One Night Stand (1997)

Summary

Three act movie bounces between coasts and storylines about an art director who cheats on his wife and has a friend dying of AIDS.

Director

Mike Figgis

Downey Factor

Low. His role is small.

Character

Charlie, the friend dying of AIDS.

Looks

Thin and unhealthy.

Performance

Convincing and not overdone.

Line

Listen to me, okay. Listen to me right now. I've seen too many people lose their courage in the last minute. I'm not sorry. I'm frightened, yes, but I'm also fascinated by what's next.

Love & Sex

Donovan Leitch (producer of The Last Party) has a cameo as his boyfriend

Dies, Gay or Villain

Yes, yes, and no.

Cast

Wesley Snipes, Kyle McLachlan, Natassja Kinski, Ming Na Wen, Ione Skye, Thomas Haden Church

Connection

Wesley Snipes in U.S. Marshals.

RDJ Says

[When I first met Mike Figgis] I had a concealed weapon. At the bar. He was looking at me and I'll never forget the look on his face. I was thinking, What? Is he aware of what's going on? He asked me, "Why do you have a gun?" It was, like, sticking out of this little purse. I mean I was completely in a fantasy. I wasn't a badass. I thought I was meeting with Figgis for the handsome male lead, because I was so debonair. In fact, he was interested in me for the role of the guy dying of AIDS. He gave me the job ... when [Mike Figgis] said, "No, I think you should play Charlie," I was dying inside ... [I was] thin as a rail ... I saw [it] as an opportunity to really explore my dissatisfaction with life, and with being an actor ... I told Wesley I think I'm going to jail and I hoped he wouldn't judge me.

Time & Place

Present day (1997), New York and Los Angeles.

Availability

Released in theaters 14 November 1997. Available on DVD in Region 1, 2 and 3.

Foreign Titles

Argentina: Pasion de Una Noche (Passion for a Night)
Brazil: Por Uma Noite Apenas (For a Night Only)
Croatia: Veza Za Jednu Noæ (Connection for One Night)
Finland: Yhden yön juttu (A One Night Thing)
France: Pour une nuit (For One Night)
Hungary: Egyéjszakás kaland (One-Night Adventure)
Italy: Complice la Notte (The Night Accomplice)
Poland: Romans na Jedna noc (Romance for One Night)
Spain: Despues de Una Noche (After One Night)
Turkey: Bir gecelik ask (One Night of Love)

Rotten Tomatoes

29% Fresh | 28 Reviews

Critical View

Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle: Most of Downey's scenes are during Charlie's last days, but he doesn't use this as an excuse to grandstand. He keeps his performance quiet and sweet, showing sparks of what Charlie was like before his illness. His close-ups are painful to watch, but they reinforce the intimacy of the story.

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Not only is Charlie such a defensive pain in the neck it's difficult to imagine him as anyone's best friend, but making him HIV-positive feels manipulative in the worst way.

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: I did find myself caring about Charlie, the best friend with AIDS, who is played by Downey as a man determined not to go solemnly into that great night. He has a sense of humor even on his deathbed, and gets one of the movie's best laughs just by raising his eyebrows.

Does It Hold Up

One Night Stand could've been an interesting, edgy indie film in like 1992, but it came out in 1997, a few years too late to be truly provocative. Now it really just serves as a sad example of how Robert Downey Jr could do a lot with a small role, even while at an extreme lowpoint (this isn't an "actor undergoes dramatic change in weight for a role" story, he was cast as a guy dying of AIDS because he already looked so unhealthy from using heroin).

2 Reasons to See It

1. To find out the meaning of the expression "Life is an orange."
2. See what happens to your body when you do too much heroin.

Overall

Though his performance received some praise, the role is small and depressing.

If You Like It

You might also like Game Six (2006), Short Cuts (1993)

Photos

Video