My Blueberry Nights
Elizabeth (Norah Jones), a restless young woman, travels cross-country working a variety of waitressing jobs and connecting with an odd assortment of characters along the way, including policeman Arnie (David Strathairn), his unfaithful wife, Sue Lynne (Rachel Weisz), and a flighty young gambler (Natalie Portman). But she realizes that her touchstone is Jeremy (Jude Law), the owner of a café she haunted back home in New York.
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Like the pretty girls who star in this, it's a gorgeous movie to look at. Unfortunately, the script is slow and predictable. If you love gorgeous, lush color, it's a must see. Just don't expect much more.- Stew & Terri
This film doesn't hold a candle to WKW's other films, but it is similar enough to be a decent film. Casting Norah Jones was a bad move, and Jude Law is not exactly on my list of English-speaking actors I'd like to see Wong Kar Wai work with. The music is pretty good, in particular the Cat Power song. I must say though, while I love Otis Redding, dude had more than one song, you know? I realize WKW is using these songs as musical cues, but he uses them so often in the first third of the film that it's like some sort of crazy drinking game.
- Chucky
I rented "My Blueberry Nights" because of the music of Norah Jones. She isn't an accomplished actress or even an experienced actress and several critics have panned her performance in this film. While I readily admit to a preference for blueberry pie, unlike the patrons of the restaurant in this film and the source of the name of the movie, her acting ability seemed, to my untrained eye, to fall below that of Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and David Strathairn. But overall, her personality became that of the character she was playing. The storyline was interesting, the photography was outstanding and the soundtrack made the movie worth watching. Natalie Portman (a star of "The Other Boleyn Girl") did an excellent job as a gambler who teaches Jones' character a few life lessons about trust and con artists. Jude Law seems to appeal to women and he did a very good job as the New York restaurant proprietor who is the source of constant support for the Jones character. The movie moves slowly but with a purpose. The soundtrack matches the mood of the film perfectly and the characters seem well cast for this film. worth seeing even if it won't win any academy award for best picture.
- AtTheBeach
As long as you know what you are getting into beforehand, you'll like this movie. The cover actually does it justice, because it explains that the movie is about Norah, her travels, and her dealings with Portman and Weisz - and how it all wraps up together in the end. The film seemed like an experiment to me, with so many slow motion "contemplative" shots taking place, and the major test of putting a first-time actor in a starring role. You know what? Norah Jones pulls it off easily. She plays the "plain Jane" part very well in her understated performance. I also really liked the surprise appearance and music by Chan Marshall - Cat Power. It fit the movie so well. I said just know what you're getting into - the movie is a mish-mash drama/love story/road trip film. Consider this experiment successful.
- MCWHAMMER
I have a lot of thoughts on this film. Firstly, Wong and his DP, Darius Khondji (Se7en, Panic Room, and many more), have put on screen a gorgeous display of images. Young cinematographers could learn something about composition from this film. On the other hand, Wong goes a bit crazy with his use of the ultra-slow motion technique. That's his style, but he uses it too much here. At times it's jarring and sometimes it's flat out annoying. Secondly, the main story is weak. We follow Norah around as she roams about, and that's it. However, we also find some wonderfully intriguing sub-plots. This is where the story shines, mostly because the performances are top-notch. In many ways this is the perfect film for Norah Jones to cut her teeth on. She's given a simple character with simple dialog with limited growth throughout. On the other hand, her cast mates are all given fairly complex characters, nearly all of whom pull off the challenge masterfully. David Strathairn's character is severely flawed and yet terribly endearing, a combination incredibly difficult to pull together and yet he does it seemingly effortlessly. This is easily Rachel Weisz's finest performance. With a spot-on accent, you likely won't even recognize her. I would love to see her in these types of roles more often. Jude doesn't give us anything we haven't seen from him before, but he has a charming screen presence, so it works. Finally, Natalie Portman, who I've only ever liked in a select handful of roles. She's great with body language and physical gestures, but her voice is terrible at anything other than a New York girl. Here, she tries and fails to pull off a decent "southern" accent. Having said all that, in the end I found myself very much having enjoyed the experience. The positives far outweigh the negatives here, but with more time in the editing room and perhaps a couple reshoots, I believe this could have been one of the finest films of the year. As it is, it's just really good.
- Photo Heathen
Basically a chick flick (no surprises there) with Nora Jones taking lessons from the pros. Actually she was not bad for a debutante, but appeared more like an observer than a participant. Good acting by Jude law and Natalie Portman and absolutely stellar performances by Jason Strathairn and especially Rachel Weisz made this a movie worth seeing. Nora Jones is visually stunning and if she continues with the acting part of her career, I think we can expect better from her as she gets more experience. Still not bad for a debut. This is a romantic drama but not too dark and should satisfy those looking for a feel good flick as well as fans of independent film in general. It was actually better than I expected and I wouldn't mind watching it again sometime.
- couchdog53
I was a little fearful that my favorite Chinese director would get swallowed up by the Hollywood system upon making his first film in the US. I should have known that Wong Kar Wai could never be squeezed into one of Hollywood's cubby holes. This film is every bit as much a Wong Kar Wai film as any of his others, even if it is shot in the US with Hollywood actors. The wide-open spaces of America seem to strangely fit with his inherent style of filmmaking. While, My Blueberry Nights is no Chungking Express, it has all the sentimentality, philosophy and beautiful imagery that any Wong Kar Wai fan can appreciate, even though Christopher Doyle, his long-time cinematographer, is nowhere to be found. My Blueberry Nights is a fervent tale about heartbreak, loss and letting go wrapped with a love story bow.
- pterosaur
This movie is boring. Elizabeth (Norah Jones) aka Lizzie has a extremely painful breakup with her boyfriend. She ends up befriending Jeremy (Jude Law), a New York café manager who hails from England. I loved the accent. But thats about all I loved. The movie is like water in a pond it is barely moving. And what little movement does occur, goes nowhere. But not nowhere fast, nowhere at a snails pace. I just never could ascertain what the point of the movie was, except to occupy my time (not my mind) for 1 ½ hours. Save your time and money and use it on more beneficial endeavors. 2 ½ stars. (7/16/08)
- VIP Club