Cafe Society charms Woody Allen fans

Movie Title:  
    Cafe Society

Grade:   B

Rating:   PG-13, 85 minutes

In a Nutshell:  Woody Allen is a master at quirky characters and conversations.  In this dark comedy about love, regret, and existentialism, old Hollywood and Manhattan glamour drip with nostalgia.

As Bobby Dorfman says, you will be “half bored, half fascinated.”   

Uplifting theme: 

• “Live every day like it’s your last and someday you’ll be right.” – Evelyn’s mom
• “I guess some feelings never die.  Is that good or bad?” – Bobby Dorfman
• Regret, longing, love.

 Things I liked:

• The talented cast includes Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, and Blake Lively, and Rad Taylor.
• The end will leave you thinking about the love that got away in your own life.
• You get to see beautiful homes, theaters, clubs, and even famous celebrity homes.
• This is the third time that Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart have worked together in a film.  Their chemistry is evident and they both deliver spot-on performances.  I love Jesse Eisenberg in everything he does.  Turns out, he's perfect for Woody Allen material too.
• The stylized music in the very beginning does a great job of setting the tone and enveloping you in the time period throughout the entire movie. 
• It pokes fun at the superficiality of society life, but it sure makes being rich look fun.  (wink)

Things I didn’t like:

• A lot of movie critics say this movie is “charming.”  I’m sorry, but I do NOT find adultery charming.
• It’s very “Woody Allen.”  If you like his style, you’ll enjoy the movie.  If not, it’s more of the same.

Interesting lines:

• “Unrequited love kills more people in a year than tuberculosis.” – New York writer
• “Dreams are dreams.” – Vonnie (Kristen Stewart)

Funny lines:

• “First a murderer, then a Christian.  What did I do to deserve this?” – Evelyn
• “Too bad Jews don’t believe in an afterlife.  They’d get a lot more customers.” – Evelyn
• “Socrates said, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’, but the examined one is no bargain.” – Leonard (Stephen Kunken)

Tips for parents:   

• Children will be completely bored.  It really is a movie meant for adults.
• There is an awkward conversation with a prostitute.
• Some mobsters knock off a bunch of people.

Blue Jasmine takes Cate Blanchett to the Golden Globes and Oscar

Movie Title:   

Blue Jasmine

PG – 13, 1 hour 38 minutes

Grade: B+

In a Nutshell:  The best part of this Woody Allen film is the stunning Cate Blanchett, who just won a Golden Globe for this role, as well as an Oscar nomination with buzz of a win.  She plays Jasmine/Jeanette, a wealthy Park Avenue wife whose life unravels, leaving her to discover and reinvent herself. It’s a bit depressing, but darkly funny.  Some people will find some satisfaction in watching a rich snob fall to the bottom of the financial barrel.  Of course, Alec Baldwin is completely believable in his role as a Bernie Madoff type of husband.  Andrew Dice Clay hardly has to act and British actress Sally Hawkins is delightful as Jasmine’s sister Ginger.

Uplifting theme:  It’s a cautionary tale of sorts for women.  Girls, pay attention to your finances; don’t “let” your husband take care of it all.  Be an informed partner.  Jasmine’s brother-in-law Augie said about her “She’s a phony and had to know.”  Did she?  We hear one of Jasmine’s wealthy gal pal’s advise her “Just don’t file a joint tax return.”  Jasmine sighs “I sign anything…I’m very trusting.”  Famous last words.   

Jasmine’s step-son asks “Did you not suspect anything or did you not care?”  Good question.  She turned the other eye at her husband’s dishonest business dealings, but ironically, she drew the line at his cheating.  Jasmine is so delusional that she makes a remark about another man who can’t seem to live without a woman, but in reality, she is the one who can’t live without a man.  She criticizes her sister for choosing to date losers, but Jasmine’s husband Hal is the bigger loser, albeit an extremely wealthy one.

Jasmine said “There’s only so many traumas a person can withstand before you take to the streets and start screaming.”  Perhaps those who judge “crazy” people mumbling on the park bench will now stop to consider what pains and sorrows brought the person to that point.

Things I liked:  Cate Blanchett is simply mesmerizing to watch. Woody Allen is a master at building characters and choosing his leading women.  I loved Jasmine’s gorgeous home on the beach.

Things I didn’t like:  I hated watching women being lied to by married men.  I was surprised that there was nothing interesting to see at the beginning…just rolling names on the screen. I might have panned across beautiful homes of the “rich and famous” or the The Hamptons: Life Behind the Hedges .  Same thing.  The film is a bit messy at times, but I suppose that matches the lives of the people in it.

Funny line:

• “I changed it. Yeah, Jeanette had no panache.”  - Jasmine
• Can you believe I had to move out of my beautiful home and take a place in Brooklyn?”  - Jasmine
• Ginger asks Jasmine “How did you fly First Class” and Jasmine answers “I don’t know.  I just did.”
• “I suppose I’m going to have to invite them to my birthday party now.” – Jasmine
• “Tomorrow I’m definitely taking the day off. I’ve neglected everything: my yoga, my pilates…”  - Jasmine

• “Not bad taste for a Philistine businessman.”  - Hal when he gives Jasmine an expensive bracelet”

• “Nurses are hot to go to bed with.” – Ginger’s new boyfriend
• “They say every year millions of brain cells just die off.” – Jasmine as she throws back a glass of alcohol
• “He’s sexy and he doesn’t steal.” – Ginger
• “Edison’s Medicine – because they use electricity to get you thinking straight again.” - Jasmine

Things to look for: 

• The way she treats people in the service industry at the beginning.
• The “infinity pool” in her backyard
• Jasmine checks her watch when Ginger & Augie come to visit
• Jasmine’s gigantic diamond wedding ring

Tips for parents:

This is really not a movie for children.  The film is a character study with no action.  In other words, they’ll be bored to death.  Some profanity, but no F-bombs.  Some sexual discussions and a terrifically awkward groping scene with a pathetic dentist.