Directed by:
Woody AllenScreenplay:
Woody AllenCinematography:
Vittorio StoraroCast:
Jesse Eisenberg, Steve Carell, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Sheryl Lee, Paul Schackman, Richard Portnow, Jeannie Berlin, Ken Stott, Woody Allen (narrator) (more)Plots(1)
Set in the 1930s, Woody Allen’s bittersweet romance Café Society follows Bronx-born Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg) to Hollywood, where he falls in love, and back to New York, where he is swept up in the vibrant world of high society nightclub life. With Café Society, Woody Allen conjures up a 1930s world that has passed to tell a deeply romantic tale of dreams that never die. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (10)
If you like Woody Allen, his character in this movie will definitely catch you eye real quick. And I have to say that Jesse Eisenberg really nailed the classic emotional nut case. Apparently, he’s been watching all of Woody’s movies, because not only did he have the gestures down, but also the general body movements, faces and overall behavior towards women. What’s more, for this movie, Woody chose a rather rewarding theme that he loves very much and so he poked fun at the extravagance of the legendary Hollywood generation of the 1930s once again. Steve Carell, for example, was absolutely excellent in his role. But what initially looks like another Woody dialogue movie from a world of the young, hopeful and the rich eventually reveals itself to be a very light melancholic drama with a hint of gangster movie. Once again, Woody shot a movie that’s absolutely typical of him and once again, he brought in something inconspicuously fresh that can caress the soul and fascinates at the same time.
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Last time, I was quite enthusiastic about Magic in the Moonlight, but Café Society is even better. I haven't experienced this much authentic happiness from interwar Hollywood in a long time. There are plenty of excellent details, winking, and playing with names and projects, as well as the classic relationship analysis. It's not necessary to enjoy a romance that isn't quite tip-top, but if you appreciate art deco and a zillion references to all those names like Gloria Swanson, Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers, or Jean Harlow, you've come to the right place. The costumes, the sets, and the atmosphere are all top-notch, and only after all this did I realize that the make-up is not period-based, but fortunately, that doesn't ruin the whole (which is an interesting paradox).
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It's a love triangle, that's all there is to it and the whole thing kind of fizzles out. Woody only makes films out of inertia these days, but Café Society in particular is so caressing, cute, and in its own way, endearingly old-fashioned, especially since it has the flawless atmosphere of 1930s Hollywood, an era that has always appealed to me, an old-timer. In addition to that, I realised that Stewart can be attractive when the role allows her to. And in fact the ending was exactly as melancholic as it should.
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Woody Allen seems a bit worn out in this film. Sure, it's very well shot, the dialogues occasionally make sense and are even interesting, if not entertaining, but overall, I kind of felt like it was about nothing in particular. I couldn't really connect with the characters, and for example, the second Veronica seemed unnecessary and self-serving, although, of course, she has a certain purpose.
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I often shook my head because the script was deeply submerged in nostalgia and was constantly throwing in old Hollywood names just to show how great Phil is. But when it decides to tell the story we came for, Café Society becomes a smooth and nervous retro with a sweetly sounding string of longing. 70% and rounding up precisely for that infallible final note.
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