Streaming on Prime Video, Something from Tiffany’s is a romantic comedy film directed by Daryl Wein. With a Christmas title releasing every other day of the week, this Amazon Original film is an addition that operates in the same safe space of cliches. The inclusion of these would make some people charmed by the film, and others get averse to it due to how manufactured the portrayed idea of true love feels. Starring Zoey Deutch, Kendrick Sampson, Shay Mitchell, and Ray Nicholson in the lead roles. Leah Jeffries, Jonica T. Gibbs, Rose Abdoo, and Javicia Leslie are also part of the film’s cast.
Something from Tiffany’s (2022) Plot Summary & Synopsis
Rachel Meyer (Zoey Deutch), who loves the art of baking, works at some of the local baked goods outlets. Her partner, Gary Wilson (Ray Nicholson), works as a tattoo artist and lives with her in a modest apartment in New York. While he decides to buy a piece of jewelry for her for a special occasion, Ethan Greene (Kendrick Sampson) also shows up with his daughter Daisy (Leah Jeffries) in the store Tiffany’s. Ethan is a successful writer living in New York, working on his new book. While Gary is looking for an affordable gift, Ethan looks for the one that can best represent his love for his partner – Vanessa (Shay Mitchell). Daisy helps him with the selection process like a born curator.
Ethan buys a diamond ring, whereas Gary buys a not-so-expensive pair of earrings. While leaving in a hurry, Gary gets hit by a car and gets unconscious. That is when Ethan happens to leave the store. Seeing Gary lying on the road, he decides to help him. He takes him to the hospital for treatment; sometime later, Rachel shows up. She wants to meet the person who helped him get there safely, and that’s when Ethan happens to be there. They go for a stroll through the night in New York and talk about their dreams and despairs, what they do and what they wish to do in glorified details.
They feel happy to find an instant connection with each other. He is also content upon realizing that someone is rooting for his life as a writer to be as he envisions it. However, after she learns about Gary gaining consciousness, they go back to their regular lives. By that time, Rachel had mistakenly stumbled upon the bag of Tiffany’s and wondered whether he was going to propose to her. Despite Terry (Jonica T. Gibbs), who works at the Little Italy outlet with her, insists she open the box to see what’s inside, she refuses to do so.
On the day when Gary hands her this gift, she finds that it is, in fact, a ring, and despite being surprised himself, he goes on to propose to her with the expensive diamond. On the other hand, Ethan is surprised to see a pair of earrings as his gift. He soon realizes the mix-up of gifts during the accidents. When he goes on to meet Gary to retrieve it, he bails on his date with Rachel. As a result, Ethan and Rachel end up spending the dinner date together. He sees the ring of her fingers, and the joy on her face and does not want to disappoint her. So, he does not reveal any information to her.
But he later meets Gary at his store and confronts him about it. Gary keeps rejecting that there has been such a mix-up. Meanwhile, Rachel goes to the Tiffany’s to learn about how to care for it. That’s when she learns that Ethan bought the ring with Daisy and realizes the possible mix-up. She confronts Gary about it, and he accepts his mistake. Soon after, Ethan shows up at her store with Daisy, and she mentions that Gary would return the ring. Vanessa finds that ring in a surprising manner and finds the awkward way of Ethan’s proposal adorable. After that incident, they go back to their separate lives.
Something from Tiffany’s (2022) Ending Explained:
What is ‘True Love,’ and Who is Rachel’s True Love?
Vanessa calls Rachel’s shop to book a table for three. While Terri initially cancels it, saying that it is booked for a celebration that day, she hears Ethan’s mention and surmises it is Rachel’s Ethan – the one she thought Rachel had a strong connection with. As a result, she agrees to give Vanessa a reservation. Meanwhile, on the celebration of Rachel and Gary’s engagement, his old pal shows up and mentions a different version of Gary’s encounter with her, which changes her perception of him. Until then, she considered him doing something for her by going out of his way.
But she now realizes that he has a pattern of lying to her to make him seem extra noble and taking credit for things that has nothing to do with him. It upsets her, and when she is about to leave the store, Vanessa shows up with Ethan and Daisy. They all learn all the facts about the mix-up. Vanessa also learns that Ethan did not mean to propose to her at that time. She leaves him right then, and Rachel breaks up with Gary. Ethan and Vanessa have a discussion about wanting different things in their lives, and they get separated in peace.
Soon after, Rachel and Ethan get together and revel in the joy of finding such a strong connection. While Gary faked an incident to make it seem special for both, Ethan did not need to manufacture any magic for his partner to fall head over heels for him. He just needed to share his feelings, and the communication in itself was sufficient. Through this, Something from Tiffany emphasizes the same-old idea of how a love that does not need manufacturing is better than the one that does.
Something from Tiffany’s (2022) Review
Zoey Deutch, who earlier starred in this year’s Not Okay, helms Something from Tiffany’s to the best of her ability. She gives a commendable performance in Not Okay as an edgy Gen-Z teen who struggles to make peace with the fact that she is not famous. She had much more material to work within that role to offer a strong performance. However, this new Christmas-themed romantic drama is a product, like several others that come out during this season, and offers very little in terms of depth, nuance, and a connection to reality.
Something from Tiffany’s, written by Tamara Chestna, and directed by Daryl Wein, offers nothing new through its introspection on the idea of ‘true love.’ The film itself seems too manufactured to take any of their emotions seriously. Be it the silly mix-up with the gifts or characters emphasizing ‘look how silly I am to have messed this up does not seem amusing after a point. It is like that Charlie Kaufman anecdote from his BAFTA speech – repeating the same joke to his fellow trekker keeps making it lesser and lesser amusing.
The trick still works in some such projects, and it also works occasionally in this romantic comedy. However, the credit largely goes to Zoey Deutch, whose performance or Kendrick Sampson’s presence makes it charming. She offers a refreshing levity to the entire film, making even her cliché moments of joy seem palpable. However, it is not enough to make ‘Something from Tiffany’s a cozy, comforting watch that couples and families would look up to this film to be their definite viewing every single Christmas.
