A sold-out Diane Keaton tribute screening presented by American Cinematheque at Santa Monica’s Aero Theatre will now be without its headliner.
Nancy Meyers canceled a highly anticipated appearance following a screening of her 2003 hit Something’s Gotta Give on Sunday night in what would’ve marked her first public appearance since Keaton’s passing on Oct. 11. American Cinematheque sent out an alert Friday confirming the news: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, filmmaker Nancy Meyers is unable to attend Sunday’s screening of Something’s Gotta Give. We appreciate your understanding and hope to welcome the filmmaker back to the American Cinematheque in the future.”
The Sony Pictures film was a blockbuster hit, grossing $265 million at the global box office. It starred Keaton opposite Jack Nicholson, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau and Frances McDormand. The film, penned by Meyers, centered on Harry Sanborn (Nicholson), a perennial playboy with a libido younger than his years. During a planned romantic getaway with his newest squeeze, Marin (Amanda Peet), at her mother’s Hamptons beach house, Harry suffers chest pains. He gets treatment from Marin’s mother (Keaton), a successful and single playwright, and he winds up catching feelings.
In an Instagram post about Keaton following her death, Meyers praised Keaton’s magic in the film. “When I needed her to cry in scene after scene in Something’s Gotta Give she went at it hard and then somehow made it funny. And I remember she would sometimes spin in a kind of goofy circle before a take to purposely get herself off balance or whatever she needed to shed so she could be in the moment,” she posted. “She was fearless, she was like nobody ever, she was born to be a movie star, her laugh could make your day and for me, knowing her and working with her – changed my life. Thank you Di. I’ll miss you forever.”
Meyers also opened up on the personal devastation. “As a woman, I lost a friend of almost 40 years — at times over those years, she felt like a sister because we shared so many truly memorable experiences. As a filmmaker, I’ve lost a connection with an actress that one can only dream of. We all search for that someone who really gets us, right? Well, with Diane, I believe we mutually had that. I always felt she really got me so writing for her made me better because I felt so secure in her hands.”
The sold-out screening of Something’s Gotta Give will go on as scheduled Sunday at 7 p.m.