Review of My Blueberry Nights (2007) by Alexavier R — 09 Dec 2008

Wong Kar Wai is certainly one of the best filmmakers working today and in terms of visual brashness he is probably untouchable. "In the Mood for Love" and "2046" are two recent examples of his films that have captured the alienation and isolation of humanity while still creating a beautiful and original cinematic world.

"My Blueberry Nights" is Wai's first english-language film and despite a visual style that still resonates with originality, something has been lost in the transition from China to America.

One problem may be that jazz/pop singer Norah Jones is tasked with carrying the lead role of the film and as this is her first attempt at film acting, it creates a somewhat awkward atmosphere whenever she is on camera.

Jones is certainly a lovely singer, and Wai photographs in very generous ways, yet she lacks confidince in her acting and through most of the film it really shows. It doesn't altogether help that the supporting actors don't fair a whole lot better as Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, and Natalie Portman all attempt to bring something to the table but no one really accomplishes anything.

It might be that Wai is far too interested in creating an atmospheric tone that he forgot to really pay too much attention to his actors and characters. It is also true that Wai's camera work in the past has been full of energy and experimentation, here he seem somewhat subdued.

Not suprisingly it extends to the rest of his film as the pace veers from being enjoyably slow to just plain boring. In the end you might be able to enjoy some of the films visuals but the acting and lack of narrative punch renders "My Blueberry Nights" to be a pointless exercise in film making.