Café Society

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Café Society

PG-13

2016

1h 36m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

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255 Reviews

56%

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10,000+ Ratings

Looking for an exciting career, young Bobby Dorfman leaves New York for the glitz and glamour of 1930s Hollywood. After landing a job with his uncle, Bobby falls for Vonnie, a charming woman who happens to be his employer's mistress. Settling for friendship but ultimately heartbroken, Bobby returns to the Bronx and begins working in a nightclub. Everything falls into place when he finds romance with a beautiful socialite, until Vonnie walks back into his life and captures his heart once again.

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Critics Consensus

Café Society's lovely visuals and charming performances round out a lightweight late-period Allen comedy whose genuine pleasures offset its amiable predictability.

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Claudia Puig

The Asahi Shimbun GLOBE (Japan)

Cafe Society aims to be light and frothy, but feels more like a stale cream puff. It looks enticing, but lacks anything fresh or substantial. [Full review in Japanese]

Rated: 2/4

Jul 31, 2017

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

It's uneven, it's empty, and it's redundant.

Rated: C-

Mar 21, 2017

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

It's as if Allen has decided that near enough is good enough. He's famous for making a movie a year; after so many great films, that may now be too often.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 21, 2016

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Denise Pieniazek

Puesta en Escena (AR)

Café Society, written and directed by Woody Allen, proposes a nostalgic trip to the United States of the 30s embedded in jazz and classic cinema. However, the story will be much more than that, it will also remind us of the uniqueness of the first love.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 12, 2024

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Perhaps “Café Society” strolls at its own pace and perhaps Woody Allen is in cruise control with his latter films. Still I had a lot of fun with this one.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 19, 2022

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Café Society, more than any Allen film in recent memory, feels like a jumbled hodgepodge of ideas.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 11, 2022

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Marit Risto F

I never liked Allen much, but here is delightful filming. Like Venezia 200 years ago, when it was clean and romantic. (I hope it's been...) Interesting contrasts. Like the communist husband, and the gangster brother. The struggling parents, and the LA jet set. But the end is killing. Could have been a love story, but was chopped off by a wrong choice. Typical Woody-frustration, yes? I’ve watched it many times, but always hope it would have ended happily. The pasta with meatballs sounds inspiring though, if it had been prepared by an Italian 🍜🍷🥗

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/27/25

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Matheus F

A delightful romance/comedy that works because of Jesse Eisenberg's powerful performance and a solid script made by Woody Allen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/18/25

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Chuck A

Apparently I enjoyed this much more than the critics. Woody Allen has become a rather polarizing figure in recent years, and perhaps this has influenced critical opinion toward his films, but he's still capable of turning in a good picture. I thought "Cafe Society" was a beautifully directed period piece, and a bittersweet love triangle. Jesse Eisenberg does a great job channeling Woody Allen's comedic persona. There is nothing profound or emotionally gripping here, but sometimes a frothy romp is just what the doctor ordered.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/03/25

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Paul M

A guy gets shot in the head- how is this pg-13. Unessary come on.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/23/25

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maria k

The chemistry between the central characters is non-existent. Eisenberg and Stewart are unbelievable as a couple still pining for each other after marrying other partners. The set design, music and costuming saves this movie from being a total stinker. I think I’ll rewatch Midnight in Paris and forget about the last two hours I spent watching this disappointment.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/15/24

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G S

It's worth a watch if you're a Woody Allen fan, otherwise I'd skip it. Jesse Eisenberg's performance is clearly an impression of a young Woody Allen and he does a fantastic job of it.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/24

Full Review

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Synopsis

Looking for an exciting career, young Bobby Dorfman leaves New York for the glitz and glamour of 1930s Hollywood. After landing a job with his uncle, Bobby falls for Vonnie, a charming woman who happens to be his employer's mistress. Settling for friendship but ultimately heartbroken, Bobby returns to the Bronx and begins working in a nightclub. Everything falls into place when he finds romance with a beautiful socialite, until Vonnie walks back into his life and captures his heart once again.

Director: Woody Allen
Producer: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, Edward Walson
Screenwriter: Woody Allen
Distributor: Amazon Studios, Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Perdido Productions, FilmNation Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Smoking|A Drug Reference|Some Violence|Suggestive Material)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 29, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.1M
Runtime: 1h 36m

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