When tragedy strikes the community surrounding a cafe in West Philadelphia, the cafe's regulars come to realize how intertwined their lives truly are.When tragedy strikes the community surrounding a cafe in West Philadelphia, the cafe's regulars come to realize how intertwined their lives truly are.When tragedy strikes the community surrounding a cafe in West Philadelphia, the cafe's regulars come to realize how intertwined their lives truly are.
- Addict
- (as Garrett Lee Hendricks)
- …
- Sally
- (as Alexa Vega)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
A simple seeming story with a couple of otherworldly (computer reality) twists that gradually works on your sympathies and wins.
Except for a brief exterior giving the sense of place (West Philadelphia) and two or three other very minor exceptions, the entire movie is shot in a coffee shop. A surprisingly large cast of characters take on some significance. And the dreamy idealism of exactly those kinds of independent cafés permeates the movie. The ostensible driving force is the appearance now and then of a nasty guy who deals drugs and the reaction against him by others in the place and the police. But really the movie is more about character, and what makes character, and what makes some people good and whether that kind of goodness is real.
After awhile you also realize that one weird subplot--the appearance of a girl on a computer scree--is maybe the most important aspect of all. Because she helps redefine what reality is--not just the so-called reality of people's lives, but reality reality, ontologically. It's obviously too much to swallow, but just go with it, it's fun.
What holds it up most of all might just be the really solid acting from most of the main characters. And the sweetness the seems to permeate the movie through and through. It's low-budget but keeps it confident and well made anyway. It's a good excuse for hanging out with some nice people.
I didn't read the reviews or know the tagline to be forewarned what this movie is about. I have to say, not only was I intrigued, but extremely pleasantly surprised. I am not going to rehash the details of the plot but suffice it to say, if you are a movie lover sitting at home looking for a pleasant way to stretch your imagination and spawn a post viewing discussion, this one is for you.
Recently I found two others I considered similar in this class of film. "Safety not Guaranteed" and "The Sound of My Voice" were two other films that fell into this personal class of interesting film. Take the plunge and try these original films!
As such, this is a little movie that might appeal to those who tend to believe the same thing about reality, and their own lives. If you believe that someone or something else is writing the script of your life, and that you are little more than a bit player in someone or something else's drama (or comedy), this movie's for you. It's not great, and not nearly in the same league of quirky cafe-based stories as "Amelie," but it's entertaining, in a lightweight, fluffy sort of way.
If you wind up seeing it, come back and say in the comments section what you think the guy who sits in the corner every day writing in his notebook was really writing. I think it was the script for this film.
Did you know
- TriviaJennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy dated for a year (2009 - 2010)
- GoofsWhile Elly is sitting at a table talking to Avatar, the lighted logo on Avatar's MacBook computer goes dim, however, his screen is still lit. On this computer the back light for the screen is what lights the Apple logo. The lighted logo goes on and off during the conversation even though his screen is never turned off when we see it.
- Quotes
Elly: [explains what she would do if free to do anything] I would create a virtual world, filled with beauty and opportunity. And everyone and everything in that world would ultimately be one. But they just didn't know it.
Avatar: Why would you do that?
Elly: So that through their own effort and striving, every element in that world could overcome the boundaries that divide them. And they could form this incredibly strong and vital bond, that could have never even been conceived of had the pain of it's opposite didn't exist.
Elly: There's no more brilliant light than that which follows complete darkness.
- SoundtracksNew Song
Written by Emily 'Birdie' Busch
Performed by Birdie Busch
- How long is Café?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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