The filmmakers involved in New York, I Love You were given three constraints: They had to shoot their segments in 24 hours, they had a week to edit and they needed to give the sense of a particular neighborhood.  Some of the short segments are funny, some are dark, some have a twist and some are stronger than others. They also seem intertwined with New York, and as a whole, New York, I Love You is as enjoyable as a whirlwind weekend in New York.

“This is what I’ve always loved about New York-these little moments on the sidewalk…it makes you appreciate the city even more,” says one stranger to another. Like many bustling cities, the New York in this film is filled with shared cabs, smoking outside restaurants, chance encounters, moments of loneliness and moments of surprising intimacy. Married senior citizens Mitzie (Cloris Leachman) and Abe (Eli Wallach) celebrate their wedding anniversary with an oddly romantic trip to Coney Island. Two sets of strangers (Chris Cooper and Robin Wright Penn and Ethan Hawke and Maggie Q) share intimacies and cigarettes with unexpected results. New acquaintances (Drea de Matteo and Bradley Cooper) struggle with regret and excitement after a night of passion.  And that is just some of what happens in a film where everyone craves intimacy and connection in one the of world’s busiest cities.

This film is filled with big names and the performances are uniformly good.  Among the standouts is James Caan, who plays a father and neighborhood pharmacist with passion and toughness, as he bullies his daughter’s date and give unsolicited advice to customers.  Natalie Portman has the intonations and mannerisms of a religious Jewish woman as she haggles over diamonds with an Indian merchant (Irrfan Khan).  When the two enjoy the encounter more than they should, Portman uses her eyes to show the character’s vulnerability and inner conflict.  Julie Christie and Shia LaBeouf are both heartbreaking as an aging star and troubled busboy conversing with quiet despair, in a segment written by the late Anthony Minghella.

New York, I Love You nicely balances the humorous scenes with the more melancholy ones, and the film as a whole feels more like an upper than a downer. The whimsical prom scene in Central Park is perhaps the film’s lightest scene, and radiant Olivia Thirlby is delightful as the offbeat date. Christina Ricci and Orlando Bloom have real romantic chemistry as colleagues who talk on the phone but have never met. The sexiest segment features Bradley Cooper and Drea de Matteo as one night stands who want something more. They exude heat and lust in their flashback scenes in bed.  My favorite moody scene takes place in Chinatown and follows an enigmatic painter (Ugur Yücel ) fascinated by a young Asian girl(ShuQi). Yücel is strangely compelling as he drinks too much, paints and eats Chinese food alone.

There are a few misses. Unfortunately, the weakest scene about two con men (Hayden Christensen and Andy Garcia) is first, and it is confusing and feels forced. The segment about children in the park written and directed by Natalie Portman is a bit heavy handed, but a respectable effort. A few of the transition scenes seem unnecessary and unrelated. The transitions that work best involve major characters in one scene as minor characters in another scene. Some of the credit goes to playwright Israel Horovitz, who wrote some of the transitions and adapted some of the segments.

The segments in New York, I Love You are gritty, funny and moving. Like New York’s diverse neighborhoods, they differ in look and tone, yet somehow fit together.

New York, I Love You.  Directed by Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal,Allen Hughes ,Shunji Iwai  Wen ,Jiang Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Marston, Mira Nair ,Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner, Randall Balsmeyer (director of the transitions). Shia LaBeouf (Jacob segment “Shekhar Kapur”), Bradley Cooper (Gus segment “Allen Hughes”), NataliePortman(Rifka segment “Mira Nair”), Blake Lively (Girlfriend segment “Brett Ratner”),Orlando Bloom (David  segment “Shunji Iwai”), Hayden Christensen (Ben segment “Jiang Wen”), Robin Wright Penn( Anna segment “Yvan Attal”),Christina Ricci (Camille segment “Shunji Iwai”),Drea de Matteo( Lydia segment “Allen Hughes”), Ethan Hawke (Writer segment “Yvan Attal”), Olivia Thirlby (Actress segment “Brett Ratner”), James Caan ( Mr. Riccoli segment “Brett Ratner”), Chris Cooper( Alex segment “Yvan Attal”), Anton Yelchin( Boy in the Park segment “Brett Ratner”), Maggie Q (Call Girl segment “Yvan Attal”), Andy Garcia (Garry segment “Jiang Wen”), Julie Christie (Isabelle segment “Shekhar Kapur”), Cloris Leachman  (Mitzie segment “Joshua Marston”), Eli Wallach (Abe segment “Joshua Marston”), Burt Young (Landlord segment “Fatih Akin”), Ugur Yücel (Painter segment “Fatih Akin”), ShuQi(Chinese herablistsegment “Fatih Akin”), and Irrfan Khan (Mansuhkhbai segment “Mira Nair”).  Vivendi Entertainment, 2009.

 

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

 

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