Chassé-croisé

"What are you, Camus?"

Such an Allenesque line, and when you spot Woody's ex-wife Louise Lasser in a supporting role, and a kooky French female character messing our hero Sam (Matthew Broderick) about...well, the movie rings a few NYC bells.

An interesting premise, in both senses of the spelling. Three people, who don't know each other, all in personal life predicaments, have alternate days renting an apartment. One is a lovelorn cheesemonger (really), another is a dissatisfied dental hygienist (again, that's very Woody), and the third is an oafish city boy on the cusp of marriage, unwilling to give up his bachelor lifestyle altogether. Two of them start leaving cute messages and stuff for one another, but mistaken identity leads to a confused situation.

New York plays its own part in these movies. New York movies are practically a genre unto themselves. This is a cute but slight movie, and its peculiar premise gives it distinction in the rom-com field. One just wishes it were funnier, and maybe one more character with a stronger screen presence. The fact that the three alternating tenants never run into one another, at least before the denouement, seems improbable.

But definitely worth checking out.

Three New Yorkers decide to share a Greenwich Village apartment, rotating use of the place for different purposes, on different days. First up is bearded gourmet cheese clerk Matthew Broderick (as Sam Lester); he wants a quiet place to cook romantic dinners for dates, and hopefully have sex. Next tenant is bored painter Annabella Sciorra (as Ellen); she wants a place to paint, and also considers an extramarital affair. Third is well-coiffed sports fan Kevin Anderson (as Brian McVeigh); he wants a place to drink beer and watch ballgames with the guys, without fiancée Justine Bateman (as Janet Beehan) around. The three mix-up their days and Ms. Sciorra accidentally targets Mr. Anderson as a sex partner when she really wants Mr. Broderick. Oops...

***** The Night We Never Met (4/30/93) Warren Leight ~ Matthew Broderick, Annabella Sciorra, Kevin Anderson, Justine Bateman

I rented this on a whim, when it first came to video stores in late '93 or early '94. I was so charmed by it that I went back and bought it the next weekend, since I knew it would be cheaper than renting it as much as I knew I would. I watch it all the time, to pick up my spirits after a bad break-up, to commiserate with Sam when the world of love has left me cold, or when I feel a strong need to laugh at French performance artists. I can't recommend it highly enough as a great date movie, great for watching with a group of friends, and maybe best ingested when alone. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. If anyone knows of a soundtrack for it, please post a message.

"The Night We Never Met" tells of three people, all in relationships, who timeshare a NYC flat with a weekly rotation. The trio has not met but do get to know each other by leaving notes, phone calls, and the inevitable traces of their occupancy which, of course, leads to romance between principals Sciorra and Broderick. A cute little bit of B- fluff which is well cast with a clever premise, "Night..." muddles a little in the middle, runs a tad long, and could have ended better. Nonetheless, it's worth a look. Now on cable.

A tad different from most romance comedies. This film is light, yet contains a slightly dark edge with the subject matter.