IN BRIEF: Flawed but entertaining rom-com.
JIM'S REVIEW: (RECOMMENDED) While going through the latest films now streaming, I unexpectedly came across a strange film offering that had been shunned from American cinemas nationwide, although it was distributed throughout Europe and had a successful run this past fall. The movie was deeply embedded among many of the monthly choices found on Amazon Prime, easy to overlook and hard to find. The film, a mild fluff of a romantic comedy, had no shocking sexual situations, overt profanity, or graphic violence. Yet the mere presence of this movie incited such a negative and polarized reaction by most of Hollywood royalty. You may ask why was such a film treated with such horror and disregard and I can answer your query in two words: Woody Allen.
The film is A Rainy Day in New York. It starred a fine cast that included Timothée Chalamet, Elle fanning, Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Diego Luna, and Liev Schreiber, most of which were forced to give up their salaries to charity in order to save face with the public and denounce this filmmaker who has been accused of sexual harassment but never convicted of the crime. The movie never was released in our country, more due to our cancel culture mindset than COVID, although it is hard to decide which rationale is more lethal these days.
For those not aware of Mr. Allen transgressions, I will not dwell on the continuous debate of viewing the life of an artist vs. His or her art. You and your conscience can come up with your own conclusion. As for me, I will concentrate on this filmmaker's latest venture in my review. I can truly say that this film may not be his finest work, on a par with masterworks like Manhattan, Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanors, or Hannah and Her Sisters, or more recently, his Oscar-winning Midnight in Paris (2011). But it may be worthy of your time and attention, especially if you are a serious cinephile or enjoy a love story.
The plot revolves around a young couple's romantic getaway weekend to New York City. Complications ensue that separate the lovers as they pursue other goals. Writer / director Allen is rehashing his similar storylines with mixed results against the backdrop of some of his favorite haunts (Central Park Zoo, the Metropolitan Art Museum, the Carlyle Supper Club, etc.) The sites will seem familiar to those fellow New Yorkers and tourists, as will the narrative to many loyal Allen fans and moviegoers. Signs of Mr. Allen's quick wit do pop up and his cast engagingly delivers their clever lines, even though the characters are not that well written nor fully dimensional. Some of their dialog appears to be anachronistic, as if the screenplay was written years ago and recently re-envisioned. There is plenty of dated references throughout the film honoring the likes of past celebrated icons such as Luis Buñuel or Cole Porter, as if to say that these only modern intellectuals are desiring of worth. One wonders just who would be this film's target audience anyway, certainly not Generation X, Y, or Z. The aura of "been there, done that" hangs like a heavy shroud over the proceedings, although Mr. Allen's go-to cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, lavishes the film with much beauty.
Mr. Chalmet remains charming as the movie's main figure, Gatsby Welles, an idealist eccentric yearning for love. The actor convincingly fills in as Mr. Allen's nebbish persona, especially with his voiceover narration, since the director is far too old now to act the fool. Ms. Fanning as his present girlfriend, Ashleigh, and Ms. Gomez, as Chan, his newest conquest, bring some charisma too. But much of the interrelationships and their forced situations seem contrived, mere plot devices to move the movie forward. The whole Ashleigh sub-plot is far-fetched and follows farcical rules that fizzle while the more successful Gatsby's portion is pure rom-com down to its jazz-infused score of jaunty 40's tunes. Fine supporting work is also provided in small but memorable turns by Cherry Jones as Gatsby's domineering mother and Kelly Rohrbach as a lovable hooker, shades of Mighty Aphrodite...well, it is a Woody Allen movie, isn't it?
A Rainy Day in New York isn't all wet. It is still diverting entertainment and has some smart lines, although it's just a tad damp around the edges. (GRADE: B-)
JIM'S REVIEW: (RECOMMENDED) While going through the latest films now streaming, I unexpectedly came across a strange film offering that had been shunned from American cinemas nationwide, although it was distributed throughout Europe and had a successful run this past fall. The movie was deeply embedded among many of the monthly choices found on Amazon Prime, easy to overlook and hard to find. The film, a mild fluff of a romantic comedy, had no shocking sexual situations, overt profanity, or graphic violence. Yet the mere presence of this movie incited such a negative and polarized reaction by most of Hollywood royalty. You may ask why was such a film treated with such horror and disregard and I can answer your query in two words: Woody Allen.
The film is A Rainy Day in New York. It starred a fine cast that included Timothée Chalamet, Elle fanning, Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Diego Luna, and Liev Schreiber, most of which were forced to give up their salaries to charity in order to save face with the public and denounce this filmmaker who has been accused of sexual harassment but never convicted of the crime. The movie never was released in our country, more due to our cancel culture mindset than COVID, although it is hard to decide which rationale is more lethal these days.
For those not aware of Mr. Allen transgressions, I will not dwell on the continuous debate of viewing the life of an artist vs. His or her art. You and your conscience can come up with your own conclusion. As for me, I will concentrate on this filmmaker's latest venture in my review. I can truly say that this film may not be his finest work, on a par with masterworks like Manhattan, Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanors, or Hannah and Her Sisters, or more recently, his Oscar-winning Midnight in Paris (2011). But it may be worthy of your time and attention, especially if you are a serious cinephile or enjoy a love story.
The plot revolves around a young couple's romantic getaway weekend to New York City. Complications ensue that separate the lovers as they pursue other goals. Writer / director Allen is rehashing his similar storylines with mixed results against the backdrop of some of his favorite haunts (Central Park Zoo, the Metropolitan Art Museum, the Carlyle Supper Club, etc.) The sites will seem familiar to those fellow New Yorkers and tourists, as will the narrative to many loyal Allen fans and moviegoers. Signs of Mr. Allen's quick wit do pop up and his cast engagingly delivers their clever lines, even though the characters are not that well written nor fully dimensional. Some of their dialog appears to be anachronistic, as if the screenplay was written years ago and recently re-envisioned. There is plenty of dated references throughout the film honoring the likes of past celebrated icons such as Luis Buñuel or Cole Porter, as if to say that these only modern intellectuals are desiring of worth. One wonders just who would be this film's target audience anyway, certainly not Generation X, Y, or Z. The aura of "been there, done that" hangs like a heavy shroud over the proceedings, although Mr. Allen's go-to cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, lavishes the film with much beauty.
Mr. Chalmet remains charming as the movie's main figure, Gatsby Welles, an idealist eccentric yearning for love. The actor convincingly fills in as Mr. Allen's nebbish persona, especially with his voiceover narration, since the director is far too old now to act the fool. Ms. Fanning as his present girlfriend, Ashleigh, and Ms. Gomez, as Chan, his newest conquest, bring some charisma too. But much of the interrelationships and their forced situations seem contrived, mere plot devices to move the movie forward. The whole Ashleigh sub-plot is far-fetched and follows farcical rules that fizzle while the more successful Gatsby's portion is pure rom-com down to its jazz-infused score of jaunty 40's tunes. Fine supporting work is also provided in small but memorable turns by Cherry Jones as Gatsby's domineering mother and Kelly Rohrbach as a lovable hooker, shades of Mighty Aphrodite...well, it is a Woody Allen movie, isn't it?
A Rainy Day in New York isn't all wet. It is still diverting entertainment and has some smart lines, although it's just a tad damp around the edges. (GRADE: B-)