David W
My Blueberry Nights demonstrates that a strong cast giving truly great performances is no substitute for weak directing and an underdeveloped screenplay. Having seen this once, I feel no desire to watch it again.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/21/24
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isla s
First off, this is a very stylishly filmed film. It features lots of bright, vibrant (almost neon type, in perhaps a slightly Vegas-y type way) colours and some scenes feature what appears to be freeze-framed, quirky camerawork. It has a bit of a dreamlike feel to it. The characters are curious, although quite what's going on isn't made especially clear at the start. I also liked the music played in the background. It is relatively little in the way of dialogue present - it has quite an arty type feel to it. I suppose the main character, Elizabeth, maybe isn't entirely likeable but I didn't feel that was a big put off as such. The plot is a bit hard to follow I suppose. It has a slight road trip/Thelma & Louise feel to it too, I'd say. Oh and also, it's the kind of film that may be worth multiple viewings but I reckon it's good in it's own way, either way.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
In the first couple of scenes, my optics were shocked by WKW trademarks, flagrantly thrown before my face. This is, and I hate to say it, Wong Kar-wai at his most immature, trying to enthrall the audience who are first introduced to his cinema in his English feature debut with his sensual and lustrous visuals as if they were, in themselves, what made him the idiosyncratic and influential filmmaker he is. Lost love and faded dreams are, more or less, the essential themes that reverberate through each of his art pieces. Yet, the doubt he's treading familiar ground over and over again has never crossed my mind when I see his characters amidst their feelings of longing, indulging in pain. Sadly, I felt that here, the thing that forced me to judge this film outside the canon of "WKW Cinema." For the first time, it sounds that he exposes some sort of lack of confidence, as if he deals with his freewheeling, near-plotless and episodic nature of his films as flaws that need to be sorted out by bashfully concealing them in the midst of the superfluous use of step-printing alongside the charm of hollywood actors starring this film. But, and as the movie obliterated any chance it would be judged within the canon of "WKW Cinema," I have to say that My Blueberry Nights is an irresistibly delectable treat with a fairly tasteful romantic flavour enough to mellow my heart and no shortage of cherries on the top served by the appeal and the charisma of the cast.
(6.5/10)
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/07/23
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steve d
The film works because of the cast, but they are not helped with the forgettable script.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
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Audience Member
A fresh film made from director Wong Kar Wai. Outstanding cast and a refreshing moment to see Norah Jones's art outside of music. I consider the material to not be thin, but relatively new and an excellent mixture of close shots, symbolism of blueberry pie, and the path of finding oneself.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
nick s
Wong Kar-wai picked a non-professional actress (Nora Jones) for the main role once again, however this time the main female protagonist is not so convincing as for example alien-like singer Faye Wong we saw in Chungking Express. The director veers off from his style showing the struggles in a very romantic and oblique light, putting Norah Jones into many basic domestic situations. Comparing with the other films, it might be a little boring to see it happening.
The major part of the film is set in the cafes of New York, Memphis, and Nevada where the actual cafe is replaced by casino and bar, but still, it's sort of the same thing. The important achievement of this first American film of Kar-wai is the way he shows New York. We know we are not in Hong Kong of his style anymore, yet New York is similar to what we saw earlier in his movies! The neon light is present again, and the places he picks for setting the action create unmistakably Kar-wai's atmosphere. It leads the viewers to the conclusion that it is not a place that matters, but the way it is seen or presented it. This part of My Blueberry Nights is very important.
The cinematographer Christopher Doyle is replaced now with Darius Khondji. The visual experience in My Blueberry Nights is not as remarkable and innovative now, but we still see many signature details of camera work of all Wong's films. The colours are bright again, now it is all about colours of blueberry. Fortunately, the picture is still eye-catching and pleasant. Personally, I liked this theme song Norah Jones had written for the film. It is known, she made it during post-production period and sent to Kar-wai who decided to include into final edition.
Nevertheless, the story and visual parts are both not so elaborate or sophisticated. This is probably quite far from the actual level of Kar-wai making the feature-length films. His attempt to make an American film and expand his work on the genre of road-movies is worth seeing mostly for the fans of the Hong Kong director. Other than that, the film is not so remarkable but it is still more fun than As Tears Go By, for instance!
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
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