New York City Serenade (film)
Encyclopedia
New York City Serenade is a 2007 comedy-drama
film written and directed by Frank Whaley
and starring Freddie Prinze, Jr.
, Chris Klein
and Jamie-Lynn Sigler
. It made its debut at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
.
Owen and Lynn go out to a film, where they meet Lynn's French literature professor Noam. Then they catch the end of one of the performances of Ray's band. Owen wants to continue the date afterward, but Ray persuades tells Owen he needs help moving his drums; the truth is they go to Bertrand's party, where Owen and Rachel end up in bed.
Owen, Ray and two of their friends are asked to serve as pallbearer
s when the father of their friend Matt dies in New Jersey
. While Owen is out of town, Lynn and Rachel meet, and Lynn learns the truth about what Owen and Rachel did. Lynn wants to break up.
Owen takes Ray to the film festival where he hopes to win an award. When they arrive, their driver Les is supposed to take them to the airport motel, but Ray saw Wallace Shawn
and found out he was staying at the Four Seasons. The guys go there and Ray overhears that Shawn's son will be late, so Ray claims to be Shawn's son and gets the guys a nice room. They attend the festival but don't win anything. When they return to the hotel, their scheme has been uncovered and they are kicked out. Owen repeatedly calls Lynn trying to make up with her, but she never answers and the two are never again shown together. In Lynn's last scene she is getting ready to go on a date with Noam.
At the end of the movie, some time has passed and Ray has straightened his life out and his a good job and a good relationship with his daughter. Owen has produced a successful television commercial.
called the film "one of those pointless indies that you'll have forgotten before the credits roll" and criticized Frank Whaley's "staggering lack of insight, imagination and wit". Nathan Lee of The New York Times
called the film "transparently banal".
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film written and directed by Frank Whaley
Frank Whaley
Frank Joseph Whaley is an American film and television actor known for his roles in independent films.-Personal life:Whaley was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Josephine and Robert W. Whaley, Sr. He is half-Irish and half-Sicilian and grew up in Syracuse. He has two sisters and an older...
and starring Freddie Prinze, Jr.
Freddie Prinze, Jr.
Freddie James Prinze, Jr. is an American actor. He rose to fame during the late 1990s and early 2000s, after starring in several Hollywood films aimed at teenage audiences, I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer , as well as She's All That , Summer...
, Chris Klein
Chris Klein (actor)
Frederick Christopher "Chris" Klein is an American movie actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Chris "Oz" Ostreicher in the 1999 film American Pie and its sequel American Pie 2.-Early life:...
and Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.-Early life:...
. It made its debut at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
2007 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2007 Toronto International Film Festival was a 32nd annual film festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It ran from September 6, 2007 to September 15, 2007. The lineup consisted of 349 films from 55 countries, selected from 4156 submissions...
.
Plot
Owen is an aspiring filmmaker who has been nominated for an award for one of his short films, in which his friend Ray appears. Owen has a job in the film industry, developing photos. Ray has an office job (this week) but still plays drums in a rock band, and he has a young daughter Francie as well as a drinking problem. Owen is engaged to Lynn.Owen and Lynn go out to a film, where they meet Lynn's French literature professor Noam. Then they catch the end of one of the performances of Ray's band. Owen wants to continue the date afterward, but Ray persuades tells Owen he needs help moving his drums; the truth is they go to Bertrand's party, where Owen and Rachel end up in bed.
Owen, Ray and two of their friends are asked to serve as pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
s when the father of their friend Matt dies in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. While Owen is out of town, Lynn and Rachel meet, and Lynn learns the truth about what Owen and Rachel did. Lynn wants to break up.
Owen takes Ray to the film festival where he hopes to win an award. When they arrive, their driver Les is supposed to take them to the airport motel, but Ray saw Wallace Shawn
Wallace Shawn
Wallace Michael Shawn , sometimes credited as Wally Shawn, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, author, voice artist, and intellectual. His best-known film roles include Wally Shawn in My Dinner with Andre , Vizzini in The Princess Bride , and debate teacher Mr...
and found out he was staying at the Four Seasons. The guys go there and Ray overhears that Shawn's son will be late, so Ray claims to be Shawn's son and gets the guys a nice room. They attend the festival but don't win anything. When they return to the hotel, their scheme has been uncovered and they are kicked out. Owen repeatedly calls Lynn trying to make up with her, but she never answers and the two are never again shown together. In Lynn's last scene she is getting ready to go on a date with Noam.
At the end of the movie, some time has passed and Ray has straightened his life out and his a good job and a good relationship with his daughter. Owen has produced a successful television commercial.
Cast
- Freddie Prinze Jr. as Owen
- Chris KleinChris Klein (actor)Frederick Christopher "Chris" Klein is an American movie actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Chris "Oz" Ostreicher in the 1999 film American Pie and its sequel American Pie 2.-Early life:...
as Ray - Jamie-Lynn SiglerJamie-Lynn SiglerJamie-Lynn Sigler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.-Early life:...
as Lynn - Ben Schwartz as Russ
- Christopher DeBlasio as Ben
- Sebastian RochéSebastian Roché- Early life :Roché was born in Paris, France, on August 4, 1964; he is of Scottish and French ancestry. He is also fluent in four languages: English, French, Spanish and Italian. On General Hospital, he spoke in Russian, Spanish and French, and on the pilot episode of Odyssey 5, he spoke in French...
as Noam Broder - Wallace ShawnWallace ShawnWallace Michael Shawn , sometimes credited as Wally Shawn, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, author, voice artist, and intellectual. His best-known film roles include Wally Shawn in My Dinner with Andre , Vizzini in The Princess Bride , and debate teacher Mr...
as himself - Frank WhaleyFrank WhaleyFrank Joseph Whaley is an American film and television actor known for his roles in independent films.-Personal life:Whaley was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Josephine and Robert W. Whaley, Sr. He is half-Irish and half-Sicilian and grew up in Syracuse. He has two sisters and an older...
as Les - Emma BellEmma BellEmma Jean Bell is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Parker O'Neil, one of the main characters in the 2010 film Frozen, and as Amy in The Walking Dead. Bell played the female lead in the thriller-horror film Final Destination 5...
as Melinda - Diana Gettinger as Rachel
- Jeff Skowron as Matt
Reception
Kyle Smith of the New York PostNew York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
called the film "one of those pointless indies that you'll have forgotten before the credits roll" and criticized Frank Whaley's "staggering lack of insight, imagination and wit". Nathan Lee of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the film "transparently banal".