A Noite que Nunca Nos Encontramos

Great performances highlight this small story, which has a great hook and some forgivable flaws. The main themes of communication and isolation are given time to flesh themselves out in three separate stories that center around a shared apartment. I like the pacing in this film, it's slow enough to wrap itself around the story, but not so slow as to drag.

The three main female characters are all good, especially Tripplehorn as Pastel, the avant-garde artist and pseudo girlfriend of Broderick. I've never seen her do any better with a character. Broderick has a curious role to play as a man who is tolerant of others up to a point (like his view of Sciorra's illogical behavior), but still has the serenity to offer marital advice to a woman who has just put him through a frustrating case of coitus interruptus. Sciorra's character is more problematic - she has a definite fear-aggression streak that gets tempered somewhat by the end, but there's also a good deal of "tough chick" bravado in her performance that makes it interesting.

I wasn't completely convinced by all of the transformations in the final ten minutes of the movie, but it ties things up neatly enough so you don't feel cheated and leaves enough room for the characters to grow further after the final shot.

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

Mildly entertaining comedy about a threesome timesharing a New York City apartment, but never meet. Broderick is the standout as a fed-up cheese clerk at an upscale grocery store.

While the film itself is barely worth a watch on cable, I thought it was interesting that the movie had no less than three (3!) future Sopranos cast members in roles varying from starring (Anabella Sciorra) to supporting (Dominic Chianese) to walk on (Michael Imperioli). David Chase definitely saw potential in all of these actors, so it's sad to see that the movie really wasted Sciorra's talents...

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

Sam (Matthew Broderick) works in a gourmet food shop in New York City. Of course, he really wants to be a chef, but this job will do for now. However, the pay is not great, making it necessary for him to live with a small pack of roommates. He is also still pining for an eccentric wannabe-actress named Pastel (Jeanne Tripplehorn). One day, he spies a slice of salvation in the newspaper. There is a nice apartment for rent in Manhattan, but only for a couple of nights a week. That's fine with Sam, for the price is right and he can have peace, quiet, and the occasional date with a lady. Ellen (Annabella Sciorra) also sees the ad and is desperate for some time away from her inconsiderate husband. She signs up for two of the days, with plans to pursue her interest in painting. The third tenant is the owner. Brian (Kevin Anderson), an Ivy league stockbroker/sleazebag who wants a place to hang out with his male buds, away from his own domineering fiancé (Justine Bateman). Soon, Sam builds a nice plant holder for Ellen and leaves her some great leftovers. However, through a mixed communication, she believes it is Brian who has done these acts, and she contemplates making a pass at him, despite her marital status. Will the lives of these three people remain separate or will circumstances allow them to meet, even though they are never at the apartment on the same days? This is a nice film with a clever story and script. Only in the Big Apple, I suppose, would you find folks willing to rent a place for only two nights a week. The cast is terrific, with Broderick, especially, giving a very funny and touching performance. As for the costumes, sets and production values, they are great, resulting in a movie that looks mighty nice. If you are a romantic comedy fan, you can't miss this one! It's fresh plot elements and well-drawn characters make it a welcome find in the world of light-hearted love stories. Yet, even if you are not a regular romcom viewer, the film still has some funny situations and universal themes that make it a diverting watch for most anyone.