It may not be about breakfast at the famed Manhattan jewelry store, but Something from Tiffany’s is a sweet romantic holiday comedy filled with charming surprises.
As we experience the joys of the Christmas holidays, anyone who has been to New York City this time of year knows there is great magic in the air; with the streets ablaze with lights, dazzling window displays, and a coveted special blue box from Tiffany’s could change the course of a person’s life.
The movie is about two couples. The first is Rachel (Zoey Deutch) and Gary (Ray Nicholson), who are happy enough but not quite ready for that big commitment.,
While Ethan (Kendrick Sampson), and Vanessa (Shay Mitchell), are the perfect twosome and are just about to make it official.
When a simple mix-up of gifts causes all their paths to cross, it sets off a series of twists and unexpected discoveries that lead them to where they’re truly meant to be. Because love – like life – is full of surprises in Something from Tiffany’s. The movie is an adaptation of Melissa Hill’s novel of the same name.
“Not only is Zoey a classic beauty, but she has deep relatability, a kind of goofiness, and she’s self-deprecating in a way I appreciate,” adds Reese Witherspoon of Hello Sunshine, the film’s production company.
“Zoey is also well-read and hard-working. These are traits that are wholly compatible with Rachel, a smart and free-spirited young woman with big dreams and a killer work ethic, whose life is about to change in ways she couldn’t possibly have seen coming,” Witherspoon added.
Zoey Deutch has gained recognition for her roles in the film, Set It Up, Everybody Wants Some!! and the Netflix comedy series The Politician, starring Ben Platt.
The daughter of director Howard Deutch ( Pretty in Pink and Grumpier Old Men), and actress-director Lea Thompson (Back to the Future and Caroline in the City), she began her career with roles on The Disney Channel comedy series The Suite Life on Deck and has also been in The CW crime drama series Ringer.
This was followed by the gothic romance film Beautiful Creatures (2013), and she starred in the fantasy horror film Vampire Academy (2014), for which she received a Teen Choice Award nomination.
In 2017, her mother directed her and her sister, Madelyn, in the comedy-drama film The Year of Spectacular Men, which Deutch also co-produced. She went on to star in the critically acclaimed romantic comedy Set It Up (2018), the zombie comedy Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), and the comedy-drama Buffaloed (2019), which she also produced.
Deutch will also re-team with writer Katie Silberman for their second romantic comedy, Most Dangerous Game. The project is slated for a Netflix release in 2023.
Read on for why Zoey Deutch wanted to star in and produce this lovely romantic holiday comedy and what she hopes we will take away from it.
Monsters and Critics: What does it mean to you that viewers love your movie? I found the film to be sweet and romantic.
Zoey Deutch: That’s the vibe that we want. We want people to like it and to see it. It is definitely a feel-good, happy holidays kind of movie.
Kendrick Sampson: Yes, more than anything. We experienced the filming of it a year ago, so more than anything for me, it’s like, what’s the impact it’s having on people? It’s about people feeling all warm inside. And it is something you can watch again and feel warm and fuzzy again.
Zoey Deutch: Making a movie is so funny because you care so much about it, you work so hard on it, and it consumes every single moment of your life. Then you finish it, and it’s not yours at all anymore. It’s a very interesting thing, and it’s great because now it’s not ours, it’s yours, so enjoy it!
Ray Nicholson: I really love that it swept you away. I hope that I was part of the sweeping. I hope that I wasn’t batting people back down to reality. But it feels really good to make people feel happy and swept away and perhaps to just scratch that love itch that we all need so badly.
Monsters and Critics: What was your reaction to reading the script?
Zoey Deutch: I loved the heart of the story, and I loved Rachel. I felt so good when I read it, so I said, ‘Let’s do this!’” I also wanted to have a hand in decision-making. I’m a better artist when I have information. I want to know every little thing that is happening. I’m a better actor when I’m able to produce.
Monsters and Critics: What did you love about making this movie?
Ray Nicholson: I really loved finding what I liked about it. I really love a movie about relationships. I think that the key to relationships is timing, and I just think that you could be with the right person at the wrong time, and it’s all about timing. And I thought it was kind of a fun comedy of errors if you will.
Monsters and Critics: Do you feel like we need more romance in our lives? Are you romantic?
Zoey Deutch: Yes, romance is not dead. It’s alive and well. I think love is beautiful, and we all need more. Everyone needs more love.
Kendrick Sampson: Yes, if we need anything else in the world, especially right now, it’s a lot more love. We need to highlight that love and see all the different types of love and the ways that people come to it.
Ray Nicholson: Yes, I’m a deeply romantic person at heart. I’m trying to shake it because it leads to heartbreak. But what are you going to do?
Monsters and Critics: Where did the chemistry come from? Did the two of you do anything special to rehearse or become friends?
Zoey Deutch: We were married for like four years and actually stayed friends, and then we found this. [She laughed]. No, I’m kidding. We met on Zoom, and we were immediate besties.
Kendrick Sampson: Yes. Literally, there was no preparation for it. I think I’ve heard you say it enough that I can speak in this regard, that we were both nervous about what it was going to be on Zoom. We had to connect on Zoom. But as soon as the Zoom chat and videos came up, we had the chemistry there, and we didn’t have to work for it.
Zoey Deutch: It’s hard. I’ve definitely done Zoom chemistry reads where I can’t, and then when we met in person, I was like, “Oh, it’s incredible.”
Monsters and Critics: Did you and Zoey do anything, or was there any prep in terms of the chemistry between the two of you?
Ray Nicholson: No, I think that we really had a lot of natural chemistry. I think that Zoey and I we’re both from Los Angeles, and we both have similar backgrounds. I think that it’s manifested in different ways, which I think really worked for the movie. I think that the reason why Gary and Rachel work so well is that they both believe and want, but the way that they go about it is different, or maybe they’re not at the same thing. I think that Zoey and I naturally had that kind of, ultimately, love and respect for each other, but a difference in approach.
Why do you think it’s a good movie for not only the holidays but a time when people are distraught, and there’s a lot of angst in the world?
Ray Nicholson: Well, I think that the holidays between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year are like the emotional Bermuda Triangle for a lot of people, and I think that there is a lot of conflict. But I think ultimately that this movie is about finding love and hope and that even if the time isn’t right or you might be flawed, you’re still deserving of love.
Monsters and Critics: Are there any life lessons that you want to share?
Zoey Deutch: In the movie in general? One of the things that I think is a nice life lesson about the movie is that life, like love, is full of surprises and unexpected gifts. Yeah.
Kendrick Sampson: Yes, I would say don’t try to control things. There are so many ways, different ways we try to control things. Things will happen organically. Allow them to happen. And what is meant to be; will be.
Monsters and Critics: Why do you want my readers to see this movie?
Ray Nicholson: I want them to feel warm over the holidays. I want them to feel that even if they feel flawed or alone, they’re still deserving of love. And I think it’s just a really warm, holiday, fun movie.
Zoey Deutch: You would be crazy if you didn’t because you’re going to feel left out. Your readers will feel super left out because everybody else is going to see it. So, you either get to watch this, or you’re going to feel FOMO; it’s up to you.
Kendrick Sampson: That is 100 percent true. Also, don’t miss out on a warm, fuzzy feeling. It’s cold outside. It’s getting colder.
Something From Tiffany’s will stream on Prime Video on December 9.