Alfie (2004)

A cockney womanizer learns the hard way about the dangers of his actions.

Director:

Charles Shyer

Writers:

Bill Naughton (play), Bill Naughton (earlier screenplay),

Stars:

Jude Law, Renée Taylor, Susan Sarandon

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jude Law	...	Alfie
Renée Taylor	...	Lu Schnitman (as Renee Taylor)
Jane Krakowski	...	Dorie
Jeff Harding	...	Phil
Marisa Tomei	...	Julie
Kevin Rahm	...	Terry
Max Morris	...	Max
Omar Epps	...	Marlon
Nia Long	...	Lonette
Gedde Watanabe	...	Wing
Jo Yang	...	Mrs. Wing
Tara Summers	...	Carol
Sam Vincenti	...	Felix
Katherine LaNasa	...	Uta
Claudette Mink	...	Bitter Girl

Storyline

In Manhattan, the British limousine driver Alfie is surrounded by beautiful women, most of them clients, and he lives as a Don Juan, having one night stands with all of them and without any sort of commitment. His girl-friend and single-mother Julie is quite upset with the situation and his best friends are his colleague Marlon and his girl-friend Lonette. Alfie has a brief affair with Lonette, and the consequences of his act forces Alfie to reflect and wonder about his life style.

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Plot Keywords:

best friend | sex | friend | limousine | commitment | 

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Taglines:

What's it all about?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, some language and drug use

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Alfie Remake

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$129,464 (South Africa) (18 February 2005)

Gross:

$182,412 (South Africa) (25 February 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Patalex Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Charles Shyer was inspired by the skinny suits that the Beatles wore in A Hard Day's Night for Alfie's wardrobe and the brown sweater that Alfie wears in several scenes was Jude Law's own.

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Goofs

When Alfie is driving from Manhattan to visit Marlon and Lonette, he crosses the Brooklyn Bridge, which goes to Long Island, not upstate New York where they live.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Alfie: You're lucky you know. I rarely allow anyone into my flat.

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Crazy Credits

The Paramount logo at the beginning of the film is tinted pink.

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Connections

Referenced in Getaway: Episode #17.17 (2008)

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Soundtracks

"In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening"
(1951)
Music by Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Performed by Mary Carewe & The Louis Vause Orchestra

User Reviews

My Humble, Unbiased Opinion

First of all, I would like to start by saying I HAVE NOT SEEN THE ORIGINAL. A lot of the reviews here of this movie are just snide derision based on a bias set in place by the original film. I will also admit to buying my ticket solely because I had had a bad day and just wanted to relax with a 30 foot tall Jude Law winking at me in the audience and taking his shirt off a lot. I'm not ashamed. But what I got was something far more substantial. And of course there was the pleasantness of a half naked Jude Law, but there was also depth. A glimpse into the nature of the human psyche. What we do and why we do it, and ultimately: what it gets us in the end. Or rather, how it gets us.

As I understand it, Caine as Alfie was a hell of a lot harder and brassier than this modern day version. To the extent at which his sexually-charged chauvinistic ideals would have put major rock stars to shame and surely cost the studio more than a little bank in complaints filed against it by today's slightly more feminist audiences. Some have said that by watering our hero's womanizing tendencies down a bit, the entire heart of the film is lost. I say this is not so. It makes you stop, makes you evaluate where you are in life and where you're going. And what the hell you're doing. Anybody can see a little Alfie in them, and trust me, it's scary as hell. But it's a wakeup call. A tool, if you will. You leave the theater feeling like you've learned something and you'll think about it all the way home. How often do you leave a movie and get that much out of it?

Don't judge it by the original. Trust me, he's still a very bad boy. But he's sympathetic and insightful enough to make you wonder. Let it stand on it's own merit, and not by the standard Caine put in place 40 years ago. They're two different movies. Give it a chance.