Discuss Café Society
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a yawn
posted by Strange BedfellowsSTAFFMOD on July 1, 2017 at 10:19 AM
I don't like Woody Allen vehicles - and this was no exception. The too familiar winter male - spring female relationship - a totally miscast Jesse Eisenberg - a poor attempt to channel F. Scott Fitzgerald all added up to a gigantic fail. I rarely enjoy voice over explanations of the plot (Casino was an exception) and endless mentions of the film stars of the time did not make it any more authentic. The ending was another fail. Sorry I bothered to give this overrated man another chance.
Reply by DRDMovieMusings
on June 21, 2021 at 9:39 PM
Sorry you missed it, I thought it was good.
A Woody Allen movie is never going to be car chases, and things being blown up by muscle heads grunting in mono-syllables. Woody does dialog with a realistic sense of pace, he does introspective drama.
That said, Cafe Society introduced something that is not typical of Woody Allen movies at all - gangster violence! And he presented a degree of brutality quite elegantly. Kudos to him for going outside his comfort zone and doing it so well.
And the cinematography is absolutely stunning. Movies are a visual medium, so what we see is a part of it, and this film is pure eye candy.
One more cute fact: apparently, Bruce Willis was fired after shooting had begun, and was replaced by Steve Carell, who was splendid in the role. Solid call by Allen to ensure his movie went his way, as the director.