Jack Della Femina, Lucy Punch and Jodi Della Femina
On July 17 the Cinema Society, together with Vanity Fair and Hugo Boss, hosted a screening of Dinner for Schmucks, the new film from director Jay Roach, mastermind behind such favorites as Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers and the Austin Powers series.
Starring Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell, the film was a huge hit with this Hamptons celebrity crowd. The chemistry between Rudd and Carrell left the audience laughing until they cried and wincing with anticipated embarrassment.
The party that followed was the perfect finale. And that wasn’t only because it was held on a beautiful summer night at my family’s house with Mary Giuliani, one of my favorite caterers, providing her incredibly delicious mac ’n’ cheese. Steps away, on the beach, three of the largest bonfires I’ve ever seen blazed away as waiters passed delicious white-chocolate s’mores (my favorite touch), bite-sized so guests wouldn’t get sticky preparing their own.
Andrew Saffir, as usual, didn’t hold back. The cocktails, provided by Svedka, kept the crowd pleasantly diverted, so if there had been schmucks present, they would probably have escaped notice. “In a moment of weakness I decided I was the only schmuck at the party,” joked my dad, Jerry Della Femina. But this group was clearly schmuck-free: Howard Stern, Katie Couric, Candice Bergen, Christie Brinkley, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Russell Simmons, Kyle MacLachlan, Lorne Michaels, Jane Rosenthal, Rufus Wainwright, Katie Lee, Kelly Klein, Charlotte Ronson and more, along with Vanity Fair VP and publisher Edward Menicheschi and Hugo Boss heavies Anamaria Pavoni and Ward Simmons.
It was a night to remember. In fact, Dave Guion, one of the film’s very talented writers and a good friend of mine, had such a fantastic time he has refused to leave our house. “In all my years in New York, I’d never set foot in the Hamptons,” he said shortly after the event. “Is every night like that? If so, I’m staying. In fact, I’m still there. On the beach, by the remnants of the bonfire, gazing up at the stars. Christie Brinkley’s here with me. We’re very happy together!”
See photos from the event here.
