Photo by Jonathan Cohen.
Binghamton pride was out in force Sunday afternoon as 1,200 people viewed a special screening of “The Rewrite,” starring Hugh Grant and what writer/director Marc Lawrence ’81 calls his “love letter to Binghamton.”
If you were to ask anyone in the audience, you’d hear that the movie is a hit and Lawrence and Grant are a match made in heaven, but Binghamton was the star of the film. That became apparent every time a scene from the campus filled the screen and applause filled the Osterhout Concert Theater.
Listening to the pair’s self-deprecating responses to audience questions following the screening gave a clear message that Lawrence and Grant are close friends who work well together – and like to laugh.
How was this movie different than the other three you’ve done together?
Lawrence: “We had no money. There are film hubs around the country, and Binghamton is not one of them, so if we were to shoot up here we would have to bring the entire crew – 150 people for about six weeks and that costs more than shooting the film around New York City.”
Grant: “It’s sad we couldn’t have filmed more of it here.”