Rendezvous in Chicago

Rendezvous in Chicago is a 2018 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Michael Glover Smith. The film consists of three vignettes that examine Chicago couples at different stages in their relationships. The film premiered at the 2018 Adirondack Film Festival in Glens Falls, New York where it won second place in Audience Choice voting.[1] It is notable for containing a cameo by French actress Haydée Politoff (La Collectionneuse), her first screen appearance in 37 years.[2]

Rendezvous in Chicago
theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Glover Smith
Written byMichael Glover Smith
Produced byLayne Marie Williams
StarringClare Cooney
Kevin Wehby
Rashaad Hall
Matthew Sherbach
Nina Ganet
Shane Simmons
CinematographyAlex Halstead
Edited byEric Marsh
Distributed byQuestar Entertainment
Release date
  • October 19, 2018 (2018-10-19) (Adirondack Film Festival)
Running time
69 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Rendezvous in Chicago is composed of three vignettes corresponding to the beginning, middle and end stages of a relationship: Paul, a charming young man, attempts to pick up Delaney, a bookish grad student, in an otherwise empty wine bar. Rob and Andy are enjoying the bliss of newly formed couplehood. Julie comes home from work early to find her boyfriend, Wyatt, in bed with another woman.[3]

Background and production

According to an interview with PBS Wisconsin, Smith said the first idea he had for the film was its climactic fourth wall-breaking moment: "Whenever I watch movies, I always feel like I'm falling in love with somebody on screen...At a certain point, I wondered, 'Why does the person onscreen never fall back in love with me?'...That sort of led naturally to the question, 'Well, if that were to happen, if the character onscreen were to start flirting with me as a viewer, what would that look like? How could that happen?'"[4]

The film was shot in eight days on a budget of $20,000.[5]

Cast
  • Clare Cooney as Delaney
  • Kevin Wehby as Paul
  • Rashaad Hall as Andy
  • Matthew Sherbach as Rob
  • Nina Ganet as Julie
  • Shane Simmons as Wyatt
  • Haydée Politoff as Dr. Scherer

Release

Among the film's theatrical screenings: Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn,[6] the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago,[7] the Maple Theater in Detroit,[8] and more than a dozen film festival screenings across the United States including the Buffalo International Film Festival,[9] the Beloit International Film Festival,[10] the Santa Fe Film Festival,[11] the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival (where it won the award for Best Comedy)[12] and the Tallahassee Film Festival (where it won the Audience Favorite award for Best Feature).[13]

Home Video

Questar Entertainment announced acquisition of streaming/VOD rights to the film in November 2019.[14]

Reception

Rendezvous in Chicago has received very positive reviews for its writing, acting, and directing. This includes a three-and-a-half (out of four) star review by the Chicago Sun-Times' Richard Roeper who called it "exhilaratingly entertaining",[15] a Newcity Chicago review that compared it to the work of Éric Rohmer and Arnaud Desplechin,[16] and a review in Film Threat that cited Nina Ganet as giving the film's standout performance.[17] As of May 2021, Rotten Tomatoes shows an approval rating of 90%, based on ten reviews.[18]

See also

References
  1. Phalen-Tomaselli, Kathleen. "Notebook: Best of the Adirondack Film Festival". Glens Falls Post-Star. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  2. "Haydée Politoff". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  3. "Rendezvous in Chicago | Cow Lamp Films". cowlampfilms. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  4. Michael Glover Smith / RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO interview teaser, retrieved 2021-05-07
  5. "'Rendezvous in Chicago' hometown premiere at the Siskel". | Reel Chicago - At the intersection of Chicago Advertising, Entertainment, Media and Production. 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  6. "AN EVENING WITH MICHAEL GLOVER SMITH – Spectacle Theater". Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  7. "Gene Siskel Film Center Gazette: February 2019" (PDF). www.siskelfilmcenter.org.
  8. "The Maple Theater". themapletheater.com. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  9. "Rendezvous in Chicago | 2019 Archive | Buffalo International Film Festival". www.buffalofilm.org. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  10. "Rendezvous In Chicago". BIFF - Beloit International Film Festival. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  11. "Rendezvous in Chicago: 3 Tales of Love in the Windy City | The Santa Fe Film Festival". santafefilmfestival.com. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  12. "George Lindsey UNA Film Festival". George Lindsey UNA Film Festival. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  13. Festival, Tallahassee Film (2019-04-10). "2019 TFF Award Winners Announced!". Tallahassee Film Festival. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  14. "Rendezvous in Chicago | Cow Lamp Films". cowlampfilms. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  15. Roeper, Richard (2019-02-08). "'Rendezvous in Chicago' feels like eavesdropping on clever conversations". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  16. "Breezy: A Review Of Rendezvous in Chicago | Newcity Film". 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  17. Salce, Chris (2019-03-06). "Rendezvous in Chicago | Film Threat". Film Threat. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  18. "Rendezvous in Chicago - Movie Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes". rtv2-production-2-6.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
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