mjsinclair wrote on IMDB:
This is a film of contrasts. A good story let down by poor dialogue;
some great acting as well as some mediocre and good direction marred by
irritating and indiscriminate "motion blur" filming.
The film has the elements and sometimes the feel of a charming love
story, a modern-day fairy tale. The gentleness and innocence of the two
main characters is in sharp contrast to the world inhabited by the
secondary characters, where addiction to alcohol, gambling, desperation
and suicide are the order of the day.
Jude Law as Jeremy seems to have lost the plot. His half-hearted
attempts at a Manchester accent are woeful. Why bother with the accent
anyway? He is a coffee shop owner in NY, and his origins have no
bearing whatsoever on the storyline. However, his natural charisma and
his gentle demeanour do suit the role, and he pairs well with Norah
Jones as Elizabeth. [ show more ]
As for the flaws; is there ever total silence outside in the street in
NY at night? And would customers really give their house keys to the
person behind the counter in a coffee shop, to be kept in a glass jar?
And would customers ever be known not by name, but by what they eat?
And is there anyone in Manchester actually called Jeremy? As for Norah
Jones, although she is on screen for most of the film, she does not
have a lot to do or say which is just as well really. She spends most
of her time watching in silent, doe-eyed admiration, as she is given a
master class in acting by the "real" actors.
The *real" actors here are David Strathairn and Rachel Weisz.
Strathairn gives a memorable, finely crafted performance as Arnie, who
is a cop by day and an alcoholic barfly by night. Rachel Weisz as Sue
Lynne his beautiful, wild, estranged wife makes full use of her short
time on screen to create a wayward, tumultuous character at once
sensuous, and sensitive. Between them they steal the show.
But gripes aside, the director does manage to create an appealing, if
flawed, film. It's a mixed bag. It's good in parts. [ show less ]
Written on IMDB a long time ago.
