Following the critical success of Paris, je t’aime, producer Emmanuel Benbihy elected to take hisCities of Love series to the Big Apple. And, soon after New York, I Love You was released, many were left wondering ifBenbihy was meant to end his series with just one film. Yes, admittedly, thisNew York installment is nowhere near as accomplished as its predecessor, butupon rewatching it recently, I found myself taken with more than a handful ofits segments.
In his initial review for New York, I Love You, Roger Ebert said that anthology films cannever add up. They are the sum of their parts. If one segment is working foryou, wait for a few minutes, and on to the next one. Precisely.
Dir. by Jiang Wen
This breezy, uninvolved opener begins with a hipsterpickpocket (Hayden Christensen… by the way, what happened to that guy?) pullingthe wallet of a passerby (Andy Garcia). Soon, the thief has his eye on a lovelyyoung dame (Rachel Bilson… by the why, what happened to that gal?). He followsher into a bar, spins some weak game, and is quickly interrupted by Garcia, whoappears to be onto the hipster (or… something.) And that’s it. Needlesslydrowned out in oversaturated orange hues, this segment is benefited by someDavid Mamet-esque chatter, but doesn't particularly add anything to anything. C-
Segment Two
Dir. by Mira Nair
A Hasidic jeweler (Natalie Portman) rushes into the store ofa friendly Indian diamond merchant (Irrfan Khan) and the two enter into a quickexchange of goods. But soon, they’re complaining about the dedication of theirrespective religions, while mocking a few others. And then suddenly, with onlythe cue of a few rather marvelous little glances, the man comes to respect thewoman’s situation, and they end their conversation in immense understanding.This segment cunningly shows how, sometimes, a person who enters our life formere seconds really can leave an impact. B
Segment Three
Dir. by Shunji Iwai
A crusty film composer (Orlando Bloom) is struggling tofinish his latest job because the film’s director is demanding that he readDostoevsky for inspiration. Feeling under pressure, the composer seeks thedirector’s assistant (Christina Ricci) for solace over the phone. A tenderlittle romance develops, resulting in a perfectly fitting conclusion. Notexactly weighty, but amusing nonetheless. B
Segment Four
Dir. Yvan Attal
Two strangers stand outside of a restaurant smoking andminding their own business. Before long, the guy (Ethan Hawke) gets up thecourage to approach the woman (Maggie Q) and he begins an extended,increasingly inappropriate come-on which results in him explaining in vividdetail how he could get her off. She smiles, smokes and plays along to a point,until she delivers a bit of news that humorously stops him dead. Again, likemost of the segments in New York, I LoveYou, this one isn’t particularly equipped with much depth, but Hawke’sfinal, stunned line delivery is priceless. B
Segment Five
Dir. by Brett Ratner
Dumped days before the prom, a kindhearted young kid (AntonYelchin) is told by his pharmacist (played byJames Caan, who gets to say things like, “She’s a snake f*ckin’ devil whor*”)that the kid can take the pharmacist’s attractive daughter to the big dance. The kidarrives via limo for his date and, much to his dismay, the daughter (OliviaThirlby) is confined to a wheelchair. I say “dismay” because few could destroya six-minute short as quickly and as tastelessly as Brett Ratner. Given thetalent involved (Blake Lively cameos as the ex girlfriend), this segmentcould’ve been immeasurably better, and far more sophisticated. D
Segment Six
Dir. by Allen Hughes
By far the highlight of the film, this segment cross cutstwo thirtysomethings making their way… somewhere. A woman riding on the subway(Drea de Matteo) narrates the events of the night before, as a man (BradleyCooper) does the same while walking. It becomes evident that they are both enroute to see each other after a very steamy one night stand. Their separate,inner dialogues (as written by Xan Cassavetes & Stephen Winter) are simplyperfect. The regret, the anxiousness, the excitement, the nerves – it’s allstaged perfectly as the would-be lovers get closer to one another. I won’t sayhow the segment ends, but it certainly isn’t to the disappointment of theviewer. A+
Segment Seven
Dir. by Shekhar Kapur
I’d be lying if I said I completely understood everythinggoing on in this segment, but its delicate mystery is arguably the mostintriguing part of the entire film. A woman (Julie Christie) staying in aseemingly abandoned hotel is helped to her room by a handicapped bellhop (ShiaLaBeouf). She asks for violets, and he soon returns with some. He suffers asudden, violent nosebleed, and then things get a bit strange. Instead ofcontinuing a play by play, it’d be best to explore this meditative, translucentsegment for yourself. Because really, what’s it all about? A-
Segment Eight
Dir. by Natalie Portman
A father enjoys an afternoon in Central Park with hisdaughter, who, we gather, he doesn’t get to see too often. In a simple butwholly effective little touch, the man (who is Cuban) is mistaken for being amale nanny to his pale-skinned daughter. That isn’t what the segment is about,per se, but it’s a flawless moment that encapsulates a father’s pain. When thegirl is reunited with her mother, it becomes all too clear which film Portmanis playing off of. B+
Segment Nine
Dir. by Fatih Akin
A hard living and creatively deprived painter gets inspiredto paint a local tea herbalist. She initially says no, but the intrigue of theproposition dominates her mind. She attempts to seek the painter out but findsthat he has carried out his inspiration without her. Given the immense talentof the man who helmed this segment, it’s a damn shame it isn’t more memorable. C
Segment Ten
Dir. by Yvan Attal
Similar to Attal’s earlier segment, this one begins with twostrangers (Chris Cooper, Robin Wright) standing outside a restaurant, talkingand smoking. She discusses the excitement of one night stands, and quietly explainsher assumed disappointment at returning inside to sit with her husband. The manis interested to say the least, and before the woman walks back inside, sheteases him with a notion of maybe meeting again. Maybe. (Props for the segment’sperfect inclusion of Radiohead’s “No Surprises.”) A
Segment Eleven
Dir. by Joshua Marston
An old married couple (Eli Wallach, Cloris Leachman, bothbetter here than they’ve been in years) celebrate their anniversary by embarkingon a walking journey to Coney Island. They shuffle about, bicker ceaselessly,climb stairs at a snail’s pace, and, upon arriving, share as tender andreflective a moment as can be found in this film. Marston thankfully holds thatmoment for several beats, before it is cut short in appropriately New Yorkfashion. New York, I Love You certainly doesn’t match the charm and wit of Paris, je t’aime, but it’s nice to goout while watching two old pros at the top of their game. A+
Previous installments of Anthology Breakdown include:
The Hire
Paris je t’aime
Coffee and Cigarettes
