By: debbie lynn elias
Who doesn’t love a good romantic comedy? But just how many rom-coms are out there that embrace the 21st century and the 20-somethings of today? A product of the social media generation with online dating, speed dating, texting, text break-ups, sexting, etc., in TWO NIGHT STAND, under the observant eye of first-time feature director Max Nichols, Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton create an easy comfortable vibe arising from an uncomfortable situation, harkening to the magic that was Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in “When Harry Met Sally”. Exuberant and engaging, filled with youthful fun and genuine moments of wide-eyed enchantment, TWO NIGHT STAND captures the heart with humor and sweet romance.
For many, there’s nothing worse than to be alone over the holidays; and not just alone because your significant other is just not around due to work or travel, but really alone with no dating prospects. It’s even worse when you have no job or a job you aren’t that fond of. It’s hell when you’ve recently been dumped by your fiancé. It’s worse than death when your roommate then tells you it’s time for you to move out because you don’t have money to pay your share or the rent. Ouch. So what do you do? Set up an online dating account. And that’s exactly what Megan does. Ironically, so does Alec. And just what are the chances these two would connect online? Well, in a movie, 100% chance. In real life on a chance meeting in a bar, er, maybe not so much.
But, hook-up they do. And braving the impending inclement weather about to bear down on an unsuspecting New York City, with her trusty Mapquest armed cell phone in hand and the NYC transit system at her beckon call, Megan heads out to meet up with Alec. Intending their meeting to be nothing more than a one-night stand sexual extravaganza, their chemistry and likeability factor is so strong you can almost see fireworks over their heads. But, as so often happens, what looks great in candlelight, moonlight, dim light or no light at 1am, isn’t always the same under the glare of white light at 8am.
As Megan tries to make an unnoticed walk-of-shame exit, what happens is anything but as Alec wakes up, tries to be sociable and Megan is just plain rude. Her escape is not going well. And as she tries to storm out in a hope-to-never-see-you-again-slam-the-door manner, she is quickly stopped in her tracks when the front door of the apartment building won’t open. Seems that snowmageddon took hold of the city overnight, dumping foot upon foot of snow on the sleepy inhabitants who now find themselves snowed in – and that includes Alec and Megan. A one-night stand just turned into at least a TWO NIGHT STAND.
Already at odds with each other, Murphy’s law kicks in at every turn with everything from no food in the house to a stopped up toilet and no plunger to resulting flood to daredevil attempts at breaking in another apartment through an iced shut window on a snow covered ledge three stories above the ground. Can Alec and Megan overcome the drama of a night of great sex and morning after incompatibility and survive a TWO NIGHT STAND?
Miles Teller is pure charm from beginning to end. Rapidly becoming the rom-com king of the 20-something generation, he is a blend of John Cusack, Billy Crystal and George Clooney, not only in his charismatic everyman good-natured humor and look, but in his charge full steam ahead work ethic, building experience (four films in theatres this year alone with at least four more in the pipeline slated to release in 2015) and increasing not only the emotional difficulty factor of each role he assumes, but his own growth as an actor. Moving from supporting sidekick to romantic lead – and as we’ve already seen with “Divergent”, physicality and action – Teller is no flash in the pan or, “two-night stand”, as the case may be. He’s here for the long haul and film is the better for it. As Alec, he brings moments of earnest concern, kindness, humor, snarkiness, exasperation, knight in shining armor bravado, and finds the balance and perfect beats for all. Teller is always engaging and he always gives his characters that little extra something, that little twinkle, that makes us look harder for what he still has up his sleeve. And just when you think you’ve seen all of Alec that there is to see, Teller steals your heart with a little something extra.
Like Teller, Analeigh Tipton is an actress on the rise. We had a chance to see not only her comedic skills in films like “Damsels in Distress” and “Warm Bodies” but also a vulnerability that Tipton canvases with false confidence. She does so again here as Megan and I must say, Tipton does confident pouty like nobody’s business.
Together, Teller and Tipton breathe three-dimensions into what easily could have been one-dimensional characters and a one-dimensional story. Thanks to a well constructed script by Mike Hammer, they take us beyond the impersonal cold fantasy world of social media and technology and infuse the human touch with all its foibles and vulnerability and sensitivity into Alec and Megan, but do so at the pacing of life – unforced and naturally; the immediate sexual spark is gone so what’s left is who each individual is. And it’s that “getting to know you” where the characters grow and the film takes on a defining tone.
As Megan’s roommate Faiza and Faiza’s boyfriend Cedric, Jessica Szohr and Scott Mescudi provide not only great comedic moments but impetus for kickstarting Megan and the ensuing TWO NIGHT STAND. As we saw earlier this year in “Need for Speed”, Mescudi is so spot on with his rapid-fire comedic patter and timing, he can steal a scene out from under anyone and does so here. He’s fun, refreshing and a welcome lightness.
With both director Max Nichols and screenwriter Mark Hammer making their feature debut with TWO NIGHT STAND, I am pleasantly surprised that the construct of the story and visual design flow as synergistically as they do, creating a tonal bandwidth that is welcoming and fluid. With his background in music videos, this styling is a smart directorial move by Nichols. As the characters learn about each other, so does the audience. A nice storytelling tactic of a level playing field for the audience and the characters on screen always ups the ante and eliminates preconceived notions or undisclosed plot points. We all move together at the same pace which typically creates a richer movie-going experience. Dialogue is smartly written, natural, unforced, and feels current and appropriate for the demographic of the characters.
Perhaps serendipitous, TWO NIGHT STAND was filmed over 19 days in New York during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Although it created its own logistical challenges and shut down shooting for two days, it also put cast and crew into that forced containment mode which fuels the events between Megan and Alec, giving the actors room to push the performance levels. Exterior snow shots and the actual blizzard were shot in Boston in February 2013 and then cut into TWO NIGHT STAND in post-production. A key scene of Tipton and Teller out on the street in the snow was shot live with ice blocks chipped and made into snow and piled on the NYC street. Nichols more than earned his mettle as a director on this shoot.
Although contained within Alec’s apartment creating a more stage-oriented logistical design (and this is a script that could easily be done as a stage production), Nichols and one of my fave cinematographers, Bobby Bukowski, avoid giving the film a claustrophobic feel, opting to use various types of light and light blended with fabrics to create shadow and texture. There is a visually layered feel that metaphorically speaks to the layers of the characters as we delve deeper into the TWO NIGHT STAND. Production designer Molly Hughes and her team make clear design distinction between Alec’s apartment and Faiza’s, focusing on a more eclectic, textured and color-filled industrial look for Alec while Faiza’s place is yellow and white, sunny, more traditional. While lensing in Faiza’s apartment is framed more traditionally, dutching and hand-held fluidity are the keys in Alec’s place. Nice contrast, nice balance.
Completing the picture is the music of The de Luca Brothers which captures the fun and romance of the film to a tee.
Directed by Max Nichols
Written by Mark Hammer
Cast: Miles Teller, Analeigh Tipton, Scott Mescudi, Jessica Szohr
