wraps up for a true NYC winter. Also, doing the first deal at the Bryant Park Christmas market is such a specific, perfect choice and really helps bring a great deal of veracity to this film. Even the soundtrack – all those jazzy renditions of well-known tunes – offers a sublime, timeless vibe. You won’t hear Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” here.
As classic as the film looks and feels, the performances and dialogue are just as modern. There is a magnetic attraction between Zoey Deutch and Kendrick Sampson. They seem to get closer and closer with every line, every joke, every heckling, even if they don’t move at all. That’s what really makes this movie come alive, more so than you’d expect from one of the 200 new Christmas movies that churn out every year. All of these people feel like humans – even Gary and Vanessa, the two characters who get in the way of our OTP.
There’s a lot of laughs in this film too, mostly from Terri, but there’s a lot from the situation itself. Ethan’s face when he first wears Rachel the ring he bought for Vanessa is particularly memorable.
But what strikes me the most is this Something from Tiffany’s is a fantastic example of what can be done with something close to a standard holiday romcom premise when the cast, the filmmakers, but especially those responsible for the budget really believe in it. This script could easily have ended up on Lifetime if the location had been moved to a small town in Montana (Vancouver actually) and Tiffany’s had been turned into a posh antique store. It would be a cute movie. Instead, the money and care that Amazon and Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company gave to this film has paid off, creating a vacation film that has real weight – as if it were built to last.
Our appeal: Stream it. Something from Tiffany’s is the best date night movie of the holiday season.
