New York, I Love You (2008) User Reviews

diverting variety pack

[mukava991 · 5/10 · 22 November 2009]

The second installment in the I LOVE YOU series appears at first to be a mere variety-pack of sad-funny vignettes but occasionally it veers into territory explored by such other recent films as Paul Haggis's CRASH or Michael Hanecke's CODE INCONNU, wherein disparate inhabitants of a large city cross paths, not only affecting each other's lives in unexpected ways, but feeding into a larger overall story.

Most of these New York City stories manage to wrap up with a twist. This O. Henry-style surprise element is the structural key that gives several segments their sense of closure, especially in Yvan Attal's two-part entry about encounters between smokers outside a restaurant. In one encounter, Ethan Hawke as a fast-talking young writer brazenly tries to pick up a woman (Maggie Q) with unexpected results; in the other, Chris Cooper and Robin Wright Penn share some tantalizing conversation with an equally unexpected resolution.

Almost as good are a strange prom date between an awkward boy (Anton Yelchin) and the wheelchair-bound daughter (Olivia Thirlby) of an eccentric, pushy pharmacist (James Caan) and a slick bit wherein Hayden Christensen as a smart alecky pickpocket goes up against Andy Garcia as a college professor who turns the tables on him in the manner of Miriam Hopkins and Herbert Marshall in the 1932 classic TROUBLE IN PARADISE.

Standing apart from all other segments is the lovely character study of a married couple (Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman) bickering gently as they walk to the seashore to commemorate their 63rd wedding anniversary – beautiful acting by two old masters.

In Allen Hughes's segment there is some excellent internal monologue writing by Alexandra Cassavetes and Stephen Winter about two insecure people on their way to their second date with each other, wonderfully enacted by Drea De Matteo and Bradley Cooper.

Other segments - including Mira Nair's with Natalie Portman as a Hassidic Jew momentarily smitten with a Jain diamond merchant (Irrfan Khan) on the eve of her wedding, and Shekhar Kapur's with Julie Christie as an aging singer who checks into an ethereal hotel staffed by a crippled Shia LeBouef and a haggard John Hurt – have their moments, but peter off into nowhere. Too bad the reunion of Christie and Hurt almost exactly 40 years after their only other co-starring film, IN SEARCH OF GREGORY, couldn't at least have shown them together clearly, from the front, in the same frame, just once.

Other than one episode in Brighton Beach and one in Chinatown, the action takes place in well-heeled sections of Manhattan. The black and Puerto-Rican population is barely represented, though the age range of subjects covers about 7 through about 90. The boroughs of the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island are ignored completely. Few of the stories concern themselves with themes or situations unique to New York. Most of them could just as easily take place in London or Berlin or Buenos Aires or Tokyo. But the rapidly shifting focus, the large and interesting cast and occasional sharp writing, keep one reasonably entertained despite the occasional misfires.

A nice idea comes up short

[moviemanMA · 6/10 · 5 November 2009]

A few years ago Paris je t'aime, or Paris, I Love You came out featuring some amazing talents like the Coen brothers, Alfonso Cuaron, Gus Van Sant, and Alexander Payne. It consisted of 20 very short films, each with their own unique style and storyline, only they all shared the same setting of Paris. Three years later, another group of filmmakers and writers, including the late, great Anthony Minghella, decided to make a film consisting of short vignettes called New York, I Love You.

The idea is nice. It's endearing how a group of people can come together and present several different stories about a place that they love.

(Pause for nice, smiling moment)

Okay, back to the film. Now that we can agree that this is a nice idea, I think it's time to get serious. Much like Paris je t'aime, there are parts of this film that are nice. Still, overall I can't help but disagree with the construction of this film. I thought the stories were clever, but if I liked the story I didn't like the acting, or if I liked the acting, the directing was off. It was a never-ending stream of likes and dislikes.

There are some interesting segments. Brett Ratner's segment about a teenager trying to go to prom is clever and entertaining, starring Anton Yelchin, Olivia Thirlby, and James Caan. I thought Caan gave the most honest performance in the whole film. He had the look and most of all the sound of a New Yorker. I was even impressed with Natalie Portman's segment which follows a man looking after a young girl in Central Park.

There was nothing that blew me away like some of the parts of Paris, je t'aime. There was nothing here that made me say, "Wow!" For a film like this nice just doesn't cut it. I can forgive a few bad shorts for one or two really good ones. At least I can take something away from the film. I all took away from this were the various settings that New York City has to offer.

Making a compilation film is risky. One bad egg can spoil the rest, or in this case a lot of mediocre eggs can make for a bland film. New York, I Love You has a lot of potential, but doesn't pull it off.

Not as good as Paris Je'taime

[peepeepeeopop · 7/10 · 16 October 2009]

I cannot say this movie is a disappointment because I read some reviews before watching and it did not do as well as I thought it would have. The bar was not set that high, so the fact that my expectations were met is not saying much.

The Good: The city of New York. If you live in the city like me, you'll recognize certain places and understand that the city is supposed to be more than just a setting, rather one of the main characters. There are genuinely tender moments, humorous conversations, and plot twists left and right which all keep things interesting.

The Bad: The first thing I thought after leaving the theater was that I wanted more, but not in the positive "leave them wanting more" fashion. Certainly the good skits/scenes outweigh the bad, but there are a lot of skits that fall within the "in-between" category, too many in fact, which is what ultimately brings the movie down. Also, New York City's diversity, though hinted at though the many distant pans of the city and mentioned in conversation throughout the movie, is never really realized or analyzed to the point of doing the city justice. For example, many of the skits involve well to do middle aged whites. I mean I know the city is home to many of the said demographic but come on, Paris Je'taime's plot and character diversity makes New York City look like Lancaster, PA, or someplace really white. It is just disappointing to see the city shortchanged on its heritage like that.

Still, even after having said this, I would recommend giving New York, I Love You a view. Who knows, maybe you'll disagree with my opinion and maybe you won't. You will never know until you see it for yourself. This review is not meant to deter anyone from watching this movie, as everyone's opinion on art differs. I'm just giving you a very vague heads up on what to expect.

Good movie for people who like movies where nothing happens

[rooprect · 24 March 2015]

Although my title might sound like a jab, I mean it literally. If you like movies where nothing happens, "New York, I Love You" is a good one to catch.

So if nothing happens, what's it all about? Well, here we have 10 slice-of-life vignettes of people living in New York City focusing on interpersonal relationships, character drama, and in almost every story some sort of quirky ironic twist.

In a few cases the ironic twist is enough to make you say to yourself, "Aha! Good one." Segments in this category include a segment starring Robin Wright & Chris Cooper about a woman & man who meet on the street flirting with the idea of anonymous sex, or in the segment starring Olivia Thirlby, James Caan & Anton Yelchin about a boy who goes to the prom with a girl in a wheelchair, or the opening segment starring Hayden Christensen & Andy Garcia about a petty thief who meets his match. Or an impressive directing debut from Natalie Portman about a man who takes a young girl to the park for a day. Each of these may seem light on story, but there's a nice twist to each.

Other segments are a little less twisty in plot, but they make up for it with charming characters or quirky conversations, like the segment with Ethan Hawke using every line in the book to pick up a mysterious woman, or the segment starring the screen legends Eli Wallach ("The Good, the Bad and the Ugly") & Cloris Leechman ("Frau Blucher!" in Young Frankenstein) about an elderly couple who go to Coney Island for the day.

And then there's the segment starring Julie Christie as a lonely, retired opera singer who checks into an ancient hotel for a night. That segment stands out for its haunting style and quiet desperation.

"New York, I Love You" is the American version of "Paris je t'aime" released two years earlier, each film featuring a series of shorts highlighting the human love affair with an iconic city. Oddly enough, "New York" features all but 2 directors who were born outside America (including Natalie Portman--did you know she was born in Israel?), so there is a very culturally diverse vibe. This ain't no "Friends" centered around young professional caucasians. It often digs deep into the ethnic perspective with characters who are Jewish (Hacidic), Hindu (Jain...although he points out that Jains are not Hindu because Hinduism is too materialistic haha), Chinese, Iranian, British, and a few I couldn't figure out.

My only real gripe with this film is that it seemed uneven at times, with the directing styles and stories often shifting gears so abruptly, and without any signals to let you know the prior story had ended and we're on to the next, that you can easily get disoriented. Transitions with characters' paths criss-crossing were inserted to make it more of a cohesive whole, but I think the opposite effect happened. I might've liked it better if the stories were kept very separate, like in the excellent "Tokyo!" featuring 3 very different stories from very different directors. But as far as short film compilations go, "New York, I Love You" is a good solid package that should tickle your nostalgia bone whether or not you hail from the Big Apple.

I can't end without mentioning my favorite film in this genre, "Coffee & Cigarettes" by Jim Jarmusch, featuring 11 short films set in Coffee Shops around the world. If you like this sort of thing, definitely check that one out.

New York, Where Is The Love?

[Matt_Layden · 6/10 · 9 February 2010]

An American take on Paris, je t'aime, in which several shorts tell the tales of lovers within New York City.

My interest in this film was mild, it boasted a large cast and several directors, but I was more interested in Paris, je t'aime. New York, I Love You comes off as a poor attempt at trying to show talent and style. The film is good, but not as good as it should, or wants to be. I found it to be very uneven with each short and I truly liked only one of them.

Instead of going into each short, beat by beat, I'll highlight the ones I care enough to talk about, for better or worse. We start off with Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha, each getting into a cab and having a small argument over which street to take. This is our introduction to this film, it's interesting and mildly funny, but offers us no insight into either character or their situation. We go on through other shorts, involving a bald Natalie Portman and lazy boy Orlando Bloom. I found that a lot of the shorts had characters that I just didn't have interest in. For a short, one of the main objectives is to grab the viewer's attention with either a character or situation, many of these shorts fail to do this.

The one short that I absolutely loved, is also the most basic one. Two people who are in love walk down the street together. Cloris Leachman and Eli Wallach are perfect and in their old age outshine everyone else in this piece. Their short is soft and heartfelt. The only true love story in this whole piece. While other pieces were interesting and entertaining (Maggie Q and Ethan Hawke) none had the presence of Leachman and Wallach.

As mentioned before, some shorts are uneven and try to pull small twists here and there. Most of them are obvious (Ratner's piece & Cooper/Wright Penn) but I give them credit for trying. Everyone does a decent job in their roles, as I mentioned, this is a pretty big cast. Shia LaBeouf stars in the oddest segment of them all, along with the beautiful Julie Christie. It'll have some people scratching their heads, as it seems to be the odd one out of the group.

One big problem is that the film doesn't showcase New York enough, it should almost be a third character, but instead it's simply the backdrop. The film suffers from the lack of ethnicity that should be present. This is New York after all, but instead we get the beautiful cast, it doesn't feel real.

The film is pretty much hit or miss and nothing jumps out at you as a wow moment. Each segment is directed well, but nothing memorable. I read each segment was given a short amount of time to film everything, that has its pros and cons. Why not take more time to craft everything?

Not quite as good as Paris Je 'Taime.

[come2whereimfrom · 6/10 · 8 February 2011]

The great thing about 'Paris, je t'aime' was the diversity of the shorts that went to making up the film; first you'd have a drama then a comedy then a thriller, each director had their own unique style and if there was one you didn't like it didn't matter as it was soon on to the next one, unfortunately this doesn't happen in 'New York, I Love You' the same concept applied to another major city. Here the shorts are loosely tied together by reoccurring characters from the stories which may have been done on purpose for the flow but it does make the distinction between them hard. Considering that New York is such a diverse city it is surprising that it isn't explored more here and a lot of the shorts fall into the same kind of categories. My only real criticism with the film is for something that's called 'New York, I Love You' it's all just so depressing each tale has an element of real sadness to it, which is not necessarily a bad thing, it gives the film depth but just don't go excepting to leave uplifted. My favourite was the piece written by the late Anthony Minghella which was not only moving but proved something I never thought I'd see Shia LaBeouf actually acting. So overall it's a mixed bag worth seeing but nowhere near as good as its Paris counterpart.

New York, I Love You...

[akash_sebastian · 6/10 · 14 January 2011]

10 stories cramped together in 110 mins. The result can be guessed - each story not getting enough time. Moreover, the characters don't have the required depth or layers. Having such a star-studded cast, the movie doesn't have any impact and doesn't show much of cultural diversity, chaos, etc...

The movie is no comparison to 'Paris Je 'taime'. But, since New York is a city close to my heart, it made a pleasant watch for me.

My favourite story out of the 10 was the one with the high school prom. The story was different and amusing. Second was the one with the growing apart couple.

Disappointing

[ca_bookworm · 2/10 · 26 October 2009]

Having loved 'Paris, Je T'aime', I highly anticipated this film and I admit I went in with high expectations, but was sorely disappointed for a number of reasons.

Although, I was not expecting a re-make of 'Paris' in New York I was expecting the same structure. What I liked about 'Paris' was the breakup of the neighborhoods. You got a sense of each directors style and the story they wanted to tell. In 'NY', there is no clear separation of the stories, at different points in the film, characters from different stories run into each other which made me confused as to who I was watching and what exactly was going on. Also, the switch in directing was evident but confusing since there was no flow.

Another thing I loved about the 'Paris' film was the different takes on love. It wasn't all romantic. There was love between parents and their children, unrequited love, a lonely, middle-aged woman yearning for love etc., it explored so many layers of the complexity of love between humans. 'NY' seemed to only go for an edgy, over-the-top sexuality. There were some redeemable shorts (the older couple having spent a lifetime together, Julie Christie's short), but overall the'NY' film didn't evoke any emotion for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters like I did with 'Paris'. I remember watching 'Paris' and feeling a deep sadness, loneliness, yearning, hopefulness, wonder... it just had so much soul. For me, there was no soul in the 'NY' film.

Maybe if I had gone into it without having 'Paris' looming in the back of my brain as a comparison this film might have elicited a more favorable response, but as a self-titled re-take of 'Paris, Je T'aime' I was sorely disappointed.

"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"

[Lee-107 · 9/10 · 31 January 2010]

I saw 'New York: I Love You' today and loved it! I was really looking forward to seeing this after watching 'Paris je t'aime' and overall I think I liked this one much better... Perhaps I need to watch 'Paris je t'aime' again I don't know... I read few of the reviews here about NY:ILY and yes, the movie is not without its faults. When you're paying tribute to a city like New York - it can get rather overwhelming and nothing seems fair enough to do the city due justice... so without elaborating on any of the film's shortcomings, I'll just write about what I liked.

Unlike 'Paris je t'aime' in which each director's short film was properly segmented and titled, NY:ILY isn't and many reviewers over here have found the seamlessness of stories and overlapping of characters here annoying and even confusing. I thought otherwise. I loved how the stories just flowed one after the other and I especially liked the overlapping of characters - it might be gimmicky because it's done so often in films now. But I still liked it because I didn't find it forced. And the idea that we're all connected in the end has a wistful, even whimsical quality to it - which some might find corny but I find beautiful.

I liked all the films but the one that touched me the most was the one by Yvan Attal with Robin Wright Penn and Chris Cooper. It was so well-acted and scripted that the reveal in the end - again not unused in the past - brought me to tears and I was crying throughout the segment that followed. I always liked Wright Penn and now I'm also a fan of Chris Cooper. Those precious initial few seconds when he's standing alone outside the restaurant, just before he gets the call - speak volumes about Cooper's ability to convey a character by just being there without saying anything.

Most of the stories in this film involve characters who are either meeting each for the first time or have met each other just recently with the exception of 4-5 stories in which the characters have known each other for a long time. It seemed to me (and I might be wrong) that the stories were different but they were all trying to drive home the point, the need even, to just step back and view in a new light the people and the things we've known in our lives for a long time; to see the people and the things around you with the eyes of a stranger and appreciate them just as you did when you met them and saw them for the first time.

The other films that I liked were the ones by Shunji Iwai with Orlando Bloom and Christina Ricci, by Natalie Portman with Carlos Acosta and Taylor Geare, by Brett Ratner with Anton Yelchin and Olivia Thirlby, by Shekhar Kapur with Julie Christie, Shia LaBeouf and John Hurt and once again the one by Yvan Attal with Ethan Hawke and Emilie Ohana when they're in the café. I really need to see more work by Yvan Attal as I seem to like him a lot!

Overall, watch this movie with an open mind. Don't read the reviews before watching it! It might not live up to your expectations of what a movie on and about love in New York should be and I doubt any movie will really live up to that conception. Just watch this movie for some good music, beautiful landscape cinematography, some slice-of-life comfort and a story or two that might just tug at your heartstrings.

Strongly reflect their first phase, Paris Je t'Aime, New York I Love You move a little bit slow though drive a wider range of citizen and life within it's people.

[ngiuphobia · 6/10 · 5 February 2010]

Strongly reflect their first phase, Paris Je t'Aime, New York I Love You move a little bit slow though drive a wider range of citizen and life within it's people. Film itself built of several stories/segments, each written by different writers as well as directed by different directors (Fatih Akin, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, Shakher Kapur, Joel & Ethan Coen, etc.) Aside it's director, series been widely known for the big star performance. Just mention Natalie Portman, Elijah Wood, Steve Buschemi, Juliette Binoche, Nick Nolte, etc. in Paris Je t'Aime. So when the series brought in New York, there no question there would be twice as much to mention. From Hayden Chirtensen to Burt Young, Eva Amuri to Shu Qi, almost all cast are already a star of it's own.worth watching, no? Too bad I've late on it's show so I gotta skip the first story..or should I say, I dunno what's the first story after all *grin*. OK so my first story start when David, a young musicist (played nicely by Orlando Bloom), is making an agreement with a girl he used to talk by phone, Camille (Christina Ricci), who demand him to read a book in 5 days. David, however, been counting that it's impossible for him to finish the book even if he's not practicing his music. Just when David about to give up, Camille (who he never actually met) shows up offering him to read the book for him while telling him a nice story about a writer and his wife. Am I not telling it right? well it means you gotta have to watch it yourself :p Following segments are nice, some rather slow and boring. But mostly stirred our mind to New Yorker's life and atmosphere around it. Many are related to art or music and night life among the city. There's a husband wandering the night in cigarettes to avoid dinner with his wife, a call girl seeks for life of her own, a young schoolboy and his prom date (my favorite twist-ending story), and many others. From this many story my favorite is a conversation between a woman and a man having cigarettes outside a restaurant. The woman, firstly ask for a light for her cigarette, then tease the man, challenge him to sex with stanger. Just when the man is about to teased, she surprisingly refuse and say : "Married man are always blind of what they have in their own bed. To them, strangers are sexier, more passionate. but I'm about to change that. I'm changing everything. Now I'm going back to that restaurant, I will be sitting in front of my husband, who's gonna love his wife like never before." Turns out they're husband & wife! There's also segment about an old-couple walk in the city. Almost all of their time spent in argument but just when they reach a park and start silence, we can almost breeze by their feelings to each other. All sweet. The old revenue also filled in a hotel in which a singer retiree choose to stay. The 40th architecture's building boldly hold European taste is her silence witness to her glamorous days and also a perfect place to do one thing. But there's also a young room-boy, Jacob (Shia Lebouf) who shares her loneliness. One cold, sad story.

Anyway, I find New York I Love You a bit disappointing compared to it's previous, Paris Je t'Aime. All segments moving too flat, no jumping emotions, no climax, few twist,too many conversations....or is it already reflect how New Yorkers really live their life? :p Like Paris Je t'Aime, New York I Love You linked all segments together in the end, and there's only one thing to link them all, a woman named Zoe (Emilie Ohana) with videocam who kinda move around the city and often put her videocam unattended inside a coffeshop to record all things happen in New York.

Finally, don't rush to follow my judgment. As I always mention, it's only my immature opinion among things I found interesting....after all, New York I Love You is still a good choice to spend Saturday Night with your love one :)

The movie was fine to sit through.

[shazam-21 · 3/10 · 8 April 2009]

(I'll indicate in this review the point where spoilers begin.) My dissatisfaction is split: 30% tone-deafness, 70% lackluster writing.

The 30%: I agree with the first commenter's synopsis about the lack of diversity in the characters and scope of the stories. I was surprised how, this film, at best, woefully shortchanges the real NYC by presenting a collection of people and relationships so narrow as to come across as if it's inhabited only by the cast of Gossip Girl (this is coming from someone who likes Gossip Girl). A few minority characters are written into the stories, but they are included by obligation, while we can see the gears under the film so clearly, striving to "be diverse" but falling ever-so-short.

The 70% is why everything falls short. All characters, white plus a few token minorities, are one-dimensional, cardboard cutouts of people concepts. Worse, their interactions with each other are scripted in such a way that for each vignette in the film the audience is treated to what I'd say is a "gag": we get a basic conceit, then some punchline intended to be a clever twist. But even if we suspended cynicism for a moment to say, "Okay, that was a surprise"...the stories are still not that interesting, because they, too, are shallow. When you fashion stories so that their existence hinges solely on the unexpectedness of the ending, you're writing jokes.

Spoilers below...

The movie primarily tries to tell romantic stories. That's fine. But romance is amazing, deep, sometimes complex. These "romantic" stories each feature a girl and a boy who at some point share the same location and get to look at each other. Words exchange, thoughts are projected through voice-over, but they too only manage to communicate to the audience merely that one person is attracted to another.

Meaning, there is no seduction (in the broad sense), no tension, and neither confrontation nor communion between the wills of two different people trying to reconcile their existence to accommodate the Other. The only story involving a superficial "seduction" is told just so the audience ends up being surprised that the guy (Ethan Hawke) gets outwitted by the girl he's hitting on, who unexpectedly turns out to be a hooker. Sure, his words when trying to pick her up are interesting to hear and we are amused as we'd be if we were next to them, but there is nothing of substance to this story outside of "A then B". So it unfolds, if something like a postcard could "unfold", with all the other tales as well: A then B--That's It, the only point being that these happen to occur "on set" in Manhattan. By the way, the only Brooklyn we see is the Coney Island sketch; the only Queens is the flickering of a train ride taken by a character traveling to the West Village.

It's easy to pick at movies that play into all the common stereotypes of race, gender, sexual orientation, and so on. _New York, I Love You_, however, deserves to be held to stricter scrutiny because of its title. We expect to see the real New York, and real New Yorkers, but instead we have paraded before us the selected slice of a demographic, its characters flown in from The O.C., plus a few others to make it SEEM as if we are paying attention to diversity. But when we look closer at who those characters are, the whole sham becomes an affront to the very notion of diversity and the ethnicities and cultures the movie shamefully fails to represent.

For example, the story with the Latino man with the little white girl in the park, who gets mistaken by two ladies as her manny (male nanny) when in fact he's the father. Notwithstanding the last scene of this part was unnecessary from a dramatic-construction point of view (it would have been far more interesting to end it when the mother and boyfriend/stepfather are strutting the girl away), it is frankly a bit disgusting that the scene where we learn for sure that the girl's father is Latino ALSO must inform us that he is a sexually desirable dancer. What, the dad can't be just some guy from South America? Now that he's obviously hot, is the audience better prepared to accept that he had a kid with a middle-to-upper-class white woman? Are we that naive as to require such? As if a Mexican construction worker would obviously be too unpalatable.

It's not my place to dictate where the movie should have gone. But in every conceivable set-up and plot twist, the direction taken screams status quo, appeals to safety. All these stories could have been made more interesting, even if we were forced to keep the single-dimensionality of the characters inhabiting them, at the very least by not choosing from standard and obvious stereotypes. Asian girl living in Chinatown being leered at by a scraggly old white guy? How 'bout an Asian cougar pursuing a white college kid instead. Again, I'm not saying the entire conceit has to be changed. It's just that every. damn. story premise. is so hackneyed--and thus they fail to convey anything about why one might love New York, outside the trite. The real way to have improved the film would be to have written a script worth reading.

I will concede the pleasantness of the soundtrack, the good pacing of the movie (even if what was being paced was, well, dredge), and the general feel of many of the scenes. The movie was just fine to sit through, and I wouldn't dissuade anyone from doing so. However, it is telling that the most significant homage paid to non-superficiality is when the old opera singer says (paraphrased) "That's what I love about New York: everyone's from a different place." Well, you wouldn't know it from watching this one.

Just what i think///

[bloedre · 10/10 · 4 January 2010]

I'm not a writer or an critic...I'M just a student that has seen this movie few minutes ago....AND I want to thank people that worked on creating this movie!It is not the best or the most.... but it touched my heart...why???i would like to understand it myself...it is easy and accessible..it is a movie that makes you feel good after a bad day without any regret about the time wasted on watching it!It is about love and caring, about the life that we have but we miss it sometimes because of material stuff .......Look at all the time that we have but we miss it....why a fu*k do we do that???We need to live like were dying ...care about every second and remember:if we do good things-good things come back to us!HAppiness is real...and it has a special taste in New York...i love this town and the world the we live in!!!!thank you very much for the movie and sorry for my mistakes(English is my second language)...

Enjoyable in segments, but they don't add to a very profound whole

[Movie_Muse_Reviews · 6/10 · 10 February 2010]

The second of a handful of planned city-themed vignette films about love, "New York, I Love You" aims to capture a city, its diverse population and theoretically how its people love. In 10 segments with some small transitional scenes, 10 directors attempt to capture a piece of the Big Apple -- but the operative word here is "attempt." Some do, some don't and all the stuff that tries to blend them together is confusing. It's very good for the most part individually, but "New York, I Love You" comes up flat on the whole.

Unlike its predecessor, the slightly more well-received "Paris, Je t'aime," "New York" attempts to blur the divisions between its vignettes. "Paris" was made mostly of scenes set up with title cards telling you the name of the segment and the director and it just moved through them. "New York" puts in these wasted transition scenes that borrow characters from different scenes and mix and match them together in attempt to show some sort of interconnectedness when you don't feel that way watching the film.

The notable thing about a majority of the segments was a lack of intimacy. For being a film that's supposed to capture love and love of a city, there were too many vignettes about casual encounters, flirtation, forced relations, things of that nature. They were focused on clever twist endings, not creating portraits. Those that did were the standouts.

Shekhar Kapur's "Hotel Suite" is the high point in terms of artistry in the film. Although mysterious and a bit unsatisfying at the end, it provokes the most from the viewer with some gorgeous imagery and an insight into what the city means to people from one interesting perspective. Julie Christie plays who appears to be a former New York singer staying in an old hotel she used to visit realizing her dreams are long since past and Shia LaBeouf is the young attendant working there. This segment captures a bit of what New York City used to be, remembers that it has a history, which most of these segments don't.

Yvan Attal's segment is also worth mentioning as the film's funniest scene. In it, Ethan Hawke comically tries to hit on a woman smoking outside who he lights up, explaining how he could sexually please her in ways she probably never imagined. It's worth stopping to mention that smoke breaks are a big part of this film too, which is odd, in my opinion. Anyway, he clearly makes a heck of an effort to land this girl only it ends with a twist. Hilarious scene, but no sense of the city and of love other than a man's vain attempts to bed a woman. It would also work better if it were not the only segment focusing on the casual side of romance.

You would also figure New York would play a big part in this film, but it feels more like backdrop. You just don't get a sense of New York other than its diversity and penchant for promiscuity. Diversity is a crucial element that I'm glad was accented, but missing is the glitz, the glam the feel of NYC that anything's possible. Buying the rights to use "New York, New York" might have helped even. Other than one little bit I liked in Brett Ratner's segment where his protagonist, played by Anton Yelchin, says of all the square feet of Central Park and the thousands of method actresses, that his profound moment occurred at a convergence of the two, there's no sense that a great number of these stories could only happen in New York.

There's something to like about every little scene of "New York, I Love You," but it just doesn't add up to the effect your looking for, or merely celebrate the individual shorts as they are like "Paris, Je t'aime." I still like the overall concept of these films, only the pieces didn't fit together all that well for the New York stop on the journey, a shame considering the power of that city.

~Steven C

Visit my site at http://moviemusereviews.com

A Moody, All-Star Anthology Serves as a Valentine to a Fictionalized New York

[EUyeshima · 5/10 · 15 February 2010]

A dozen stories. Ten filmmakers. 103 minutes. If you do the math, you will draw the same conclusion I did - that there isn't much time for a viewer to make an emotional connection with every episode presented in this all-star 2009 omnibus tribute to New York. An eclectic group of global filmmakers, some well-known, others on the verge, had to meet certain requirements to make the final cut - they were given only 24 hours to shoot, a week to edit, and the result had to reflect a strong sense of a particular NYC neighborhood. The cumulative effect makes for a moody portrait of the city through various couplings, but due to the contrivance of its structure, the film falls short in bringing a deeper emotional resonance to the themes the creators want to convey.

With a couple of key exceptions, the film appears to be more of a valentine to Lower Manhattan. Consequently, there is a fashionably edgy look to the short stories. Israeli-born French director Yvan Attal epitomizes this feeling in two episodes. The first deals with an aggressively talkative writer (an irritating Ethan Hawke) throwing a barrage of romantic and sexual overtures at a sleek Asian woman who appears to have heard it all (Maggie Q). The other is marginally better, focusing on a chance conversation outside a restaurant between a woman taking a cigarette break (an effortlessly sexy Robin Wright Penn) and a man intrigued by her emotional availability (Chris Cooper). Both have O. Henry-type twist endings that make them ultimately entertaining.

A couple of other entries feel more gimmicky by comparison. Brett Ratner's mostly comic entry features Anton Yelchin as a naïve high-school student and Olivia Thirlby as his unexpected prom date with James Caan as her pushy pharmacist father. Mira Nair directed a flat culture-clash encounter between two savvy souls - a Hassid woman about to marry (Natalie Portman) and a Jain diamond dealer (Irrfan Khan) - who become mutually intrigued by their price negotiation meeting. Other episodes feel even more cursory. Portman wrote and directed a brief episode focused on an ebullient toddler (Taylor Geare) and her father (Carlos Acosta) having fun together in Central Park, highlighted by a brief dance performance from Acosta at the end (he is a Cuban-born principal dancer for the Royal Ballet). Chinese director Jiang Wen led Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia and Rachel Bilson on an empty roundelay of deception and humiliation among thieves at a bar.

Japanese director Shunji Iwai was at the helm of a slight episode featuring Orlando Bloom as a frantic musician working against deadline, while Turkish director Faith Akin shares a brief story of obsession with Uğur Yücel as a solitary artist who wants to paint the face of a local Chinese herbalist (Shu Qi). The entry from Allen Hughes (of the Hughes Brothers) consists mostly of a continuing voice-over of two regretful lovers (Bradley Cooper, Drea de Matteo) hesitant to follow up on their passionate one-night stand. The oddest, most dispiriting entry comes from Shekhar Kapur who directed a script from the late Anthony Minghella (to whom the film is dedicated). It stars Julie Christie as a guest returning to a posh Fifth Avenue hotel where she bonds with a palsied, Slovak-accented bellboy played by an overly sensitive Shia LaBeouf. The nature of their relationship is never really divulged, but it ends on a surreal note of little consequence.

Directed and written by Joshua Marston, the best episode is perhaps the least ambitious as it features Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman as an aged, bickering couple on their way to the boardwalk in Coney Island for their 63rd anniversary. The reassuring way she places her head on his shoulder is easily the most touching moment in the film. All in all, this stylish hodgepodge will appeal mostly to those who are drawn to the short story format. Benoît Debie's sharp cinematography at least brings a consistent sheen to the film as it tethers the various story lines to a New York that feels mired in a cinematic fantasy. I just think Woody Allen's "Manhattan" executes on the same approach far more effectively. The extras on the 2010 DVD include a handful of additional scenes (though not the two deleted segments directed by Scarlett Johansson and Andrei Zvyagintsev), interviews with five of the directors and the original theatrical trailer.

An unsatisfying story saved by brilliant cinematography and soundtrack

[imdbbl · 23 January 2010]

New York, I Love You is a collective work of eleven short films, with each segment running around 10 minutes long. The shorts don't exactly relate but they all have something in common, love. Every short is about finding love, either if it's about a couple or just two strangers chitchatting.The film stars an ensemble cast, among them Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Orlando Bloom, Chris Cooper, Andy Garcia, Christina Ricci, Irrfan Khan, Robin Wright Penn, Julie Christie, Ethan Hawke, Bradley Cooper, Rachel Bilson, and Anton Yelchin. With such a stellar cast and such an interesting premise, I was expecting a tremendous film; the problem is New York I Love You doesn't add up. It remains the sum of its parts. Some of the segments are funny, original and interesting but others are so meaningless (Orlando Bloom/Christina Ricci and Ethan Hawke/Maggie Q segments) that it's appalling. The film is definitely uneven and has a very experimental tone. Story-wise, it seems like something a few film students could put together. Having said that, the film has some great moments as well, one of the best being the segment about an old couple, played by Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman, walking along in Brooklyn on their 67th wedding anniversary. And it's moments like this, that made me as a viewer, wish the film was more consistent, because, there's a lot of potential here. But, as unsatisfying as the overall story ends up being, for me, the cinematography and soundtrack saved the all thing. The editing was perfect, the way the film was shot was very impressive and the ethereal soundtrack, couldn't be more fitting. In the end, New York I Love You feels like an experimental film, and as in most experiences there's highs and lows. It's how one looks at the film as a whole that will determine if he enjoys it or not. It might be worthwhile for some and a waste of time for others.

7/10

New York je t'aime

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 28 February 2011]

The concept of "New York, I Love You" was to present a series of vignettes similar to the ones in the original model, "Paris, je t'aime", a film that gave the viewer a tour of Paris with the emphasis on its different neighborhoods. Thus, each segment had a theme that took place in one of those quarters, to illustrate the point of its creator. That is not the case with this entry. We know it takes place in the city, but its character, and essence, is somewhat diluted. It feels like making a dinner out of small tapa dishes in which the diner is not really satisfied after savoring the different morsels.

There are moments when the film comes alive, but the main intention of bringing the flavor of the different neighborhoods of the city does not come across like its French model. With a few exceptions, the film is not horrible, by any means, but one keeps wanting for something it never happens.

There are good moments in the film, especially the last sequence in which an old couple played by Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman are seen bickering all over their Brighton Beach community before they stop to contemplate the ocean in front of them. Other than this vignette, there is the one takes place in Chinatown, and in Central Park. There are excellent actors doing their best for the many directors that participated in the project.

A Modern Mosaic....

[tim-764-291856 · 6/10 · 9 April 2012]

I've not been to NYC but have seen loads of films based in and about the City and like any great cities, there's a core of people that make up a group that champion its community and identity. After 9/11, this spirit found an even higher plateau.

Look beneath the surface of noise, bustle and showbiz, are the people of course and as with any multi-ethnic and diverse population, there's a labyrinth of stories about them.

Some are going to be strange and some straightforward. It might seem a bit misty-eyed and sentimental to try and convince us that eleven directors each producing a snapshot can make up a mural that depicts all of the Big Apple but that's what seems to be the intention.

Blessed with a good number of very recognisable actors, that adds a connectivity and gravitas we should be bowled over. But, largely, we're not. It must all come down to the quality of the actual stories, which mostly are unmemorable. Perhaps they're just too short for us to get under their skin and allow us to appreciate them. Maybe, we're supposed to be in love with this movie enough to want to watch it over and again, to fully 'get' it.

My 6/10 is because it's "OK". My viewing was pleasant enough. I wasn't repelled or confronted by bad acting and the time passed satisfactorily. But that's like having a 'nice' shepherds pie and I can always buy another of those from Sainsbury's again tomorrow.

Since John Hurt is one of my very favourite actors, my enthusiasm increased enormously seeing him halfway through. Though he says only two lines, it was the most beautiful and sad chapter of them all, with Shia LeBeouf and the radiant Julie Christie, playing a crippled hotel porter and opera star respectively.

Unless you really want to buy the DVD, catch it on TV. I watched it on Sky Arts.

but you're bringing me down

[mah459 · 2/10 · 6 April 2009]

I saw this regurgitated pile of vignettes tonight at a preview screening and I was straight up blown away by how bad it was.

First off, the film practically flaunted its gaping blind spots. There are no black or gay New Yorkers in love? Or who, say, know the self-involved white people in love? I know it's not the love Crash of anvil-tastic inclusiveness but you can't pretend to have a cinematic New York with out these fairly prevalent members of society. Plus, you know the people who produced this ish thought Crash deserved that ham-handed Oscar, so where is everyone?

Possibly worse than the bizarre and willful socioeconomic ignorance were the down right offensive chapters (remember when you were in high school and people were openly disgusted with pretty young women in wheelchairs? Me either). This movie ran the gamut of ways to be the worst. Bad acting, bad writing, bad directing -- all spanning every possible genre ever to concern wealthy white people who smoke cigarettes outside fancy restaurants.

But thank god they finally got powerhouses Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson back together for that Jumper reunion. And, side note, Uma dodged a bullet; Ethan Hawke looks ravaged. This, of course, is one thing in terms of his looks, but added an incredibly creepy extra vibe of horribleness to his terrifyingly scripted scene opposite poor, lovely Maggie Q.

I had a terrible time choosing my least favorite scene for the end of film questionnaire, but it has to be the Anton Yelchin/ Olivia Thirlby bit for the sheer lack of taste, which saddens me because I really like those two actors. I don't consider myself easily offended, but all I could do was scoff and look around with disgust like someone's 50 year old aunt.

A close second place in this incredibly tight contest of terrible things is Shia LaBeouf's tone deaf portrayal of what it means for a former Disney Channel star to act against Julie Christie. I don't mean opposite, I mean against. Against is the only explanation. I realize now that the early sequence with Orlando Bloom is a relative highlight. HIGHLIGHT. Please keep that in mind when your brain begins to leak out your ear soon after the opening credits, which seem to be a nod to the first New York Real World. This film is embarrassing, strangely dated, inarticulate, ineffective, pretentious and, in the end, completely divorced from any real idea of New York at all.

(The extra star is for the Cloris Leachman/ Eli Wallach sequence, as it is actually quite sweet, but it is only one bright spot in what feels like hours of pointless, masturbatory torment.)

Phase Two

[druid333-2 · 8/10 · 9 November 2009]

As it is generally known,anthology films don't fare very well with American audiences (I guess they prefer one standard plot line). New York,I Love You, is the second phase of a series of anthology films dealing with cities & the people who live & love in them. The first was 'Paris,J'Taime', which I really enjoyed. The film was made up of several segments,each written and/or directed by a different director (most of which were French,but there is a very funny segment directed by Joel & Ethan Coen). Like 'Paris', this one is also an anthology, directed by several different directors (Fatih Akin,Mira Nair,Natalie Portman,Shakher Kapur,etc.),and also like 'Paris'deals with New Yorkers,and why they love the city they live in. It features a top notch cast,featuring the likes of Natalie Portman,Shia LaBeouf,Christina Ricci,Orlando Bloom,Ethan Hawki,and also features such seasoned veterans as James Caan,Cloris Leachman,Eli Wallach and Julie Christie. Some of the stories really fly,and others don't (although I suppose it will depend on individual tastes---I won't ruin it for anybody else by revealing which ones worked for me & which ones didn't). Word is that the next entry in the series will be Shanghai, China (is Rome,Italy,Berlin,Germany or Athens,Greece out of the question?). Spoken mainly in English,but does have bits of Yiddish & Russian with English subtitles. Rated 'R'by the MPAA for strong language & sexual content

A good depiction of dry, homespun and melancholy city in N.Y.

[Cat-Wings · 7/10 · 24 July 2010]

Set in New York, 10 directors have created 10 each unique with the element of surprise short stories. Each story last about 10 minutes and they express a small drama with a sprinkle of "New York" taste within a limited time. I like this kind of collector of stories that genius directors get together creating a film such as Jim Jarmusch's Night On Earth (1991), Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) or Chelsea Walls (2001) and speaking of Japanese films, Jam Films (2002) is also a good film. Shunji Iwai, who is famous of films Suwarôteiru (1996) or Riri Shushu no subete (2001), was originally a short film director. Therefore, that makes sense he is one of the best inspiring directors in this film. As a Japanese, I'm happy to hear that he acts as a director in this film amongst other great directors and he could set afloat a heartwarming story to the world.

The stories have the collective of 10 different stories yet all related to "New York and Love". I personally liked stories that "A picker men who tries to win a women's hearts & mind, and approaches her with her stolen mobile phone", "A young man and a young woman who has a disability in her lower body and they go to a prom party" or "A men who make a pass at a women who they met at a night street in New York". They are all good stories depicting dry, cross-cultural atmosphere of New York and love. Each story remind you of being associated with a small affair within a metropolitan city where people in a wide age range live. A big city seems to be luxury, fashion and pop but it is dry, homespun and melancholy city. There are each individual dramas within the city.

Disappointment & Promise

[TheAnimalMother · 4/10 · 10 November 2013]

With all the talent involved in this project, I find it hard to not say that this film ends up mostly feeling like a waste of good talent. It's a collection of sometimes intersecting stories, all created by different directors and writers. Overall it feels disjointed and I suppose it obviously should, but even the New York theme itself does not really come across very well through most of the stories; On more than one occasion I felt it seemed as if the dialogue was overly forced into making the stories relate better to the New York setting.

The Brett Ratner directed segment was pretty funny, and a few of the other stories had some good moments as well.

I'm a pretty strict rater, I do think that all the films I rate a 4 out of 10 are worthy of one viewing; So this film fits into that category. My advice is to just not have your hopes too high going into it, and you will enjoy at least some of it.

To me the most interesting segment was surprisingly enough the Natalie Portman written and directed portion. She also acts in another segment in which she did not write and direct. The part she did write and direct I found to be the easiest segment to enjoy, as there was layered depth within her story, even given the short amount of time she had to work with. Her part of the story I would even venture to say seemed the most mature, and at least equally as thought provoking as any of the other segments. This leaves me in great anticipation of her future projects, as Natalie has only just begun to enter into the writer/directorial aspect of film-making. Her next directorial project 'A Tale of Love and Darkness' is well on my radar now, and it is also certainly a huge issue(Israeli/Palestinian State) she plans to take on in her first real feature debut as a director. You have to at least admire her ambition, even if the project doesn't turn out so good. That's the one very encouraging thought I took away from 'New York, I Love You'; That Portman shows real promise in perhaps actually one day becoming a truly great writer/director. I don't use those words lightly either, I realize fully that truly great writer/directors are extremely rare, but she has certainly given us a strong hint of her potential here. I hope and believe that perhaps this is just an early sign of great things to come.

4/10

New York, I Love You, I Love the movie

[eric-zimmermann · 9/10 · 17 August 2009]

I just saw a press screening of this film and I was pleasantly surprised. Not often is it that I get to see all of my favorite actors in one film at one time.

I really enjoyed the pick pocket scene and it was good to see Rachael Bilson and Hayden back together. I think their chemistry on camera is a direct result of their time together off camera. My favorite scene was by far (surprisingly so) Bret Ratner's piece... Without giving too much away, I'll just say that there is a surprise that leaves you hanging...

The old couple were really good together and you actually got the impression that they had spent a lifetime together.

Both the Chris Cooper and the Ethan Hawke segments packed a punch with surprises that seem realistic and similar to experiences that I've had in the big apple. Over all the film is a great place to take a date... especially if you're already fond of the city itself.

I can't wait for the next in the Cities of Love.

Poethic, but sometimes too up in the air

[chlu75 · 6/10 · 22 October 2010]

I loved the scene with the old couple. I found it touching, realistic, and romantic. And I found very nice the end of the story with the young guys and the prom. I liked the way the majority of the stories were directed. I just didn't get some of the stories, they were too up in the air, like the one in which Natalie Portman is acting. Overall, I liked it, but I was expecting some more connections between the stories. And it could have been played in other cities. Is it true that some of the situations and kind of people of these stories could have only been found in NY? I would think that these stories could have taken place in other cities as well.

Best part was the old couple

[lovelynd · 1/10 · 23 May 2012]

This movie is really boring and the best part was the old couple who celebrated their anniversary at Coney Island. I thought the acting was really bad at times, for instance when Orlando Bloom was explaining why he can't read a book. The story about the kid who took a girl in a wheel chair to prom and had sex with her as she held herself up attaching a belt to a tree trunk and only to later find out she was just acting was just pathetic. The story with Natalie Portman who shaved her head when she was married and then to reveal her bald head to a man was just unbelievable. It just seemed to weird, awkward and not worth Natalie shaving her head. The title of the movie doesn't really make sense as the setting just takes place in New York, it isn't really about or celebrating New York. It is such a random title and doesn't fit the movie. Otherwise this story is about just life. Brief moments.

From work-in-progress to finished product

[harry_tk_yung · 5 January 2010]

I watched this movie two years ago in the Toronto IFF, presented as a "work-in-progress" with an earnest appeal to the audience not to disclose anything. I've kept my notes, waiting for this moment.

The "finished product" has definitely been well assembled. The segments are basically the same but rearranged and strung together in a much better flowing style. Well chosen as the opening piece is the crisp, attention grabbing episode of the duel of two top thieves (Hayden Christensen and Andy Garica), with the eye-popping final 5-second exchange shot: keys flying in the air in one direction and ring rolling along the bar counter in another. If there is a general pattern, it's having the lighter stuff at the beginning and the more thought-provoking towards the end, although it's not quite as rigid as I've made it sound. The "casual encounters" throughout deftly link together the segments.

This movie must be watched a second time (which in my case is two years later). There are quite a few segments with ending twists – actually, sledge-of-hand is a better description. When you finally understand at the end what the characters are talking about, you would want to watch the performances again – Chris Cooper, Robin Wright Penn, Maggie Q, Olivier Thirlby – and the second viewing shows that all these actors do know what they are doing.

While all of the 11 episodes (originally 12, see below) are good, I have several personal favourites. Most brilliant is Ethan Hawke at his best doing a "dirty" version of Jesse (Before Sunrise/Sunset). Cutest is Olivier Thirlby granting Anton Yelchin his wish on prom night. And it's absolutely delightful to find "The Ugly" Eli Wallach in such a sweet persona, thanks partly to the perfect chemistry with Cloris Leachman. Most affecting is the story of Chris Cooper and Robin Wright Penn, almost cliché, and yet still so deeply touching the way it's told and acted on this screen. Most surreal is the story with still bewitchingly beautiful Julia Christie and Shia LaBeouf who shows the world that there is more to him than just Megan Fox's boyfriend or Harrison Ford's son.

The main theme is of course New York, but a very prominent, recurring sub-theme is its ethnicity, best demonstrated in the segment with Natalie Portman and Irrfan Khan. As I said, there were originally 12 storied, the one that's been cut being "Corny Island" starring Kevin Beacon and directed by Scarlett Johansson. Knowing the Hollywood system, this is probably based on feedbacks from test screenings with random audiences. I think they are right, both the test audience and the movie makers.