The One I Love (film)

Last updated

The One I Love
TOIL poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Charlie McDowell
Written byJustin Lader
Produced by Mel Eslyn
Starring
CinematographyDoug Emmett
Edited byJennifer Lilly
Music by
  • Danny Bensi
  • Saunder Jurriaans
Production
company
Distributed by RADiUS-TWC
Release dates
  • January 21, 2014 (2014-01-21)(Sundance)
  • August 22, 2014 (2014-08-22)(United States)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$583,264 [1]

The One I Love is a 2014 American surreal comedy thriller [2] film directed by Charlie McDowell and written by Justin Lader, starring Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2014. [3] It was released on August 1, 2014, through video on demand, prior to a limited release on August 22, 2014, by RADiUS-TWC. [4]

Contents

Plot

Married couple Ethan and Sophie see a therapist regularly. After asking them to each play a note on a piano, he identifies a disconnection in their relationship and suggests they take a weekend on a secluded estate.

Once at the estate, Sophie goes to the guest cottage and has sex with Ethan. She returns to the house to find Ethan asleep. When she mentions the sex, he says he cannot remember, so Sophie, annoyed, goes to bed alone and he sleeps in the guest cottage. During the night, Sophie joins him, apologizing for her behavior and falling asleep next to him. The next morning, she makes him eggs and bacon, which is odd, as Ethan notes that she hates cooking bacon in the house.

Ethan returns to the main house where Sophie has no memory of joining him in the guest cottage. He deduces that something unusual is going on: In the guest cottage, they each met a doppelgänger of the other, convincing enough to pass. By visiting with Sophie II, Ethan establishes the doppelgängers do not leave the guest cottage. By barging in on Sophie's session with Ethan II, he determines that the doppelgängers disappear when both spouses are in the guest cottage and the doubles are idealized versions of them. Ethan and Sophie take advantage of the circumstances, and set rules, including a rule of "no intimacy".

Ethan figures an explanation for what's going on as some of his clothing is missing, and he receives voice mails from friends and family, answering calls, made in his voice, asking about his past. Sophie starts developing feelings for Ethan II and goes to the guest cottage to seduce him. Ethan discovers this by claiming to leave, but instead enters the guest house and assumes the place of his doppelgänger. Sophie seduces the real Ethan, unbeknownst to her.

The next morning, Sophie seeks refuge with Ethan II, and Ethan I disturbs them by entering the guest cottage. As they argue, they find Sophie II and Ethan II awaiting them in the main house. The four spend the evening together, where it becomes clear that Ethan II and Sophie II know they are playing a role. Ethan II also reveals Ethan I's duplicity at the guest cottage, at which point Sophie I asks Ethan I to leave. He goes to the guest cottage and finds a computer with files for different couples that include recordings of voices, and finds one with "Ethan & Sophie" learning to imitate him and Sophie I.

Ethan I finds he is trapped in the guest house, but Sophie II lets him out. She explains that she and Ethan II must cause the visiting couple to fall out of love. Then the residing couple leave, with the visiting couple trapped within the estate. However, Ethan II has fallen in love with Sophie I and is planning to leave with her. Sophie II does not want her husband to leave with another woman. Ethan I explains this to Sophie I, but Ethan II catches the other revealing the plan.

Ethan II attempts to convince Sophie I to flee with him. When she refuses, he runs away on his own but hits an invisible barrier and collapses unconscious. Each Sophie has an opposing reaction, one distressed for Ethan II and the other smiling at Ethan I. Ethan I grabs the smiling Sophie and they leave.

Ethan and Sophie drive to the therapist's office, finding it abandoned so they head home. The next morning, they are happy and flirtatious together, and Sophie goes to make Ethan breakfast. When he asks her what she's making, she replies eggs and bacon; taken aback, Ethan takes a long moment to ponder this before joining her.

Cast

Production

In March 2013, it was revealed that Elisabeth Moss, Mark Duplass, and Ted Danson had been cast in the film, with Mel Eslyn producing and Duplass executive producing. [5] Mary Steenburgen provided the voice of Duplass's character's mother. [6] Rooney Mara, McDowell's girlfriend (at the time), served as the costume designer, but received credit as Bree Daniel. [7]

Filming

Principal photography lasted 15 days, at Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson's house in Ojai, California. [6] [8]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2014. [9] Shortly after, RADiUS-TWC acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film. [10] The film went onto screen at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25, 2014. [11] That same month, RADiUS set the film for an August 15, 2014 release. [12] It was released through video on demand on August 1, 2014, prior to a limited release on August 22, 2014. [13]

Home media

The film was released to Blu-Ray and DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment on November 4, 2014. [14] It was then released on Netflix on November 29, 2014, and has since been made available to stream on Netflix. [15]

Reception

Box office

The One I Love opened in a limited release in the United States in 8 theaters and grossed $48,059 with an average of $6,007 per theater and ranking number 42 at the box office. The film's widest release was 82 theaters and it ended up earning $513,447 domestically and $69,817 internationally for a total of $583,264. [1] The film made an additional $500,000 through video on demand sales. [16]

Critical response

The One I Love received mostly positive reviews from critics and has a score of 82% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 94 reviews with an average rating of 7.00/10. The critical consensus states, "The One I Love doesn't take its intriguing premise quite as far as it could, but it still adds up to an ambitious, well-acted look at love and marriage." [17] The film also has a score of 65 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 27 critics. [18]

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times praised Moss's performance writing, "In The One I Love, she creates a complex portrait of a woman tested by love whose smiles work like a barricade until fissures of feeling break down her last defenses." [19]

Geoffrey Berkshire of Variety wrote that "Charlie McDowell makes an incredibly assured directorial debut with this smart crowd-pleaser, featuring spectacular performances from Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss." [20] Kate Erbland of Film.com praised the film, calling it a "tightly constructed and cleverly designed take on the modern love story". [21] Cory Everett of IndieWire graded the film B, stating, "It's a very small-scale, unassuming relationship movie (with a heady little twist), but it sneaks up on you." [22]

However, Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the film, commenting, "On a moment-to-moment basis, this smoothly made film can be incredibly trying, even annoying, to watch, due to the grueling repetitiveness of the scenes and dialogue and the claustrophobia of the paradoxically beautiful setting." [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Steenburgen</span> American actress (born 1953)

Mary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in the 1978 Western comedy film Goin' South. Steenburgen went on to earn critical acclaim for her role in 1979 Time After Time and Jonathan Demme's 1980 comedy-drama film Melvin and Howard, for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<i>Time After Time</i> (1979 film) 1979 film by Nicholas Meyer

Time After Time is a 1979 American science fiction film written and directed by Nicholas Meyer and starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, and Mary Steenburgen. Filmed in Panavision, it was the directing debut of Meyer, whose screenplay is based on the premise from Karl Alexander's novel Time After Time and a story by Alexander and Steve Hayes. The film presents a story in which British author H. G. Wells uses his time machine to pursue Jack the Ripper into the 20th century.

<i>Back to the Future Part III</i> 1990 film by Robert Zemeckis

Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction Western film and the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, and Lea Thompson. The film continues immediately following Back to the Future Part II (1989); while stranded in 1955 during his time travel adventures, Marty McFly (Fox) discovers that his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd), trapped in 1885, was killed by Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Wilson), Biff's great-grandfather. Marty travels to 1885 to rescue Doc and return once again to 1985, but matters are complicated when Doc falls in love with Clara Clayton (Steenburgen).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Danson</span> American actor (born 1947)

Edward BridgeDanson III is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom Cheers, for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. He was nominated for more Emmy Awards for roles in the legal drama Damages (2007–2010) and the NBC dramedy The Good Place (2016–2020). He was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 1999.

<i>Togetherness</i> (TV series) American comedy-drama television series

Togetherness is an American comedy-drama television series created by Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass and Steve Zissis. It is primarily written and directed by the Duplass brothers, and stars Mark Duplass, Melanie Lynskey, Amanda Peet, Steve Zissis, and Abby Ryder Fortson. The series focuses on themes such as marriage and friendship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Moss</span> American actress (born 1982)

Elisabeth Singleton Moss is a British-American actor and producer. She is known for her work in several television dramas, garnering many accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, which led Vulture to name her the "Queen of Peak TV".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aubrey Plaza</span> American actress, comedian, and producer (born 1984)

Aubrey Christina Plaza is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), played Julie Powers in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023), and featured as the Shadow King and Lenny Busker in the FX superhero series Legion (2017–2019). In 2022, she starred in the second season of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus, for which she received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Aselton</span> American actress (born 1978)

Kathryn Aselton is an American actress, film director and producer. She directed and co-starred in The Freebie, which was shown in the non-competition "Next" category at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. She also starred in the FX sitcom The League for its seven-season run from 2009 to 2015, and in the first two seasons of FX's Marvel Comics X-Men drama Legion.

<i>Top of the Lake</i> Australian television series

Top of the Lake is a mystery drama television series created and written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, and directed by Campion and Garth Davis. It was broadcast in 2013, and the sequel, entitled Top of the Lake: China Girl, in 2017. It is Campion's first work for television since An Angel at My Table in 1990.

<i>Tammy</i> (film) 2014 American film by Ben Falcone

Tammy is a 2014 American road comedy film directed and co-written by Ben Falcone and produced, co-written by, and starring Melissa McCarthy as the title character. The film also stars Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney, Gary Cole, Mark Duplass, Nat Faxon, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh, with Dan Aykroyd, and Kathy Bates. The film tells the story of a woman named Tammy who hits the road with her profane, alcoholic grandmother after finding out her husband is cheating. Tammy was released in theaters on July 2, 2014.

<i>Creep</i> (2014 film) 2014 film by Patrick Brice

Creep is a 2014 American found footage psychological horror film directed by Patrick Brice, his directorial debut, from a story by Brice and Mark Duplass, who both star in the film. Filmed as found footage, Brice portrays a videographer assigned to record an eccentric client, played by Duplass. Creep was inspired by Brice's experiences on Craigslist and the movies My Dinner with Andre, Misery, and Fatal Attraction. Brice and Duplass refined the film's story during filming, which resulted in multiple versions of each scene and several alternate end scenarios.

<i>Tangerine</i> (film) 2015 film

Tangerine is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Sean Baker, and written by Baker and Chris Bergoch, starring Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, and James Ransone. The story follows a transgender sex worker who discovers her boyfriend and pimp has been cheating on her. The film was shot with three iPhone 5S smartphones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duplass Brothers Productions</span> American production company

Duplass Brothers Productions is an American independent film and television production company founded by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, two brothers who are also actors, directors, producers and writers. They have produced films such as The Puffy Chair (2005), Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), The One I Love (2014) and The Skeleton Twins (2014), and the HBO comedy-drama television series Togetherness (2015–2016) and Room 104 (2017-2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie McDowell</span> American film director and screenwriter (born 1983)

Charles Malcolm McDowell is an American film director and screenwriter. McDowell made his directorial film debut with the romantic thriller The One I Love (2014). He has since written and directed the Netflix drama films The Discovery (2017) and Windfall (2022).

Steve Zissis is an American actor, writer and producer. A longtime friend of Jay and Mark Duplass, he has appeared in and co-produced some of their productions, including the films Baghead (2008), Cyrus (2010), The Do-Deca-Pentathlon (2012) and the TV series Togetherness (2015–2016). He has also appeared in other films and TV shows, including the 2013 film Her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Eslyn</span> American film producer

Mel Eslyn is an American film producer, director and writer. She works primarily in the Seattle independent film industry and has collaborated with Lynn Shelton and Mark and Jay Duplass on numerous films. She is best known for producing The One I Love (2014) and Lamb (2015), for which she won an Independent Spirit Award. She acts as the President of Duplass Brothers Productions.

<i>Landline</i> (film) 2017 American film

Landline is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Gillian Robespierre with a screenplay Robespierre by Elisabeth Holm from a story by Robespierre, Holm and Tom Bean. The film stars Jenny Slate, Edie Falco, Abby Quinn, John Turturro, Jay Duplass and Finn Wittrock, and follows sisters in 1990s New York City who think their father is having an affair.

<i>Beatriz at Dinner</i> 2017 film

Beatriz at Dinner is a 2017 comedy drama film directed by Miguel Arteta from a screenplay by Mike White. The film stars Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, Connie Britton, Jay Duplass, Amy Landecker, Chloë Sevigny, and David Warshofsky.

<i>Creep 2</i> 2017 film by Patrick Brice

Creep 2 is a 2017 American found footage psychological horror film directed by Patrick Brice and written by Brice and Mark Duplass. It is a sequel to Brice's 2014 film Creep, which was also written by Duplass and Brice. Duplass reprises his role from the first film as a serial killer who lures unsuspecting videographers to their deaths, with Desiree Akhavan portraying his latest target.

<i>Shirley</i> (2020 film) 2020 film by Josephine Decker

Shirley is a 2020 American biographical drama film directed by Josephine Decker and written by Sarah Gubbins, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell, which formed a "largely fictional story" around novelist Shirley Jackson during the time period she was writing her 1951 novel Hangsaman. The film stars Elisabeth Moss as Jackson, with Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young, and Logan Lerman in supporting roles. Martin Scorsese serves as an executive producer.

References

  1. 1 2 "The One I Love". Box Office Mojo .
  2. ↑ Yuan, Jada (January 27, 2014). "Elisabeth Moss and Jason Schwartzman on Their Sundance Drama, Listen Up Philip, and Golden Globes Speeches". Vulture . Archived from the original on April 11, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Sundance 2014: World Cinema Dramatic Competition". IndieWire . January 10, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  4. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (July 17, 2014). "THE ONE I LOVE Trailer Avoids Spoiling the Unconventional Comedy Starring Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass". Collider . Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  5. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 6, 2013). "Elisabeth Moss, Mark Duplass And Ted Danson Set For Indie 'The One I Love'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "The Enchanted Cottage from "The One I Love" Movie". Hooked on Houses. February 16, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  7. ↑ Puchko, Kristy (August 6, 2014). "Rooney Mara's Secret Role In The One I Love Revealed". CinemaBlend . Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  8. ↑ Ramsetti, Kirthana (August 19, 2014). "Elisabeth Moss' indie dramedy 'The One I Love' has surreal twist, yet offers insights on real-world relationships". New York Daily News . Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  9. ↑ Bahr, Lindsey (January 22, 2014). "Sundance 2014: You're not supposed to know anything about 'The One I Love'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  10. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 23, 2014). "Sundance: Radius-TWC Acquires 'The One I Love'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  11. ↑ "The One I Love". Tribeca Film Festival . Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Radius/TWC Sets Elisabeth Moss-Mark Duplass Pic 'The One I Love' For August". Deadline Hollywood. April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  13. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 19, 2014). "Hot Trailer: Elisabeth Moss & Mark Duplass Get Trippy In 'The One I Love'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  14. ↑ Leyland, Nick (September 23, 2014). "THE ONE I LOVE: Starring Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss / On DVD and Blu-Ray November 4, 2014!". The Movie Network. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  15. ↑ Dornbush, Jonathon (October 29, 2014). "'Snowpiercer,' 'The One I Love,' 'Nebraska,' more arrive on Netflix in November". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  16. ↑ Brooks, Brian (August 24, 2014). "Radius-TWC Surprises With 'The One I Love,' Providing Theatrical, VOD Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  17. ↑ "The One I Love (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  18. ↑ "The One I Love Reviews". Metacritic .
  19. ↑ Dargis, Manohla (August 21, 2014). "Alone Again, Unnaturally". The New York Times .
  20. ↑ Berkshire, Geoff (January 22, 2014). "Sundance Film Review: 'The One I Love'". Variety . Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  21. ↑ Erbland, Kate (January 27, 2014). "Sundance Review: 'The One I Love'". Film.com . Archived from the original on January 30, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  22. ↑ Everett, Cory (January 26, 2014). "Sundance Review: 'The One I Love' Starring Elizabeth Moss & Mark Duplass". IndieWire. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  23. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (January 23, 2014). "The One I Love: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 5, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.