We attended the New York premiere of “Stella’s Last Weekend.”
On October 8, we were invited to the premiere of Stella’s Last Weekend starring Nat and Alex Wolff in New York City.
The night started off with a small carpet event. Almost everyone from the cast was there that night including Nat and Alex Wolff, Polly Draper, Michael Wolff, Julia Macchio, and Stella the Dog! If I’m being honest, Stella stole the show at the carpet as she arrived in a chic, fluffy pink scarf and designer sunglasses. Check out everyone below!
Stella’s Last Weekend follows two brothers Oliver (Alex Wolff) and Jack (Nat Wolff) who both happen to fall in love with the same girl. Oliver is a Queens high school senior who has started dating the girl of his dreams, Violet (Paulina Singer). Jack, a college freshman who dorms out of town, also met the girl of his dreams at a party several months earlier but was never able to reconnect with her. The movie starts off with Jack coming back in town for the family dog Stella. She has cancer and is very ill and so she has to be euthanized. Their mother Sally (Polly Draper) wants to send Stella off in a special way, so she decides to throw a farewell party, inviting friends and family, dogs and dog owners alike. During the week leading up to the party, Jack and Oliver hangout to catch up on each other. When Oliver introduces him to his girlfriend, Jack realizes that Violet is the same girl he fell in love with a few months earlier. What ensues is a romantic rivalry between the brothers and Violet wavering between the two equally appealing boys.
At its core, the movie is about family. The two brothers have such a funny and natural chemistry, and you’re able to immediately see the love these two have for each other. Their mother Sally, who is played by their real-life mother, lost her husband many years ago and has started dating again with a restaurant franchise owner named Ron (Nick Sandow). Sally is a very laid back mother who, after raising her two boys alone for much of their lives, has adopted their senses of humor and has become quite lenient with them. The banter between Oliver, Jack, and Sally is hilarious, but it sometimes comes off as rude to outsiders like Ron, but still has a loving and familiar undertone to it. This highlights one of the best parts of the movie, the comedy. From making fun of Ron for his balding head to the witty insults thrown at the pretentious Manhattan rich girls Caitlin (Julia Macchio) and Cassandra (Julia Abueva), the movie had the entire theatre laughing endlessly. The other side of the movie was the drama between Oliver, Jack, and Violet. The relationship between Oliver and Violet is natural and fun. They exemplify young love and being completely infatuated with your partner. On the other hand, the relationship between Jack and Violet is forbidden, each one struggling to control their feelings because of their shared love of Oliver. It’s a love triangle that, like any other, is doomed to fall apart.
The movie was produced by one big family. “We love this movie so much, we love it as a movie but we also love it because we got to work together as a family,” said Polly Draper in a talk before the movie. “It was a chance to spend time together with family, and also with tons of our friends, like our friend Austin made the wagon that Stella sits in, and the crew became like a family too,” added Nat Wolff. That natural family connection is something that you can really feel when watching the movie. “It was a blast,” Nat said when asked about working on the movie, “It’s my mom, my brother, and my dad did the music, so it was a whole family affair, even our own dog was in the movie. It was a really special month that I’ll always treasure.” He and his brother Alex started out in the Naked Brothers Band and have worked together ever since. “Alex and I have been working together since we were kids since we were playing in a band together, so that wasn’t too much of a transition. We’ve done a couple short films acting together, but it was nice getting the whole gang back together,” Nat said.
Stella’s Last Weekend is an exceptional movie full of hilarious and touching moments. Definitely check it out when it hits theaters in NY and LA on October 12, 2018
