Tara Chirpy / 20 May 2025 / Categories: Movie and TV Shows, Movie

Cafe Society doesn’t hit the mark

Woody Allen fails to deliver this time

Inspite of all the controversy around movie writer and director Woody Allen, his marriage to Mia Farrow and subsequent marriage to Soon Yi Previn in 1997 I am a fan of his work. And am happy and excited to watch anything with his name attached.

From the trailer Cafe Society looked very promising, brilliant cast, Steve Carell, Jessie Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively it’s the story of a high flying Hollywood Agent Phil Stern played by Carell who decides to leave his wife after 25 years to marry his secretary Vonnie, Kristen Stewart but not before his nephew Bobby Dorfman from New York, in LA to get a job in the movies looking for help from his well connected agent uncle, manages to fall in love with her too.

From the opening scenes, art deco opulence of Hollywood, glamour, swimming pools, champagne, movies stars, lots of mentions of Bette Davies, Barbara Stanwick, Joan Crawford, Errol Flynn it looked really promising but as the plot unfolded the film took some unconvincing unusual turns into a pseudo gangster flick set the 1930s which just didn’t land for me.

I watched it through to end, when the film abruptly ends without any real conclusion. I can’t actually remember how it ended even though I watched it only a couple of days ago.

I remember thinking at the time “I can’t believe I just sat through that”

it’s one of those films where you wait and wait for it, that twist, that moment when the genius director rewards you for your tenacity and patience.

It’s very unusual for Woody Allen to make a bad movie, and I understand we all appreciate different things when it comes to cinematic storytelling but despite a super talented ensemble cast and Woidy Allen’s style stamped clearly all over the film it didn’t come together for me.

This is one to swerve even if you LOVE LOVE LOVE the work of talented writer, director and infamous Hollywood creative.

It was described by critics as Witty, Charming and Sophisticated. I wondered if I’d watched the same movie.