"New York"...It's Complicated

As I sit here in the coffee shop, the pressure is on to churn out a blog with a mere 50 minutes remaining on my computer's battery and not an electrical outlet in sight. So, let's jump on in.

I saw "New York, I Love You" which was the first movie I had been genuinely excited about during this cinematically dismal fall. My excitement was based mostly on the first movie in this new "series" of sorts, "Paris, Je T'aime" (released 2007) and not on my actual love for New York, which is love/hate at best. "Paris" was a collection of several short films, each representing an arrondissement, or quarter, of Paris. Each film was helmed by a different director and many were very very good (see: the final short with the American tourist in Paris) and some were just strange (see: Elijah Wood's section). As a whole, though, the movie is now a part of my all-time favorites.

So maybe it was all this self-made hype or perhaps this golden child, older sibling of "Paris" that made "New York" a bit underwhelming. Maybe it was the fact that it was (understandably) in English and not French like its predecessor. Whatever it was, I'm having trouble deciding how I feel about the movie.

I love that this series of movies has made short films accessible in mainstream movie theaters. I really enjoy being able to sample all sorts of directors without committing to 90 minutes or more of their work. I also love the inherent quirkiness of each short.

A big surprise for me was how much I enjoyed Ethan Hawke's performance. That little guy was so charming in his role that I almost forgot about the fact that he broke his real-life ex-wife, Uma Thurman's, heart a couple years ago. Let's see you redeem yourself like THAT, Ryan Phillippe.

By far, the best segment was directed by Brett Ratner. It involves a prom and a wheelchair and a scene that will have you thinking, "Am I really seeing this?!"

Two of the segments, one with Shia LaBeouf and the other set in Chinatown, seemed to drag on forever to the point where I just wanted them to end. That's the kind of feeling I expect in a trip to the DMV or a dental cleaning, but not in movies. That's not ok, "New York."

As a whole, this movie, which is made up of stories involving love, didn't elicit a real emotional reaction from me. It was interesting, beautiful at times, but I didn't feel a strong connection. In the world of love and relationships, I think this movie and I should just be friends.