Something Borrowed (film)
Something Borrowed is a 2011 American romantic comedy film based on Emily Giffin's 2005 book of the same name, directed by Luke Greenfield, starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, Colin Egglesfield, and John Krasinski and distributed by Warner Bros.
| Something Borrowed | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Luke Greenfield |
| Produced by | Hilary Swank Molly Smith Broderick Johnson Andrew Kosove Aaron Lubin Pamela Schein Murphy |
| Screenplay by | Jennie Snyder Urman |
| Based on | Something Borrowed 2005 novel by Emily Giffin |
| Starring | Kate Hudson Ginnifer Goodwin John Krasinski Colin Egglesfield Steve Howey |
| Music by | Alex Wurman |
| Cinematography | Charles Minsky |
| Edited by | John Axelrad |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. (North America) Summit Entertainment (international) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35 million[1] |
| Box office | $60.1 million[2] |
Plot
It's Rachel's 30th birthday, and her best friend Darcy is throwing her a surprise party. Rachel is a serious-minded single attorney in New York City, and Darcy is a free-spirited young woman who seems to be Rachel's polar opposite. Darcy is engaged to Dex, and Rachel's close friend Ethan is a frequent confidante.
Darcy gets very drunk at the party and Dex takes her home, but returns as Darcy forgot her Chanel purse at the bar. Rachel offers to help look for it, and Dex recommends they get one last drink together for her birthday. After sharing the last drink together, Rachel (by now quite drunk herself) confesses she always had a crush on Dex in law school. Things turn slightly awkward and Dex gets a cab for them to share. After Rachel apologizes, Dex impulsively kisses her. They wake up the next morning in bed together to hear Darcy frantically calling Rachel since Dex never came home the night before.
Flashbacks occur throughout to Rachel and Dex's time in law school, and we see them growing closer as friends and possibly something more, culminating in a pivotal evening after torts class is over for the semester. Rachel and Dex are having drinks and sharing personal stories about things such as first kisses, leading to what seems like a romantic evening. But Darcy shows up and changes the focus to herself; she teases Rachel about Dex and, with the romantic mood broken, Rachel claims that Dex is just a friend, which visibly disappoints Dex, but Rachel is too flustered to notice. Darcy proceeds to flirt incessantly with Dex, and Rachel excuses herself from the gathering by claiming to be tired.
Meanwhile, in present day, things between Rachel and Dex remain awkward as the wedding plans for Darcy and Dex proceed and Darcy hosts frequent gatherings at the Hamptons for all the friends. Rachel lies to Darcy that she is having sex with other men (first mutual friend Marcus, then later Ethan). Ethan, who has been friends with Rachel and acquaintance, sometimes foe, to Darcy, reluctantly agrees to play along with Rachel's lies but soon gets tired of being part of the charade.
Dex's mother suffers from depression and it seems that Dex and Darcy's upcoming wedding is the only thing keeping her happy. Months after they first had sex behind Darcy's back, Dex tries to talk to Rachel about what's between them; they agree to secretly skip out on Darcy's July 4th weekend in the Hamptons to stay in the city. The two run into his parents, and Dex's father later tells Dex to end it as soon as possible, saying that what he wants should not be considered a priority when it conflicts with what is right, and that they’re not that kind of people, meaning he stuck by Dex’s mom with her troubles so Dex should not abandon Darcy and humiliate her so close to the wedding.
As the wedding nears, Dex and Rachel are speaking less and less. At the beach, their secret is almost revealed by Ethan, who is frustrated with Rachel for lying to people she cares about. That night at the Hamptons bar, Rachel finally tells Dex that she wants him to call off the wedding so they can be together, but he tells her that he can't.
After Ethan moves to London for a job, Rachel goes to visit him a week before Darcy and Dex's wedding. Ethan confides that he loves her, but accepts that Rachel does not reciprocate his feelings. She decides to return to New York for the wedding, acknowledging that hurting Darcy by abandoning her for her wedding is not in her nature. She returns to New York to find Dex sitting on her doorstep. He reveals that he called off the wedding.
Rachel is ecstatic until Darcy arrives to talk. Dex quickly hides and overhears as Darcy reveals that she has been cheating with Marcus during the time that Dex was cheating with Rachel. Darcy is now pregnant with Marcus' child, and she says that they are very happy. On her way out the door, Darcy notices Dex's jacket and begins to search the apartment for him. When Dex reveals himself, Darcy finally understands that her best friend is the other woman. Dex and Darcy argue, and Darcy yells at Rachel through tears that she hates her and never wants to speak to her again, and storms out.
Two months later, Rachel and Darcy run into each other on the street. Darcy feigns excitement about her pregnancy and shares that this is the happiest she has ever been. When Darcy notices that Rachel has picked up one of Dex's shirts from the dry cleaner, she realizes they are still together. They begin to walk away, and Darcy turns and seems more genuine when she says that she truly is happy. Rachel smiles widely and says she's glad. She then gets a call from Dex, who is waiting on a bench around the corner for her. She joins him with a broad smile and he takes her hand as they walk together down the street.
During a mid-credits scene, Darcy shows up to surprise Ethan in London; Ethan tries to ignore her and briskly walks away. The screen turns black with text indicating that the story is to be continued.
Cast
- Ginnifer Goodwin as Rachel
- Kate Hudson as Darcy
- Colin Egglesfield as Dex
- John Krasinski as Ethan
- Steve Howey as Marcus
- Ashley Williams as Claire
- Geoff Pierson as Dexter Thaler Sr.
- Jill Eikenberry as Bridget Thaler
Reception
Critical response
Something Borrowed received negative reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 15% of 116 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 3.93/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "In spite of solid performances from Kate Hudson and John Krasinski, Something Borrowed is an unpleasant misfire that lives down to its title."[3] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 36 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[4] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[5]
Box office
Something Borrowed grossed $39 million in the United States and Canada and $21.1 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $60.1 million, against a budget of $35 million.[6]
Possible sequel
In 2014, Emily Giffin confirmed that she had written the script for a sequel, Something Blue, based on her own 2005 novel of the same name.[7] In February 2016, Giffin continued to suggest that she was working on the film sequel, though no other parties had issued any statements supporting this.[8]
As of November 2017 there was still no official news from any production companies, despite a May 2017 Facebook post from Giffin.[9]
References
- Kaufman, Amy (May 5, 2011). "Movie Projector: 'Thor' to hammer competition at the box office". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
- Something Borrowed (2011) - Box Office Mojo
- "Something Borrowed (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- "Something Borrowed Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Something Borrowed" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- "Something Borrowed". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
- Maresca, Rachel (2014-05-24). "Emily Giffin opens up about new book 'The One & Only'". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- Hardesty, Edward (2016-02-16). "'Something Borrowed' sequel spoilers: 'Something Blue' teased by author Emily Giffin". Christian Today. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- Eaton, Tisha (2017-11-18). "Everything We Know About 'Something Borrowed 2'". geeks.media. Retrieved 2018-09-26.