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Last night, the 60th annual New York Film Festival kicked off with an opening reception at the Tavern on the Green, sponsored by Campari. The party was held in honor of the festival opening film White Noise, Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of the 1985 novel starring his favorite muses Greta Gerwig and Adam Driver.
The restaurant, whose regular aesthetic is reminiscent of decadent Marshalls, was lit like Hell’s Gate with red strobe lights and decorated with Campari bottles. In attendance were a couple of actors, a couple of Netflix execs, a famous DJ, and a large contingent of Lincoln Center patrons.
The highlight of the evening was a brief encounter with German actor Lars Eidinger, who plays some kind of failed mad scientist in the film. He mistook me for a White Noise extra, touched on his love of spicy food, and explained that the (disturbingly) tiny satin shorts he wore throughout the film were all his idea. As we chatted, at least three people invited him to an after-party at the Polo Bar, to which he asked me in a low, confidential voice, “What’s the Polo Bar?” As we said goodbye, he shared his E email address and urged me to see him play Hamlet at BAM Hamlet next month.
I can’t rate White Noise because I didn’t understand it, but I rated every other aspect of the evening on a scale of one to ten negronis.
Eidinger, who is well over 6 feet tall, looked like the world’s tallest and smartest office worker in the same oversized Balenciaga suit Justin Bieber wore to the Grammys. But Jodie Turner-Smith wore the evening, swapping the glitzy black gown she wore on the red carpet for a Canadian tuxedo at the party.
One brave soul wore a mesh dress with nothing but a thong underneath, and there was a bevy of dapper older men – arty guys – with newsboy hats, beaded accessories and funky ties. Otherwise it was the first really cool evening of autumn so there were plenty of sensible coats. Four Negroni.
Someone saw Noah Baumbach being “eclipsed by a bevy of female publicists” and while Turner-Smith and Gerwig showed up late, Driver was noticeably absent. (In fact, Driver, who has famously said that seeing himself on screen makes him puke, was not seated during the screening of the film and could be seen slipping into the opera box with his fellow actors as the credits rolled .)
Elsewhere, Vicky Krieps explained in quick German, while Blythe Danner swam around camouflaged in the mostly over 70-year-old crowd. It was also a strong night for talented Nepo babies: Grace Gummer turned up, as did Cooper Hoffman, while Emily Mortimer supervised her teenagers, Sam and May Nivola, who formed the best part of White Noise. Five Negroni.
“It’s like the kind you hear in the bathroom of a half-decent restaurant.” Three negronis.
Cones of fries and sliders were passed around, and there were several buffet stations for those who wanted a hot dinner. This meant the entire space was engulfed in a miasma of food smells reminiscent of a Delta Lounge. And although my Negroni was good – topped with a giant NYFF-stamped ice cube – I’ll pin points because the bartender with Campari pills refused to give me a glass of water and insisted his hands were tied, if it was anything but “Campari-based cocktails”. Did I mention the event was sponsored by Campari? Four Negroni.
Consists mainly of whether white noise is good or not. Apparently it was true to the novel, perhaps too true, resulting in a somewhat stilted script. Personally? I do not know. Gerwig wore a great wig and the child actors? Sublimate.
As I walked outside, someone said, “Everything must be exciting for Noah.” Four negronis.
This article has been updated.
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