There’s only so much directing you can do when you send your lead actor, who is holding several bags of goldfish, in water, on a roller coaster with a 35 mm camera strapped to the front. You just have to trust.
“Splitsville” director and actor Michael Angelo Covino knew he could count on his friend and cowriter Kyle Marvin to deliver on the performance side for their slapstick comedy about messy relationships and messy people that opens in theaters Friday. The two also made the wildly funny friendship movie “The Climb,” which they cowrote and co-starred in with Covino directing.
Click to Gallery
Kyle Marvin, a cast member and co-screenwriter of "Splitsville," poses for a portrait on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Michael Covino balances on a chart as he poses for a portrait to promote the comedy "Splitsville" on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Michael Angelo Covino, left, director/co-screenwriter of the comedy film "Splitsville," poses with co-screenwriter/cast member Kyle Marvin on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Michael Angelo Covino, left, director/co-screenwriter of the comedy film "Splitsville," and co-screenwriter/cast member Kyle Marvin pose for a portrait on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
“He’s like a modern-day Charlie Chaplin,” Covino said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “It’s just all intuitive slapstick. He has it in his bones.”
But there were a lot of other variables at play: Would they run out of light? Would it be as funny in execution as it was in theory? Would they regret fighting for the 35 mm camera? A lot was riding on the scene and reshoots were not in the cards. Independent films can’t just go around shutting down amusement parks and mounting expensive film cameras on roller coasters whenever they want.
“It was sort of a powder keg moment on set,” Marvin said.
The most stressful thing, however, was they wouldn’t even know for sure that they got the shot for a few days. Something had malfunctioned with the camera, and they didn’t have a digital recording. It was also the weekend, so they had to wait for the lab to process the film and send it back to them.
“I called the lab and I was like, ’Please, please don’t (expletive) this up,” Covino said.
How and why this brilliant, absurd sequence fits into their film, a comedy about open relationships, divorce and human mistakes, in which they star opposite Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona, is probably better left for audiences to discover themselves. But it’s the kind of comedy that Covino and Marvin specialize in.
The premise for “Splitsville” arose from conversations with friends who just seemed a little too confident in their worldviews.
“Nothing is funnier than someone with a lot of confidence, because they’re generally wrong in some way, shape or form,” Marvin said. “One thing that we love is to put a character’s feet on an inevitable journey and then just make it harder and harder for them.”
“Splitsville” starts with a big moment and continues escalating from there. The film begins with Arjona’s character Ashley telling her husband Carey (Marvin) that she’s unfaithful and wants a divorce. Distraught, he continues on to his married friends' house where he finds that Paul (Covino) and Julie (Johnson) are happily non monogamous — that is until Carey and Julie hook up.
They had noticed in French and Italian films from the 70s, from the likes of Claude Sautet and Lina Wertmüller, the characters just state “the thing,” like “I’m in love with your fiance,” right out of the gates.
“There’s a efficiency of story and character. It charges the film,” Covino said. “We just gravitate toward movies where things happen and characters do crazy things.”
This meant, in part, not being too worried about their characters being “likable” or sending them on redemptive arcs that we might expect in a more mainstream romantic comedy. They’re not out to punish the cheater. Nor are they out to make a hero out of the one who didn’t.
“There’s things not to like about all of them in some ways,” Covino said. “But that’s, to me, what makes them human. People do bad things, but if we can understand why there’s something more there. There’s humor to mine.”
Unlike “The Climb” which featured actors who weren't exactly household names, “Splitsville” has recognizable stars in Johnson and Arjona. In the film, there are more than a few jokes made about the “beauty gap” between the characters. They heard the same off camera too.
“There were a lot of notes about, ‘How are we gonna get people to buy that these two guys are with these two women?’” Covino said with a laugh. “We were like, ‘Hey guys, we’re right here. We are the guys.’”
They consider themselves “extremely lucky” that Johnson and Arjona wanted to make “Splitsville.” Not only did they bring the characters to life in ways that they couldn’t have imagined on the page, but their star quality adds something intangible as well.
“They hold the screen,” Covino said. “Dakota can just sit there and when you fix the camera on her face, it’s mesmerizing. When she’s on screen, it takes a lot of the pressure off of the story and all the other things because she’s so captivating. I think there’s something really beautiful about that especially given what this story is trying to do with these two idiot guys who are orbiting around these women.”
Covino and Marvin didn’t set out to tackle issues of relationships and marriage. If conversations emerge after the fact, that’s gravy, but ultimately they have one goal: Make an entertaining film.
Often times, that means not shying away from the dumb jokes. Their films are cinematic and they know all the auteurs to reference, but they’re also silly and slapstick. They draw as much from Blake Edwards, Elaine May and Mike Nichols as they do from “Dumb and Dumber” and “Me, Myself & Irene.” In other words, they’re making comedies for everyone, not just cinephiles.
Occasionally they doubt themselves and worry that something is just too dumb to print. But then they remember the bit with the dog’s name in “The Jerk,” a movie they find both cinematic and one of the dumbest movies ever.
“It’s a dumb joke, but there’s brilliance in it,” Covino said. “Independent film is so in flux. The more entertaining we can make these films, the like better chance all of this has.”
So, when your story gives your character bags of goldfish, sometimes you just have to put him on a roller coaster.
Kyle Marvin, a cast member and co-screenwriter of "Splitsville," poses for a portrait on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Michael Covino balances on a chart as he poses for a portrait to promote the comedy "Splitsville" on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Michael Angelo Covino, left, director/co-screenwriter of the comedy film "Splitsville," poses with co-screenwriter/cast member Kyle Marvin on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Michael Angelo Covino, left, director/co-screenwriter of the comedy film "Splitsville," and co-screenwriter/cast member Kyle Marvin pose for a portrait on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 15, 2026--
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today announced Apartment Collection by Hilton, a new lodging category within Hilton's growing collection brand portfolio – offering unique, spacious furnished apartments with the trusted hospitality and reliability guests expect from Hilton. Apartment Collection by Hilton will be available for booking through Hilton channels in the first half of 2026, with initial properties in the U.S. launched in partnership with Placemakr—a leading apartment hospitality brand and operator specializing in flexible, short-term and extended-stay accommodations in urban and suburban markets, with nearly a decade of experience integrating innovative hospitality solutions and trusted service.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260115804669/en/
The launch of Apartment Collection by Hilton allows the company to build on its existing global inventory of approximately 10,000 apartment-style units, adding as many as 3,000 new units through its partnership with Placemakr. Hilton expects to significantly grow its apartment-style inventory over the next few years through this new partnership and through additional franchise agreements with new owners in the multi-family segment.
Designed to provide flexibility for guests to stay their way, Apartment Collection by Hilton offers studio to four-bedroom furnished apartments for a variety of stay occasions — from a family getaway or friends’ reunion to an extended work trip where business travelers need comfort and consistency. Featuring chef-ready kitchens, spacious separate living areas, and on-site laundry, each distinct property is located in the heart of sought-after destinations – offering guests easy access to both must-go-to destinations and unique, under-the-radar gems. Each stay delivers an elevated experience that captures the local character of its surroundings, with the convenience and smart amenities of apartment-style living. Guests will be thoughtfully hosted, with dedicated team members available on-site 24/7 to provide support and ensure guests feel cared for.
To bring this vision to life, Hilton is launching this brand in partnership with Placemakr—a leading brand and management company in the furnished and unfurnished apartment sectors. Placemakr’s proven operational model brings deep multi-family expertise to launch Hilton’s growth in this expanding segment. Placemakr has leveraged organic growth and asset-light management agreements with its business model and is centered on partnering with multi-family building owners to convert either an entire building or a subset of units in an apartment building into furnished short-term rentals. Through the partnership with Placemakr, as well as with relationships with multi-family owners, Hilton expects to see strong growth for the brand, given the popularity of the apartment-style hospitality market.
“Apartment Collection by Hilton represents the next chapter in Hilton’s growth story and the ways we are evolving to meet growing guest demand for this dynamic segment of hospitality,” said Chris Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton. “With this new brand, we are continuing to pioneer the future of the hospitality industry, giving guests even more ways to choose Hilton for every stay, backed by our service and reliability.”
Powered by Hilton’s trusted brand standards, Apartment Collection by Hilton will maintain consistent quality across every property, with every stay integrated into Hilton’s booking and loyalty systems, ensuring reliability and peace of mind for guests and owners alike. In the first half of 2026, travelers will be able to book stays via Hilton.com at Apartment Collection by Hilton in destinations including New York City, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta.
“After an extensive search, Hilton is proud to partner with Placemakr to introduce Hilton’s new lodging category,” said Chris Silcock, president, global brands and commercial services, Hilton. “We’ve long seen the opportunity to deliver hospitality-driven apartment stays, offering spacious accommodations, thoughtful amenities, and authentic connections to local neighborhoods, and Placemakr shares that vision. For nearly a decade, they’ve demonstrated a strong commitment to guests through high product standards and exceptional service.”
Each Apartment Collection by Hilton property will be thoughtfully designed to support guests’ routines and provide flexible spaces for real life. Guests will also enjoy access to fitness centers and select properties may also feature rooftop pools and terraces, communal gathering and workspaces, and on-site dining and retail.
“Placemakr is proud to bring our deep expertise in the furnished apartment space to this innovative new brand with Hilton,” said Bao Vuong, co-founder and president, Placemakr. “We’re thrilled for Hilton guests and Hilton Honors members to experience what we’ve built over the past decade. We’ve pioneered the furnished apartments asset class property by property, stay by stay, and to continue that work alongside the world’s most valuable hotel brand is so exciting.”
“We’re also excited for what this means for our real estate partners,” added Jason Fudin, co-founder and CEO, Placemakr. “Hilton’s industry-leading commercial engine and scale will help create even more value for our partners while accelerating our mission to maximize the value of real estate through flexibility. This marks a new chapter in flexible real estate, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Apartment Collection by Hilton will participate in Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest loyalty program with more than 235 million members for Hilton’s portfolio of world-class brands. Members will be able to book, earn and redeem Hilton Honors Points for stays through Hilton’s direct channels and have access to instant benefits, including exclusive member discounts and free standard Wi-Fi.
PJT Partners and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC were the strategic financial advisors on this partnership for Hilton and Placemakr, respectively.
For more information, visit Stories From Hilton.
About Hilton
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 26 world-class brands comprising 9,000 properties and over 1.3 million rooms, in 141 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed over 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, was named the No. 1 World’s Best Workplace by Great Place to Work and Fortune and has been recognized as a global leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. Hilton has introduced industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the more than 235 million Hilton Honors members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can't buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit stories.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook,X, LinkedIn,Instagram and YouTube.
About Placemakr
Placemakr is a hospitality brand and management company focused on the furnished apartment space. The company transforms multifamily properties into a unique blend of apartment living and hospitality and has been the pioneer of the flexible living asset class. Placemakr's innovative tech-enabled platform provides an unmatched experience for its guests and residents, combining the advantages of apartment living with the services and reliability of a hotel, all within a single building. Placemakr's thoughtfully curated spaces in carefully selected neighborhoods offer guests and residents the flexibility to stay for a night, a year, or any duration in between.
Hilton Introduces Apartment Collection by Hilton: Furnished Apartment Accommodations, Hosted by Hilton
