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, Sienna Miller, Susan Sarandon

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 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

Finding it hard to settle down and commit himself to only one woman, the unrepentant philanderer and undeniable ladies' man, Alfie, is a charming British bachelor who cruises the streets of New York as a limousine chauffeur. In his impeccable suits, the silver-tongued Casanova is simply irresistible; however, things will take a turn for the unexpected, when a night of unrestrained passion seriously tests Alfie's frivolous approach to life. In the end, is Alfie happy, and, above all, what's it all about, then?

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Plot Keywords:

abused woman | one night stand | limousine driver | womanizer | single mother | 

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Taglines:

Meet a man who never met a woman he didn't love.

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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:

What's It All About, Alfie?

Filming Locations:

Tavern on the Green - Central Park at W. 67th Street, Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,218,335, 7 November 2004

Gross USA:

$13,399,812

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,060,882

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Patalex Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Susan Sarandon gave pictures of herself in the 1970s to British artist Russell Oxley, who used them to paint an acrylic portrait of her character, supposedly from that era. After filming, the canvas went home with Sarandon.

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Goofs

When Nikki is painting Alfie's Apartment, she approaches Alfie holding a cigarette. When she's going to touch Alfie with her painted hands, she has the cigarette in her mouth. Then the angle changes and she has it again in her hands.

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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

References The Murder in the Museum (1934)

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Soundtracks

Let's Make It Up
(2004)
Written by Mick Jagger & David A. Stewart
Performed & Produced by Mick Jagger & David A. Stewart (as Dave Stewart)

User Reviews

If you haven't seen the original...

... as I haven't (FAR too young when it originally came out!), and can judge the movie without preconceptions, it's actually quite, quite good. From others' comments, I believe this should be called a reconception rather than a remake - and face it, if they followed the original, time-bound character/plot, it really WOULDN'T work today - so there is no sense in decrying that this isn't slavish to the Caine version. On its own terms, the movie is very stylish, with excellent cinematography, directing and editing, and the acting is top-notch across the board [For Broadway aficionados, look for Tony winners Jefferson (I Am My Own Wife) Mays as the Doctor and Hairspray's Dick Latessa as Joe].

Law is disarmingly charming as Alfie, and that goes a long way in selling the character, and making his attitude towards women somewhat tolerable. Of the women, Sarandon {looking incredible for 58! ... and delivering her final coup de grace with devilish elan], Long, Krakowski and especially (surprisingly?) Law's current squeeze Miller all make strong impressions. Tomei is OK, but is really neither attractive or special enough to justify Law's interest in her [and his fixation on her young son is a little creepy/unbelievable for such a womanizer]. The substitution of the interracial dalliance with Long for the abortion is a stroke of genius, as it will probably have the same 'shocking' effect for some in the audience. Yes, the direct address is a little jarring at times, but is necessary and DOES follow the original.

On the minus side, the Mick Jagger/Dave Stewart music DOESN'T work, but Joss Stone's remake of the title song is effective. If you can forget, or better yet, haven't seen the original to compare this version to, I think you will find it a very entertaining, relevant movie (compared to most Hollywood remake dreck). I wouldn't even be surprised to find this garnering quite a few Oscar noms (given this year's weak field) come the end of the year... Give it a chance.