Christmas-Reviewer
BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.The plot involves two strangers, a construction contractor (Garner) and a medical doctor (Andrews), who take refuge in a small abandoned cabin during a stormy winter night and, despite their many differences, they become undeniably drawn to one another. This was Garner's and Andrews' third film pairing as romantic leads, after The Americanization of Emily (1964) and Victor Victoria (1982).This is a nice little film. It holds your attention . Long time friends James Garner and Julie Andrews really do have great chemistry together. It seems to me however there were little winks to the audience to Julie's & Jim's past roles. I won't give them away but see if you could spot them.
SimonJack
"One Special Night" is about two people who experience the heartbreak of losing a spouse, and then find renewed hope and interest in life. What makes it so special, is the deep love each had for their spouse. And, the grief and aloneness the surviving spouse endures until he or she can recover. The story is a natural one for the holiday season. It takes place from Thanksgiving to Christmas. It's a drama, a tale of deep and lasting love, a picture of grieving while life goes on, a look at family discord and reconciliation, a reminder of the hope and beauty of life when a baby comes into the world, and a budding romance with just the right amount of cynicism and humor to add zest to the plot. Julie Andrews is an MD (obstetrician cardiac specialist), Catherine Howard, who lost her husband to cancer a year ago. She has no family and she continues to visit the Shelby Hospice where her husband had been a patient for a long time. James Garner is Robert Woodward, a builder, whose wife has Alzheimer's and who has been in the same hospice for nearly a year. He has two daughters, one married and one single. Daughter Lori is estranged from her husband, Jeff, and is over seven months pregnant with a baby sibling for young Michael. Daughter Jaclyn has been living in New York, trying to make it as a painter. She has just come home for the holidays. Catherine and Robert meet by chance at the hospice on Thanksgiving while a snowstorm builds outside. Having sent his family home, he tries to get a taxi by phone, but is having no luck. Catherine overhears him and offers him a ride. She has a classic Jaguar, hardly a practical car for winter, Robert comments. The two don't even know one another's name as they drive off into the snowstorm. But it's clear that each dislikes the other from the start. Their conversation is sparse and bickering, which lightens the heavy mood of the film to that point. When Catherine's car gets stuck in a snowdrift, the couple are stranded in the storm. They walk to find help or shelter. They come across a tractor but it has no keys. Robert crosses wires and starts the engine. "I used to be a car thief," he quips. "Really?" she answers. "Rehabilitated," he replies. They find a modern cabin in the woods, but no one is home. So, Robert breaks a back window. The phone and electricity have been knocked out by the storm, but they have a fireplace and hot water from the gas service. With lots of candles and a blazing fire, the couple find some food and settle in to weather the storm for the night. In this one special night, they come to know one another, they share their stories and each one's attitude toward the other mellows. Little doses of humor and some heartfelt discussion make for a night of friendship with possibilities beyond that in the future. At the start, Robert makes a comment about Catherine's marriage. She tells him she lost her husband to prostate cancer a year ago. He apologizes: "I'm sorry. Occasionally I say the wrong thing." She replies. "I noticed that right away." While Robert rustles up some food, Catherine goes to take a hot shower and get into dry clothes. As she heads for the bathroom, Robert asks, "Did you ever see 'Psycho?'" "Yes! Why?" she replies. "No reason," he says. They look at each other with big smiles. Later, Robert says that his wife, Marybeth, doesn't recognize him or know who he is. Catherine says that she does. "In her soul, a woman never forgets a man who has occupied her heart for so many years." Cell phones aren't working in the storm, so Robert and Catherine haven't been able to reach anyone outside. Robert and Catherine fall asleep while talking on the sofa in front of the fireplace. In the meantime, Robert's family has set out to try to find him in the family four-wheel drive SUV. Lori and Jeff finally come across the stranded Jaguar, but they don't find the cabin until the next morning after the storm has ended and plows have opened the roads. After being rescued, Robert and Catherine agree to meet at a favorite café that Sunday for a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes. Both show up, but before Robert goes in, he gets a call on his cell phone that his wife has had another heart attack. He leaves without going inside to tell Catherine, who waits a couple hours for him to show up. Robert's wife dies and the family has her funeral. Robert and Catherine don't see each other again until Christmas Eve when Lori is in the hospital to deliver her baby three weeks early. Will romance bloom between Catherine and Robert? Will they ever get together? One can guess the answer easily, but the rest of the story of how and when is endearing. There is much more to the story with Robert's family, marital reconciliation, strengthening of sibling ties and the hope and joy of life with a baby born into the world. This is a wonderful Christmas season movie with a refreshingly different theme. "One Special Night" may resonate with more families as the years go by. It tackles the subject of families who have a parent in a nursing home or special care place. It is about couples who lose a spouse to dementia or other debilitating illness. With an aging population growing ever larger, more and more families are likely to have similar situations well into the 21st century. As this film shows, love endures the hardships, and after the grieving, it rekindles hope and joy for the future.
carson
My spouse & I count this movie as one of our all time favorites & a MUST SEE for the holidays. We never miss it, as it is an extremely enjoyable, fun, romantic & heartwarming movie, with a superb cast who give fantastic performances. Ms. Andrews & Mr. Garner, reportedly close friends in real life, have a lot of "spark" together & the dialog written for them is, at times, hysterical. There are some sad points in the movie, which only make it more believable & true-to-life. The scenery in this movie is gorgeous & there are a few stories going on at once, making it a non-stop enjoyable movie. The title, "One Special Night" defines the catalyst for a lifetime of special love & relationships.
phillindholm
Watched this again this weekend. I have seen it every year since it's premiere in 1999. Andrews and Garner (in their third film together) still have chemistry together--and then some. This is truly a classic, and a sterling example of what a Holiday movie should be. The entire cast performs beautifully, the wintry atmosphere is completely captivating and the musical score is perfect. Add to these a script which is believable and touching without becoming trite. Everyone gets an "A" for their work in this, but in the end, it's truly the perfect performances of Andrews and Garner that make this such a memorable experience.
