The Night We Never Met

Warren Leight

1993

Synopsis

Sam has a problem with his roommates: they are disgusting, and don't seem to share his views on responsibility, privacy, and basic hygine. Such is his discomfort with his living arrangements that he agrees to share the occupancy of another flat: he gets two nights a week, the owner (a sleazy frat-boy yuppie named Brian, soon to be married) and Ellen (a would-be painter seeking relief from her boring marriage) each get their seperate nights in the flat. Things go extremely well until Sam and Brian swap nights without telling Ellen, who attributes the "nice" things that happen around the place to the slob Brian, while berating the responsible Sam for his hedonistic lifestyle.

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Recommendations

90
Los Angeles Times
[A] deft and delightful romantic comedy of errors.
80
Empire
Witty, sharp and charming, this romantic comedy is exactly what's needed when Channel 4 aren't showing repeats of Friends. All three are equally watch able, each with their own reason for renting the apartment and each very different.
80
Time Out
The film has three amiable leads and doesn't overstay its welcome.
70
Variety
Wonderfully atmospheric use of New York locations and familiar characters brings “Night” to life. Unfortunately, there are many scenes, particularly those of Anderson and his obnoxious pals, that kill time and detract from the romantic leads. Ultimately it’s not really an ensemble piece but closer to a film with alternating casts or vignettes.
60
TV Guide Magazine
A likable but forgettable bit of fluff about mistaken identity.
60
The Hollywood Reporter
The Night We Never Met takes a TV sitcom premise and expands on it with practically every cliche known to Hollywood. The result is a cutesy, unbelievable film loaded with charm, but void of substance, and which is barely saved by the likability of stars Matthew Broderick and Annabella Sciorra. [29 Apr 1993]
50
The New York Times
The Night We Never Met is never lifelike enough to evoke the madly romantic New York atmosphere it seems to be after. The actors try hard, but they are hamstrung by too many broad strokes and silly inconsistencies.
50
Austin Chronicle
But for a film like this to succeed it must be full of humanity, overflowing with characters. This one is but they are all two-dimensional: the exhibitionist manipulative performance artist girlfriend, the insensitive and driven husband. The correct moral course is always clear, ambiguities are not entertained. In all its choices the film offers no real options. This tone piled upon the overwhelming coincidences that are supposed to drive the plot, drown whatever charm the central characters manage to generate.