Cannes Review: Woody Allen's "Café Society"

This review was originally published in Nathaniel's column at Towleroad. It's reprinted here in a slightly expanded version...

Few things in life are as regular as Woody Allen movies. For the past 40 years or so they arrive exactly once a year. In recent years they generally premiere out of competition at Cannes and predictably reignite the endless cycle of media wars about Woody Allen.

The only thing irregular about the experience is the reviews, box office, and Oscars. For the past 10 years or so it’s been especially hard to predict. In that time he’s delivered critical and commercial Oscar winning hits that the media fawned over (Blue Jasmine, Midnight in Paris), well received films that didn’t quite crossover to that same extent (Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), critical flops that did surprisingly okay at the box office (To Rome With Love), trifles that people tolerated (Scoop), reanimated abandoned projects that everyone wished had stayed dead (Whatever Works), as well as a critical and commercial flop (You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger) and one that didn't actually seem to exist at all (Cassandra’s Dream).

In short (too late!) his films come with a lot of history and even more baggage.

His latest, Café Society, begins with very little literal baggage as a young optimistic man named Bobby (Jesse Eisenberg) leaves New York for Hollywood for reasons that don’t extend much beyond “trying something new.” [More...]

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Tribeca: How To Recover From A Breakup, Indie Style

Diana reporting on a thematic trend at Tribeca

Relationships end. Goodbyes, no matter how “amiable,” are awkward and feelings are hurt or mangled. We have all been there and survived. Like the worst of hangovers, there are still no sure-fire recovery cures and you’re frequently left with a ringing noise in your ears, whether it’s nagging self-doubts or ongoing pangs of heartache. Some turn to binges and purges (booze, food, etc.), others break out the self-help books and get a new haircut, and a very small few release public statements involving a new buzz phrase (looking at you, Gwyneth). At this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, many films tackled the issue head-on and their protagonists dealt with heartbreak to varying degrees of success, involving alcohol, rebounds, and even some zombie beavers (and we’re not talking about undead sex lives).

four movies after the jump

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