Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart in Woody Allen's "Cafe Society"
"Café Society" reminded me of a glass of tea without sugar or lemon, however, a glass of tea without sugar or lemon has more passion. The colors are the same. The movie (costuming, plot, design, sound) is drenched in sepia tones.
Was this 3-D and I missed the glasses going in?
Did you ever wonder who finances Woody Allen's movies? Maybe the same person who finances Trump's campaign.
Where is the action?
Steve Carell is the cheating yawn husband who gives the impression he hasn't been on stage long. Believeable? Hardly. (He's straight out of "The Office," and for that I am grateful since I'm still mad over his departure from that show which was ten times funnier than "Cast-Off" or "Cast Out" or "Cash Out Society" or whatever is a better title. Casting! Where is casting?)
"Café" is also billed as a comedy, but where is the humor? This is a comedy like the ones Edgar Allan Poe wrote in his sleep.
It's good fodder for nursing homes where hard-of-hearing residents need not worry since the dialogue is not important.
There's not much else to say except I couldn't help but wonder if this is another autobiographical Allen tale.
Despite harsh criticism from others, I still immensely liked many Allen films: "Matchpoint," "Crimes and Misdemeanors," "Hannah and Her Sisters," "Annie Hall." Since 1965, he's churned out about one film every year which is incredibly productive, except when measured against box office receipts.
But "Society"? Over the years we movie fans keep going, going, going, hoping, hoping, hoping for a Woody Allen winner, and yet, it ain't happenin'. For years.
Here I see the existence of an inverse ratio with Allen's advancing years (he's 80) and his films, which continue to plummet in style and substance.
Hey, Woody! We don't give a flip about your flippin' love life! Get over it! Do you have to put them on the Big Screen?
patricialesli@gmail.com
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