NEW YORK I LOVE YOU
US, 2009, 103 minutes, Colour.
Bradley Cooper, Natalie Portman, Shia La Boeuf, Blake Lively, Orlando Bloom, Hayden Christensen, Christina Ritchie, Ethan Hawke, Anton Yeltchen, Justin Bartha, Rachel Billson, Robin Wright, John Hurt, Maggie Q, James Caan, Andy Garcia, Chris Cooper, Eli Wallach, Julie Christie, Eva Amurri, Oliver Thirlby, Drea de Matteo, Cloris Leachman, Qui Shu, Jacinda Barrett, Goran Visnic, Burt Young, Irrfan Khan, Taylor Geare, Ugur Yucel, Emily Ohana, Carlos Acosta.
Directed by Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal, Allen Hughes, Shunji Iwai, Wen Jiang, Joshua Marston, Mira Nair, Brett Ratner, Randall Balsmeyer, Shekhar Kapur, Natalie Portman.
The compendium film, Paris, Je T’aime gathered together short stories from the 18 arrondissements of Paris. A group of fine international directors created their own style of tale to pay tribute to the city and their love for it. The producers hope to make a series. New York is the second which plans for Shanghai to follow.
Each of the stories in Paris was quite distinctive. Here they tend to run into each other with some cross-cutting of events and characters – which makes it harder to identify, if one can, the particular styles of the directors. They are quite an international group, five of the eleven coming from Asia and one from Germany. There are two women directors, Mira Nair and Natalie Portman (who also appears as an actress in Mira Nair’s story).
Action is mainly confined to Manhattan, though there is a wonderful story towards the end set in Brooklyn and Coney Island, with Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman, 63 years married and out on a walk, bickering in the way that some old couples do, which is a sign of their affection.
Most of the stories are basically realistic, although there is an interestingly enigmatic tale of a an ageing singer returning to a hotel where she once stayed and experiencing something of déjà vu when she encounters a hunched bellhop who insists on carrying her cases and who provides violets for her moments after she asks for them. A great number of the shots are of reflections in an elliptical mirror. It is a segment directed by Shekhar Kapur (both Elizabeth films) and acted very well by Julie Christie as the singer, Shia La Boeuf surprisingly good as the bellhop and John Hurt as the concierge.
Two stories have an Asian flavour, Mira Nair’s picture of an Indian shopkeeper and his friendship (and imaginary (?) marriage to a young Hasidic woman, and Fateh Akin’s story of a Chinese pharmacist whom a Turkish artist wants to paint.
Cuban dancer, Carlos Acosta, is mistaken for a nanny as he looks after a little girl in Central Park, but he is her father. This is the Natalie Portman story. Brett Ratner’s story is a tongue in cheek tale of a gawky young man (Anton Yelchin) persuaded by a shopkeeper friend (James Caan) to take his wheelchair-bound daughter (Olivia Thirlby) to the prom – it has a surprising and amusing NY ending. Hayden Christensen is a pickpocket only to be bested by Andy Garcia. Orlando Bloom is a composer trying to complete his work for a film on time.
There are some amusing moments when, in the film’s opening, Justin Bartha and Bradley Cooper both get into a taxi and proceed to offer advice to the driver who ousts them. Both men reappear in subsequent stories with their girlfriends. In terms of girlfriends, Ethan Hawke does a spiel outside a restaurant about his sexual prowess only to find that he has been boasting to a prostitute. Robin Wright seems to be a prostitute but may only be playing a game with her husband, Chris Cooper.
The stories and tone indicate the flavour but, all in all, despite some emotion and some effective acting, it is a rather slight tribute of love to New York City.
1. A compendium of New York stories? Variety? Impact?
2. The appeal of short stories, not separate, interwoven?
3. The variety of directors, Americans, non-Americans, different perspectives, different visual styles?
4. New York City, the focus on Manhattan, the variety of areas, Coney Island and Brooklyn? A partial view of New York?
5. The characters, Americans, ethnic, multicultural?
6. The tone of the film, the initial taxi ride, the driver, the dispute, the two men, being ousted? The argument about directions?
7. Their reappearance in later stories, Justin, his personality, relationship with Sarah, the hopes for travel? The comparison with Gus, his relationships, the affair? The two and their thinking, meeting, their loves?
8. David’s story, the music, the director, the phone call, composition, Camille, the meetings?
9. Isabelle, Julie Christie’s presence, alone, her story, the singer, her past, the memories, arriving at the hotel, her intentions, the concierge, the bellhop, her luggage, the bellhop providing for her every need, the violet? The attention, the personality of the bellhop, of the concierge? The fall? The enigmatic and unrealistic style? The style using mirrors and reflections?
10. The story of the writer, chatting up the women, the prostitute and his encounter, her one-upping him?
11. Anna, outside the restaurant, talking to Alex? Inside? Love, the meal? The talk? The imagination, her identity, his identity, the contrast with inside and outside?
12. The artist, his life, the landlord? Going to the shop, the Chinese, his request for posing, art and the portrait, his collapse and death?
13. The Chinese, the pharmacy, the old and the young, the young woman wanting life, independence, going to the artist? Alex as the visitor – and speaking Chinese?
14. Ben, the con, the streets, his girlfriend, going into the bar, Gary, the professor – and the consummate conman?
15. Abe and Mitzie? Sixty-three years married, walking along the street, Coney Island, Brooklyn, bickering, their affection, the issues, the background of their marriage and the way that they related to each other?
16. The Indian, his shop, Rifka and her coming to see him, the prospect of the wedding, her husband? The feelings, the inter-religious links? Imagination and love?
17. The boy in the park, awkward, Mr Riccoli, his daughter, pleading and the bargain, the girl in the chair, going to the prom, his awkwardness, the reaction of the young people? The dance? In the park, love? Sexual relationship? The revelation that she was a trainee actress and this was performance?
18. The mother in the park, the Hispanic man, the little child and playing with the man, the other mothers and their assumption about who was being the nanny?
19. A tribute to New York, or just a collection of stories?
