Sweet November (2001 film): Difference between revisions

Sweet November
Sweet November
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Pat O'Connor
Screenplay by	Kurt Voelker
Story by	Paul Yurick; Kurt Voelker;
Based on	Sweet November; 1968 film; by Herman Raucher
Produced by	Elliott Kastner; Steven Reuther; Deborah Aal; Erwin Stoff;
Starring	Keanu Reeves; Charlize Theron; Jason Isaacs; Greg Germann;
Cinematography	Edward Lachman
Edited by	Anne V. Coates
Music by	Christopher Young
Production; companies	Bel Air Entertainment; 3 Arts Entertainment
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	February 16, 2001;
Running time	120 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$40 million
Box office	$65.8 million

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 06:08, 12 September 2024

Sweet November is a 2001 American romantic drama film based in San Francisco directed by Pat O'Connor and starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron. The film is loosely based on the 1968 film Sweet November written by Herman Raucher, which starred Anthony Newley and Sandy Dennis; with some differences in plot. The film reunites Reeves and Theron, who starred in Devil’s Advocate.

Sweet November was released on February 16, 2001, and was panned by critics, who called it "schmaltzy and manipulative", while the plot and the lack of chemistry between Reeves and Theron were also criticized. The film was also a box office disappointment, grossing only $65.8 million worldwide against a budget of $40 million.

Plot

Nelson Moss is a workaholic advertising executive who meets Sara Deever, a woman very different from anyone he has met before. His attempt to get an answer from her on his driving test leads to her failing due to cheating.

Sara beguiles Nelson and continually asks him to spend a month with her on the promise that she will change his life for the better. On the first night of November, after he is fired and dumped on the same day, she sleeps with him, and the next day Chaz, a close friend of Sara's, arrives and refers to Nelson as Sara's "November".

Throughout November, the two experience happy times together and fall in love. Nelson examines his life and past, and befriends a 10-year-old fatherless child named Abner. Eventually, he realizes he is in love with Sara and asks her to marry him. It is revealed that Sara has terminal cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Because she cannot bear to have Nelson experience her death, she asks him to leave. Sara tells Chaz that Nelson proposed. When he says that it wasn't the first time that a man had proposed, implying Sara has had numerous "months" before. Sara confirms this but claims it was the first time she had wanted to say yes.

Sara decides she will not continue the relationship to protect Nelson from being hurt. He complies, but then stages a surprise return during the Thanksgiving holiday, giving her gifts that remind her of their happy times.

They stay together for one more day; he posts November calendars all over her apartment walls, saying it can always be November for them. They make love, but the next morning, Nelson finds Sara is dressed. She asks him to leave, and he sees she has taken down the calendars.

Sara runs out of her apartment with Nelson chasing her in the street until finally she stops along a foot bridge to the park entrance. There, she asks him to let her go so that he will always have happy memories of her, and explains that this is how she needs to be remembered. Sara will return home to her family (whom she had been avoiding) and face her last days.

Sara then blindfolds Nelson, leads him into the park, and gives him a last kiss. He takes off the blindfold and sees that he is alone in the park where they went on one of their first dates. His eyes fill with tears.

Cast

Keanu Reeves as Nelson Moss
Charlize Theron as Sara Deever
Jason Isaacs as Chaz Watley/Cherry
Greg Germann as Vince Holland
Lauren Graham as Angelica
Liam Aiken as Abner
Frank Langella as Edgar Price
Ray Baker as Buddy Leach
Michael Rosenbaum as Brandon/Brandy
Robert Joy as Raeford Dunne
Jason Kravits as Manny
Tom Bullock as Al
Susan Zelinsky as Waitress

Music

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Cellophane"	Amanda Ghost, Sacha Skarbek, Ian Dench, Lucas Burton	Amanda Ghost	3:33
2.	"Only Time (Original Version)"	Enya, Roma Ryan	Enya	3:38
3.	"Shame"	Brian Transeau	BT	3:21
4.	"Touched by an Angel"	Stevie Nicks	Stevie Nicks	4:23
5.	"The Consequences of Falling (Lenny B Remix)"	Billy Steinberg, Rick Nowels, Marie-Claire D'Ubaldo	k.d. lang	4:16
6.	"Heart Door (with Dolly Parton)"	Paula Cole	Paula Cole with Dolly Parton	4:08
7.	"My Number"	Tegan Rain Quin, Sara Keirsten Quin	Tegan and Sara	4:09
8.	"Off the Hook"	Steven Page, Ed Robertson	Barenaked Ladies	4:34
9.	"Rock DJ"	Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers, Kelvin Andrews, Nelson Pigford, Ekundayo Paris	Robbie Williams	4:16
10.	"Baby Work Out"	Jackie Wilson	Jackie Wilson, Alonzo Tucker	3:00
11.	"You Deserve to Be Loved"	Dillon O'Brian	Tracy Dawn	5:02
12.	"Wherever You Are"	Larry Klein, Tonio K	Celeste Prince	4:17
13.	"The Other Half of Me"	S. Freeman, J. Lawrence	Bobby Darin	2:27
14.	"Calafia"	Dave Ralicke	Jump with Joey
15.	"Middle of the Night"	Paul Brown, Roberto Vally, Rick Braun	Rick Braun
16.	"Time After Time"	Jules Styne, Sammy Cahn	Keanu Reeves

Reception

Box office

The film opened at number 4 at the North American box office making $11,015,226 in its opening weekend behind Recess: School's Out, Down to Earth and Hannibal. It ultimately grossed only $25.3 million domestically with an additional $40.5 million overseas to a total of $65.8 million worldwide.^[3]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 15% based on 99 reviews, with an average rating of 3.6/10. The website's critics consensus states: "Schmaltzy and manipulative, Sweet November suffers from an implausible plot and non-existent chemistry between its leads."^[4] At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 27 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".^[5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.^[6]

Todd McCarthy of Variety called it: "A contrived but entirely workable premise is given a well-tooled treatment in Sweet November, a femme-slanted doomed romance with a heavily calculated feel to it."^[7] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 1 out of 4, and wrote: "Passes off pathological behavior as romantic bliss. It's about two sick and twisted people playing mind games and calling it love."^[8] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone warned: "Beware all male viewers who enter here, you are in chick-movie hell."^[9]

The film was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Remake or Sequel, Worst Actor (Keanu Reeves), and Worst Actress (Charlize Theron). It is listed on Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made.^[10]

References

^ "SWEET NOVEMBER (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 2001-03-06. Archived from the original on 2019-07-13. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
^ ^a ^b "Sweet November - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
^ "Sweet November". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
^ "Sweet November (2001)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
^ "The Sweet November Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
^ "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on February 6, 2018.
^ McCarthy, Todd (13 February 2001). "Sweet November". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^ Ebert, Roger. "Sweet November movie review & film summary (2001)". Chicago Sun-Times.
^ Travers, Peter (15 February 2001). "Sweet November". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^ Wilson, John (2005). The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0-446-69334-0.

External links

Sweet November at IMDb
Sweet November at AllMovie
Sweet November at the TCM Movie Database
Sweet November at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Sweet November at Box Office Mojo

[1] "SWEET NOVEMBER (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 2001-03-06. Archived from the original on 2019-07-13. Retrieved 2013-03-03.

[numbers-2] "Sweet November - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.

[3] "Sweet November". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 21, 2024.

[4] "Sweet November (2001)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.

[5] "The Sweet November Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 15, 2023.

[6] "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on February 6, 2018.

[7] McCarthy, Todd (13 February 2001). "Sweet November". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2020.

[8] Ebert, Roger. "Sweet November movie review & film summary (2001)". Chicago Sun-Times.

[9] Travers, Peter (15 February 2001). "Sweet November". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.

[10] Wilson, John (2005). The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0-446-69334-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 | distributor    = [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]
 | released       = {{Film date|2001|02|16}}
-| runtime        = 120 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 120:08--><ref>{{cite web|title=''SWEET NOVEMBER'' (15)|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/sweet-november-2001-1|work=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=2001-03-06|access-date=2013-03-03}}</ref>
+| runtime        = 120 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 120:08--><ref>{{cite web|title=''SWEET NOVEMBER'' (15)|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/sweet-november-2001-1|work=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=2001-03-06|access-date=2013-03-03|archive-date=2019-07-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713044620/https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/sweet-november-2001-1|url-status=live}}</ref>
 | country        = United States
 | language       = English
-| budget         = $40 million<ref name="numbers">{{cite web|url= https://the-numbers.com/movie/Sweet-November |title=Sweet November - Financial Information|work=The Numbers |access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref>
+| budget         = $40 million<ref name="numbers">{{cite web|url=https://the-numbers.com/movie/Sweet-November|title=Sweet November - Financial Information|work=The Numbers|access-date=July 18, 2020|archive-date=July 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720020620/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Sweet-November|url-status=live}}</ref>
 | gross          = $65.8 million<ref name="numbers" />
 }}
 '''''Sweet November''''' is a 2001 American [[romantic drama]] film based in San Francisco directed by [[Pat O'Connor (director)|Pat O'Connor]] and starring [[Keanu Reeves]] and [[Charlize Theron]]. The film is loosely based on the 1968 film ''[[Sweet November (1968 film)|Sweet November]]'' written by [[Herman Raucher]], which starred [[Anthony Newley]] and [[Sandy Dennis]]; with some differences in plot. The film reunites Reeves and Theron, who starred in [[The Devil's Advocate (1997 film)|''Devil’s Advocate'']].
-''Sweet November'' was released on February 16, 2001, and was panned by critics, who called it "schmaltzy and manipulative", while the plot and the lack of chemistry between Reeves and Theron were also criticized. Despite this, the film was a box office disappointment, grossing only $65.8 million worldwide against a budget of $40 million.
+''Sweet November'' was released on February 16, 2001, and was panned by critics, who called it "schmaltzy and manipulative", while the plot and the lack of chemistry between Reeves and Theron were also criticized. The film was also a [[Box-office bomb|box office disappointment]], grossing only $65.8 million worldwide against a budget of $40 million.
 ==Plot==
-Nelson Moss is a workaholic advertising executive who meets Sara Deever, a woman very different from anyone he has met before. His attempt to get an answer from her on his driving test leads to her failing due to cheating. She beguiles him and continually asks him to spend a month with her on the promise that she will change his life for the better. On the first night of November, after Nelson is fired and dumped on the same day, she sleeps with him, and the next day Chaz, a close friend of Sara's, arrives and refers to Nelson as Sara's "November".
+Nelson Moss is a workaholic advertising executive who meets Sara Deever, a woman very different from anyone he has met before. His attempt to get an answer from her on his driving test leads to her failing due to cheating.
-Throughout November, the two experience happy times together and fall in love. Nelson examines his life and past, and befriends a 10-year-old fatherless child named Abner. Eventually, he realizes he is in love with Sara and asks her to marry him. It is revealed that Sara has terminal cancer, [[non-Hodgkin lymphoma]]. Because she cannot bear to have Nelson experience her death, she asks him to leave. Sara tells Chaz that Nelson proposed to her. Chaz says that it wasn't the first time that a man had proposed, implying Sara has had numerous "months" before. Sara confirms this but claims it was the first time she had wanted to say yes. She decides she will not continue the relationship to protect Nelson from being hurt. Nelson complies, but then stages a surprise return during the [[Thanksgiving]] holiday, giving her gifts that remind her of their happy times.
+Sara beguiles Nelson and continually asks him to spend a month with her on the promise that she will change his life for the better. On the first night of November, after he is fired and dumped on the same day, she sleeps with him, and the next day Chaz, a close friend of Sara's, arrives and refers to Nelson as Sara's "November".
-They stay together for one more day; he posts November calendars all over her apartment walls, saying it can always be November for them. They make love, but the next morning, Nelson finds Sara is dressed. She asks him to leave, and he sees she has taken down the calendars. Sara runs out of her apartment with Nelson chasing her in the street until finally she stops along a foot bridge to the park entrance. There, Sara asks Nelson to let her go so that he will always have happy memories of her, and explains that this is how she needs to be remembered. She will return home to her family (whom she had been avoiding) and face her last days.
+Throughout November, the two experience happy times together and fall in love. Nelson examines his life and past, and befriends a 10-year-old fatherless child named Abner. Eventually, he realizes he is in love with Sara and asks her to marry him. It is revealed that Sara has terminal cancer, [[non-Hodgkin lymphoma]].
-Sara then blindfolds Nelson, leads him into the park, and gives him a last kiss. Nelson takes off the blindfold and sees that he is alone in the park where he and Sara went on one of their first dates. His eyes fill with tears.
+Because she cannot bear to have Nelson experience her death, she asks him to leave. Sara tells Chaz that Nelson proposed. When he says that it wasn't the first time that a man had proposed, implying Sara has had numerous "months" before. Sara confirms this but claims it was the first time she had wanted to say yes.
+Sara decides she will not continue the relationship to protect Nelson from being hurt. He complies, but then stages a surprise return during the [[Thanksgiving]] holiday, giving her gifts that remind her of their happy times.
+They stay together for one more day; he posts November calendars all over her apartment walls, saying it can always be November for them. They make love, but the next morning, Nelson finds Sara is dressed. She asks him to leave, and he sees she has taken down the calendars.
+Sara runs out of her apartment with Nelson chasing her in the street until finally she stops along a foot bridge to the park entrance. There, she asks him to let her go so that he will always have happy memories of her, and explains that this is how she needs to be remembered. Sara will return home to her family (whom she had been avoiding) and face her last days.
+Sara then blindfolds Nelson, leads him into the park, and gives him a last kiss. He takes off the blindfold and sees that he is alone in the park where they went on one of their first dates. His eyes fill with tears.
 ==Cast==
@@ Line 132: / Line 141: @@
 ===Critical response===
-On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 15% based on 99 reviews, with an average rating of 3.6/10. The website's critics consensus states: "Schmaltzy and manipulative, ''Sweet November'' suffers from an implausible plot and non-existent chemistry between its leads."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1104841-sweet_november |title=Sweet November (2001) |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=January 15, 2023 }}</ref> At [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 27 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Sweet November Reviews |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sweet-november |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=January 15, 2023 }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= CinemaScore |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180206073531/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= February 6, 2018 }}</ref>
+On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 15% based on 99 reviews, with an average rating of 3.6/10. The website's critics consensus states: "Schmaltzy and manipulative, ''Sweet November'' suffers from an implausible plot and non-existent chemistry between its leads."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1104841-sweet_november |title=Sweet November (2001) |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-date=December 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221213161932/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1104841-sweet_november |url-status=live }}</ref> At [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 27 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Sweet November Reviews |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sweet-november |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=January 15, 2023 }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= CinemaScore |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180206073531/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= February 6, 2018 }}</ref>
-Todd McCarthy of [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] called it: "A contrived but entirely workable premise is given a well-tooled treatment in Sweet November, a femme-slanted doomed romance with a heavily calculated feel to it."<ref>{{cite web |date=13 February 2001 |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |author-link=Todd McCarthy |title=Sweet November |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/sweet-november-2-1200466805/ |website=Variety }}</ref>
+Todd McCarthy of [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] called it: "A contrived but entirely workable premise is given a well-tooled treatment in Sweet November, a femme-slanted doomed romance with a heavily calculated feel to it."<ref>{{cite web |date=13 February 2001 |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |author-link=Todd McCarthy |title=Sweet November |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/sweet-november-2-1200466805/ |website=Variety |access-date=14 August 2020 |archive-date=12 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912060639/https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/sweet-november-2-1200466805/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
 Roger Ebert of the [[Chicago Sun-Times]] gave it 1 out of 4, and wrote: "Passes off pathological behavior as romantic bliss. It's about two sick and twisted people playing mind games and calling it love."<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |title=Sweet November movie review & film summary (2001) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sweet-november-2001 |website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] }}</ref>
-Peter Travers of [[Rolling Stone]] warned: "Beware all male viewers who enter here, you are in chick-movie hell."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=15 February 2001 |last=Travers |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Travers |title=Sweet November |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/sweet-november-94628/ |magazine=Rolling Stone }}</ref>
+Peter Travers of [[Rolling Stone]] warned: "Beware all male viewers who enter here, you are in chick-movie hell."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=15 February 2001 |last=Travers |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Travers |title=Sweet November |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/sweet-november-94628/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=14 August 2020 |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807233330/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/sweet-november-94628/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
 {{Anchor|Awards|Accolades}}