Review of Café Society (2016) by Axet — 18 Aug 2016

This is typical late model middle of the road Woody Allen. It's slightly amusing, slightly funny at times, and slightly involving. The story of a young man who moves to L.A. from New York is nothing new for the movies, but is of novel interest as told by Allen set in the golden age of Hollywood.

Jesse Eisenberg is so similar on screen to a young Woody Allen it's surprising he didn't cast him a long time ago and regularly as other directors have done with young protege/archetypes who resemble their younger selves, but then again Mr. Allen is such a legend he has no problem assembling new casts each and every year from the endless well of name actors who want to be in one of his movies no questions asked. Woody is of course a lot funnier and more intellectual than Jesse though, and Mr. Eisenberg is that much more skittishly nervous in his demeanor. As for Ms. Stewart, the casting is right on the money. She is as enchanting and fetching a presence in this as one could ever want, and it is believable that any guy would fall for her no matter the complications or consequences. Too bad in real life we suspect the actress is quite a difficult little witch.

In one shot the modern downtown Los Angeles skyline is glimpsed. Not only did this skyline not exist in the 1980's, any skyline at all was non-existent in the 1930's. Sloppy mistake which should not have been in the frame to begin with, or should have been edited out or digitally fixed which is not too expensive for any legitimate movie nowadays. Small but surprising flaw from an artist of Allen's stature. Then again, all movies have flaws technical and creative and not even masters can achieve absolute perfection in something as arduous as making movies.