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.
