This text comprises spoilers for “One Night time Solely.”
What number of romantic comedies have been set in New York Metropolis? What number of tearful separations, sweeping romantic gestures, and grand reunions has the Large Apple hosted on display screen? Suffice it to say, the reply is “quite a bit.” However “One Night time Solely,” the latest romantic comedy from “Anybody However You” director Will Gluck, does one thing many rom-coms fail to do: Along with its high-concept premise involving two characters assembly on the one night time annually through which two single individuals can legally have intercourse, this film encompasses a distinct real-world location that elements closely into its plot.
As a substitute of assembly on the prime of the Empire State Constructing (like rom-com royalty Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in “Sleepless in Seattle”), the tip of the film sees Owen (Callum Turner) realizing he can discover Allie (Monica Barbaro) at a spot meaning quite a bit to her: The Little Purple Lighthouse underneath the George Washington Bridge, which is the setting of her favourite kids’s e-book. I’ve seen lots of New York-set romances, however I’ve by no means seen this location (and even heard of it), so once I interviewed Gluck, I needed to ask him about enshrining it within the NYC rom-com canon.
“The Lighthouse means quite a bit to me, which is why I wrote that,” Gluck defined. “I grew up very near it. That e-book, ‘Little Purple Lighthouse,’ is an actual e-book that my mother and father learn to me […] Nobody on the crew knew it existed. And I’ve shot just a few films in New York Metropolis now, and I actually appreciated taking pictures locations that you have not seen in different films, which is why we do the entire Empire State Constructing fake-out. I really like going to areas which have by no means been shot earlier than […] New York — dwelling, respiratory New York — is a lot greater than the vacationer points of interest.”
One Night time Solely stays true to its rom-com roots, but additionally carves its personal path
Whereas there’s one thing timeless about areas just like the Empire State Constructing (even “Sleepless in Seattle” explores that constructing’s significance all through cinema historical past with its frequent references to the Cary Grant/Deborah Kerr movie “An Affair to Keep in mind”), it is undoubtedly refreshing to see “One Night time Solely” keep true to the style whereas additionally carving its personal path by introducing the world to a brand new place. That call is a microcosm of what I need from the entire style: acquainted however recent.
Will Gluck defined what it was like to truly movie on the Little Purple Lighthouse:
“It was a bear to get not simply permission to shoot within the lighthouse, however the cause why nobody is aware of the lighthouse is as a result of it is actually laborious to get to. You may solely get there by strolling on the trail or biking. You may’t drive to the lighthouse. So what does that imply [for] all of the tools? That is proper. So it was an actual robust job for us and all of the crew to get all our tools down there. In actual fact, at one level we thought it would’ve been simpler to get in by boat. That was how laborious it was. However I am actually joyful it got here out […] it’s an unimaginable location. If you’re up there within the lighthouse, the bridge is above you and you’ve got a straight-on shot of the skyline. It’s magical up there. And I hope if this film does something, I hope individuals go up there.”
With the placement given such outstanding placement within the movie’s climactic moments, I’ve to think about that it will turn into an instantaneous hotspot within the metropolis. However in the event you’re planning to test it out in particular person, simply be ready to go on a little bit of a trek to get there.
“One Night time Solely” is in theaters now.
