Is there anything better than discovering a white-bowed little blue box under the tree at Christmastime? (Hint to all you gentlemen out there!) Capitalizing on that concept, Amazon Prime has released “Something from Tiffany’s,” a new holiday-themed original based upon Melissa Hill’s 2011 novel of the same name. Directed by Daryl Wein, the rom-com, which debuted last week, follows the story of two not-so-singletons, New York-based chef/baker Rachel Meyer (Zoey Deutch) and visiting novelist/creative writing professor Ethan Greene (Kendrick Sampson), who are brought together via a package mix-up at the famed Manhattan jewelry retailer one fateful December night.
Although The Guardian describes the film as “charming enough,” this writer found it one of the better holiday movies released this year, thanks to a fabulous cast (Jojo T. Gibbs, who plays Rachel’s hilariously deadpan BFF/business partner Terri Blake, is a definite standout), Deutch and Sampson’s undeniable chemistry and the alluring restaurant at the center of it all.
While set in New York, filming took place in both the Big Apple and Los Angeles, with the former pulling the heavy weight. The Soho Tiffany & Co. outpost, located at 97 Greene St., is where the star-crossed jewelry swap occurs, with Rachel’s longtime boyfriend, slacker Gary Wilson (Ray Nicholson), accidentally picking up the diamond engagement ring actually meant for Ethan’s girlfriend, the impeccably stylish Vanessa (Shay Mitchell). The picturesque Pier 35, overlooking the East River on the Lower East Side, plays Ethan’s “secret New York spot.” Bryant Park’s bustling Holiday Shops make an appearance as the site of Rachel’s restaurant pop-up. And the High Line, a gorgeous elevated-train-track-turned-urban-park, also cameos briefly.
On the West Coast side of things, Cole’s French Dip, a historic downtown L.A. eatery that often substitutes for NYC watering holes onscreen, is the spot where Rachel and Ethan grab a drink mid-film. The two also take an evening stroll down the 500 block of S. Broadway. And it is in front of Palacio De Oro jewelry store, one of Tiffany & Co.’s lesser-known competitors, that Rachel introduces Ethan to the culinary joys of feasting on a cornetto, aka the “little-known Italian cousin of the renowned croissant.”
