1st Night

Released May 3, 2013

1h 45m

Romance

Comedy

Musical

List

17%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

53%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

A rich industrialist (Richard E. Grant) stages a production of Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" at his lavish country estate to show off his operatic talent and woo a beautiful conductor (Sarah Brightman).

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Stephen Holden

New York Times

A pallid gloss of a work that teems with deception, disguise and mistaken identity, not to mention humor.

Rated: 2/5

May 2, 2013

Full Review

Joe Neumaier

New York Daily News

The movie may appeal to theater aficionados and Juilliard undergrads, but to the average moviegoer, it's a trudge.

Rated: 1/5

May 2, 2013

Full Review

Pete Vonder Haar

Village Voice

It's hard to explain why every character in 1st Night behaves like an adolescent in a sitcom.

Apr 30, 2013

Full Review

Francesca Rudkin

New Zealand Herald

First Night feels like a missed opportunity.

Rated: 2.5/5

Sep 8, 2017

Full Review

Michael Sauter

Film Journal International

The music of Mozart seems too big for the "book" of this minor-key romantic roundelay, which nevertheless manages to be increasingly, albeit mildly, engaging.

May 3, 2013

Full Review

Emma Dibdin

Total Film

Proceedings swiftly descend into sub-Richard Curtis territory with little of the wit.

Oct 26, 2011

Full Review

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Audience Member

Sorry guys. This a wonderful quirky British comedy. If you don't like it, stay away from British films. You're missing a lot.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie was full of crazy characters and was entertaining for a watch.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Highly enjoyable romantic romp that kicks off when the cast of a Mozart opera begin to sexually liaise with one another (as they always do). Fabulous performances from opera singers who are surprisingly competent at acting. Richard E. Grant is monstrously funny.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sarah Brightman. Enough said.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Mike M

This one has all the ingredients for a stinker. That theatrical backdrop luvvie directors take terribly seriously, darling; a debut lead role for Sarah Brightman, bringing to the screen all those years of thespian experience she gained in Hot Gossip; and the presence of Richard E. Grant, patron saint of rubbish British cinema ever since his agent received the cheque for "Spiceworld" way back when. The result is actually so bad it's, well... kind of enjoyable... Menaul at least respects the music - it's two hours long, because we get the same arias belted out over and over again - even if it's no surprise that the show, after some kerfuffle, does eventually go on. Daft and dotty in the manner of many theatre people, yet equally hard to dislike, go on it does, proceeding with the credulousness of the estate's gardener ("Amazing, these opera people - they feel so deeply") through another coy post-"Mamma Mia!" strand of sexual realisation, and scenes of Grant singing opera and engaging Brightman in sex talk: "Have you ever f**ked someone who's fat?"

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/10/11

Full Review

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Christopher Menaul

Director

Richard E. Grant

Adam

Sarah Brightman

Celia

Mía Maestro

Nicoletta

Julian Ovenden

Tom

Oliver Dimsdale

Phillip

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Synopsis

A rich industrialist (Richard E. Grant) stages a production of Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" at his lavish country estate to show off his operatic talent and woo a beautiful conductor (Sarah Brightman).

Director: Christopher Menaul
Producer: Selwyn Roberts, Stephen Evans
Screenwriter: Christopher Menaul, Jeremy Sams
Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Production Co: Scorpio Films Ltd.
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 3, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2016
Runtime: 1h 45m