If you don't have time to read my full review, I'll sum it up by saying "1st Night" is a classy comedy romp in the same vein as the great period pieces "Impromptu" (1991) and Molière (2007) but set in modern times. If you haven't seen those movies I just mentioned then spank yourself with a conductor's baton and go see them right away.
Like those two films, "1st Night" is about the wild and crazy messes that rich folks get into when they throw a slumber party to try to buy their way into artistic standing. Set almost entirely in Scotland's majestic Manderston House (in the movie they alter the name slightly), the plot is about an outdoor opera being staged at a rich guy (Adam)'s country house so he can show off his vocal chops but more importantly woo the musical director Celia. Early in the story, however, he hits a stumbling block which derails the direct approach, making him instead opt for a more conniving and circuitous way to her heart, involving an ill-advised bet. As you can guess, this leads to trouble not just for Adam but for the poor saps who get roped into the comedy of errors, thus spawning several criss- crossing plots which, themselves, revolve around love, deception and the wacky hijinks that ensue.
One film critic disparagingly compared this flick to "Three's Company" and I say hell yes, I loved Three's Company! While here we don't exactly have Mr. Furley listening through the bathroom door and bugging his eyes out, I'd say the same delightfully silly sort of comedy is at work. Anyone who is not too supercilious to enjoy a good John Ritterian comedy of errors should enjoy this flick. I did and look at me, I use big words like 'supercilious'.
I have to admit I didn't like the characters at first because they all seemed like snobs, as Mozart said in "Amadeus" - "people so lofty they sound as if they sh!t marble." But that ended up being part of the fun, as one by one these cultured upperclass folks degrade themselves with the same base antics that we 'umble folk encounter. Love triangles, love quadrilaterals and general bad behavior get the best of these people while they struggle to maintain their veneer of dignity in putting on a production of Mozart's "Così fan tutte" which is, itself, a comic opera about love, deception and an ill-advised wager.
Although the story might seem racy, for the most part it stayed tame and non-explicit. "1st Night" doesn't seem to have an MPAA rating, but I'd give it a PG-13 due to one brief nude scene and an implied sexual encounter or two (nothing shown). Also if you wonder about this sort of thing, no animals were harmed according to the disclaimer at the end, and yes there's an adorable rottweiler in the movie. Too bad the dog doesn't sing, but I guess he doesn't do Mozart. Just Pooch-ini. Laugh it up, fuzzball.
