Document text
1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Democratic convention update: Moro, Moran, Talbert for interim ... Food Bank hosts Community Pie Social ... Nimbus marks 45 years in same location ... Democratic convention update: Moro, Moran, Talbert for interim ... Food Bank hosts Community Pie Social ... Nimbus marks 45 years in same location ... MOVIE REVIEW Romanticized 'Café Society' is not Woody-lite Comment By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Aug. 11, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Aug. 11, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Café Society ; 85min; Rated PG-13 Woody Allen has made 46 films, some iconic. My initial assumptions about “Café Society” were that while it would be mildly entertaining, with moments that would bring about a smile, it wouldn’t be, say, “Midnight in Paris.” Certainly not “Annie Hall” or “Manhattan.” As it turned out, and I understand that any reaction to a film is ultimately subjective and will touch individual moviegoers in very personal ways (good and bad), “Café Society” was, at least for me, a wonderful surprise. Of course, some might walk away from this film and observe that it is Woody-lite. But I would disagree. Set in the 1930s during the Great Depression, the film is steeped in Hollywood’s golden era. It’s a palm-tree, boulevard-lights postcard that says, “Wish you were here.” “Café Society” is gorgeous to behold: the period dress, the décor, its tones and ubiquitous golden glow captivating, the interior shots of Hollywood studios so very stylish and elegant, opulent Spanish-tiled mansions, breathtakingly long towncars polished to mirror shines, all of it with an overlay of sepia color, shot by the gifted cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The film is Woody’s homage to Hollywood during a period that lends itself to being romanticized and certainly idealized. Add Gershwin 78rpm vinyl songs, and you’re there. So completely there. While “Café Society” has been billed as a comedy — this is, after all, Woody Allen, master of the incisive one-liner, dialogue perfectly crafted while he agonizes about imagined maladies — it is, in reality, a love story involving naïve transplanted New Yorker Bobby Dorman (Jesse Eisenberg), who ventures west to California to start a new life and hopefully find work with his uncle, the successful Hollywood agent Phil Stern (Steve Carrell). It’s in Stern’s office that he meets Vonnie (Kristen Stewart), a young beauty who came west to act but found getting inside the industry tent all but impossible. For Bobby, it’s love at first glance. She’s stunning, innocent/streetwise, as well as generous. And so, as Bobby struggles to find his West Coast sea legs, supported by Phil and his circle of contacts, a triangle is offered up in a surprising reveal. Meanwhile, Bobby's brother Ben (Corey Stoll) is intent on getting into the nightclub business back in New York and burying those who stand in his way in cement coffins at construction sites. Actually, Ben is a good guy, endearing in a kind of remorseless, gangster kind of way. In one of Woody’s great lines in the film, spoken, I believe, in voiceover by Woody himself, he quotes and then embellishes Socrates, commenting that “The unexamined life is not worth living. But the examined life is no bargain.” Somehow that sentiment is perfect as Bobby struggles to find love and his place in New York, Hollywood, and once again New York. What is so appealing about this movie is that while there is an unspoken melancholy that frames the story, what is missing in Woody’s manic insecurities; instead, he (in the persona of Bobby) is gently reflective. The tale is familiar, yet it is told in a fresh and appealing way, underscoring that when it comes to matters of the heart, the heart trumps intellect, for better or worse. Woody also returns to his familiar and signature theme: regret. And he reiterates that from that emotion is evinced a resulting sadness, constructed of memories, that though they may fade, there still remain those unexpected moments when a time or a decision or a person now long gone will cause us to stop and gaze off into the distance and contemplate what might have been. This very brief interlude is compounded by the realization that life moves us on, inextricably, and that what once was can never be again, no matter how deeply we wish it were otherwise. And it is that sense of lingering sadness, a realization dearly purchased, that threads it way through “Café Society” and makes so much of this film sublime. By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Aug. 11, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501