Wong Kar Wai is a romantic plain and simple. He bathes his films in simmering neon and classic soul music. This film features beautifully sensual shots of ice cream melting between the crevices of a piece of blueberry pie where you can nearly taste the sweetness. Sometimes his shots take on the color tones of the characters feelings; this film is particularly washed over with blues and purples. Hues of the sad characters that inhabit Wong's world of heartbreak and renewal searching.
Elizabeth (Norah Jones, jazz-pop singer) discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her from Jeremy (Jude Law, BREAKING AND ENTERING), the owner of a small New York café. He seems to have a great deal of heartbreak come through his restaurant, for he has begun collecting the keys of the brokenhearted in a jar just in case they want to retry a failed romance. Over a few nights, Elizabeth grows closer to Jeremy over his lonely blueberry pie. Needing some kind of release from her life, Elizabeth orders up a new locale in Memphis as a bartender where she serves Arnie (David Strathairn, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK), a police officer determined to drink his blues away. Turns out his wife Sue Lynne (Rachel Weisz, THE CONSTANT GARDENER) has moved from late night snacks with a younger man into a full out binge. Soon Elizabeth moves on to a casino in nowhere Nevada where she gambles her savings on the cravings of poker player Leslie (Natalie Portman, CLOSER), who has some daddy issues.
This episodic tale doesn't delve deep into its characters psyche. Elizabeth makes a grand gesture of moving away to recover from the lack of trust that follows any breakup. The subplots regarding Arnie and Sue, and Leslie are nothing bold either. They're actually the least interesting part of the film. However, Elizabeth and Jeremy's budding romance is sweet. Even when Wong takes us all the way to Las Vegas, we're reminded of the good thing Elizabeth has waiting for her back in NYC. This driving force made the diversion worth bearing. Making the weaker parts more than the some of all their ingredients is the talented cast. While Jones isn't nearly as good as her fellow thespians, she holds her own, looking beautiful and sad, which is about all the role demands, and her soulful voice on the soundtrack sets the perfect tone.
As light confections go, this slice of romance is a cut above so many sour romantic comedies. I enjoyed the romantic possibilities and had flashbacks of overripe ponderings from my college days. There is nothing profound in this sticky pastry, but the hungry characters nourish their empty hearts with sweet romantic notions. How many times have the lovelorn drunk themselves dizzy with grand reassuring concoctions? A trip to Memphis or Las Vegas, might just remind us that the taste of home is right for our palate and that the bitterness of heartache is hard to swallow for everyone.
Buy "My Blueberry Nights" Here!
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
