Review: Cafe Society BD + Screen Caps

THE MOVIE — 3.0/5

“Life is a comedy written by a sadistic comedy writer.”

Woody Allen in all facets (acting, directing and writing) has been hit or miss for me for the entirety of his career with highlights being downright brilliant (I love Manhattan, Annie Hall and Match Point) but his recent offerings have been, at best, average. Midnight in Paris has been no doubt his best in years and enjoyed aspect of Irrational Man and now we get Café Society, a 1930s era Hollywood romantic-dramedy that is hardly terrible but at the same time, entirely forgettable though it does include many Woody-isms.

Bobby (JESSE EISENBERG) is a young, quirky and neurotic Jewish man (sounds familiar) who has moved out to California with hopes of the good life in Hollywood and where he reaches out to his uncle Phil Stern (STEVE CARELL), the head of a major studio. Bobby gets a menial job as a gopher working for his uncle and makes friends with his secretary, Veronica aka Vonnie (KRISTEN STEWART) whom he immediately falls for.

Of course, there’s a catch. Vonnie reveals she has a boyfriend but unbeknownst to Bobby, she’s having an affair with his married uncle. And soon enough she finds herself torn between the two after Phil breaks up and she falls for Bobby. Things get even more complicated once Bobby and Phil find out about one another and ultimately Vonnie must make a choice especially after Phil does leave his wife.

The film kind of diverges to a B-side type of story going back to Bobby’s home in the Bronx where we meet his eccentric family: father Marty (KEN STOTT), mother Rose (JEANNIE BERLIN), sister Evelyn (SARI LENNICK) and older brother, and town gangster, Ben (CORY STOLL). It’s basically a dynamic we’ve seen in many of Woody Allen’s other movies and as with Eisenberg, who is now playing proxy to Allen, it’s almost Allen-lite in some regard. Funny enough, I actually found Ben’s story, albeit it is the typical criminal character, more interesting than the main plot and comedic love triangle thanks to Cory Stoll’s fun performance.

As far as the main cast are concerned, however, Jesse Eisenberg actually isn’t bad as the idiosyncratic leading man and he reunites with Kristen Stewart now for a third time following Adventureland and American Ultra where, at least for the latter, I found them to be a more believable couple whereas in this film, I never quite found Stewart that alluring, at least to the point there’d be a tug of war for her affections. It could very well be the material as Stewart actually isn’t a bad actress, but she does need a better screenplay to work off of. And then there’s Steve Carell whose character, as well as Carell’s style, doesn’t quite mesh with Allen’s screenplay. He’s not bad but isn’t very funny either. Or even good on a dramatic level and Carell has proven he can play both effectively.

Woody Allen’s Café Society may not be a complete misfire but it certainly one of his weaker films and at times the story and characters he has written makes me wonder if he’s a shell of what he once was. While Midnight in Paris was a damn good flick, some of his more recent offerings also fell short and this newest one is no different. That said, I wouldn’t count him out from writing and directing another winner down the line.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.0/5

VIDEO – 4.5/5

AUDIO – 3.5/5

OVERALL – 2.5/5

Overall, Café Society is perhaps one of Woody Allen’s weaker films though it is at least watchable if only for Jesse Eisenberg who now appears to be Allen’s pick to play the neurotic Jewish character he perfected back in the day. This might be worth a rental particularly if you generally like most of Allen’s works. The Blu-ray released through Lionsgate offers good video, so-so audio but limited features.