(That’s some blueberry pie… pass that shit around…)
CAST: Norah Jones, Jude Law, David Straithairn, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman.
DIRECTOR: Wong KarWai.
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and one seriously trippy road trip inspired by blueberry pie – straight ahead
Folks, I was supposed to review DREAMGIRLS for this slot, but the rental I have is skipping majorly, so I must again pull a switcheroo. My apologies. Everything happens for a reason, though, and our replacement flick is actually pretty interesting.
Ever been on a cross-country road trip? If not, you should. Preferably, do this by car, because that’s the most immediate way to experience the journey. You don’t have to deal with conductors or flight attendants, and you get to meet more interesting people that way. On the road is where the quirkiest characters are. You know, the kind that you still think of ten years later because they were so colorful.
Road trips, both emotional and literal, are at the heart of our next review, the quirky and offbeat MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS, which stars jazz chanteuse Norah Jones as Elizabeth, an aimless young woman in NYC who, as our story opens, has just caught her boyfriend cheating on her by using the super-sleuth method of… interrogating a local diner owner. Apparently, Elizabeth’s scumbag boyfriend’s been taking his new paramour to said diner for dinner. Seems like ol’ boy was just begging to be found out, eh?
Fortunately, Jeremy, the local diner owner, provides our Elizabeth with some solace. He is definitely not your average Manhattan diner owner. To wit, he: (1) has a British accent, (2) look a lot like Jude Law, and (3) is almost supernaturally sensitive and sweet. In other words, he’s the kind of Manhattan diner owner that exists only in movies. No matter, though, because he and Elizabeth hit it off – and he ends up pretty much giving her an entire blueberry pie to nosh on. Who said only men could be wooed with food? I know a lot of women who would go down on you for a couple of Quarter Pounders. Of course, they are hookers.
Unfortunately, whatever connection there is between Jeremy and Elizabeth is cast aside when she gets skittish and bolts for a cross-country road trip “to find herself.” Sorry, but if I had to choose between a sweet, sensitive, goofy diner owner who looks like Jude Law or the open road, then let’s just say I’m throwing away my driver’s license. Anyhow, Jeremy continues to prove just how atypical he is for a Manhattan diner owner (or man, in general) by continuing to pine for Elizabeth even after her departure. Most men would’ve followed their natural compasses (i.e., their dicks) to the closest vagina, instead.
Elizabeth’s odyssey of self-discovery takes her to Memphis, then Las Vegas. Along the way, she meets the various colorful folks: (1) Arnie (David Straithairn), a Memphis cop drinking away his pain over separating from his slutty wife; (2) Sue Lynne (Rachel Weisz), Arnie’s slutty ex-wife; and (3) Leslie (Natalie Portman), a mega-babe who drives a kickin’ Jag and has a serious gambling addiction. Let’s just say these folks are a far cry from the polished Manhattanites Elizabeth is more used to running into. Far from it.
What lessons will Elizabeth learn from these people? Will she become a better person because of it? Or a worse one? Will she find who she truly is? And what role does Jeremy play in her life? Were they meant for each other? Will their paths cross again? If for nothing else than so she can pay for all the goddamn blueberry pies she’s been scarfing down?
It’s only fair. She must have inhaled at least a hundred of them.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: In our reviews for INCEPTION (review # 35) and INFERNO (review # 56), we discussed films that have a surreal, dreamy effect that hypnotizes the audience. This type of film has an atmosphere that makes you question what is real and what isn’t. Genre is usually irrelevant (INCEPTION was an action film, while INFERNO was horror thriller) as long as the movie lulls you into an otherworldly state.
MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS is another one of these films. It unfolds in a lyrical, hypnotic fashion that you will either find boring – or entrancing. I found myself entranced, as the story explores Elizabeth’s attempts to find herself, as well as figure out her connection to Jeremy, who acts like a sort of beacon for her while she wanders across the country on her journeys. He’s almost like a lifeline connecting her to New York, her starting point and, possibly, her final destination.
Norah Jones’ acting in this film has been criticized by many quarters. The fact of the matter is that she’s not that bad. She’s actually quite competent. The problem is she’s surrounded by such stellar performers as David Straithairn, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, and Natalie Portman – all of whom give dynamite performances – that she appears a bit tentative in comparison. To be fair, this can also be chalked up to the character of Elizabeth herself, who is a young woman just now finding out who she really is.
In the end, MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS, while not perfect, is still an attractive, dreamy love letter to the chance encounters with strangers that we have every day, and how those encounters can often change our lives – sometimes for the better. It’s also an ode to that saying: “If you love something, let it go. If it doesn’t come back, it was never yours. If it does, it always was.” Jeremy and Elizabeth’s relationship beautifully explores this…
In closing, please bask in the sublime vocals of Ms. Jones…
