My Blueberry Nights is a beautifully realised - if somewhat flawed - road movie that benefits from songbird Norah Jones’ amazing performance as the central character. The stunning visual style and believable chemistry between Law and Jones is enough to overcome the episodic and clunky screenplay.
Norah Jones plays Elizabeth, a lovelorn New Yorker in search of a new life after a disastrous heartbreak. The desperation leads her to a chance meeting with the caring and understanding café owner Jeremy (Jude Law). They develop a platonic yet highly flirtatious relationship over late-night feasts of blueberry pie. The film then follows Elizabeth’s journey across the US meeting in episodic format, a series of interesting characters including Natalie Portman as a lonely gambler, the excellent David Strathairn as a recently separated cop that enjoys the company of whisky above most people and his estranged and adulterous wife played by Rachel Wiesz.
The film is the English-language debut for Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai (
In the Mood for Love,
2046) and for the most part he creates a beautiful-looking film. Wong’s varied use of shutter speeds and filters might take a little getting used but ultimately creates beautiful images out of the most ordinary objects. For the majority of the film the camera is focused on Jones who is stunning to look at and the director uses this to its full advantage.
As with any film that is divided into segments, some work better than others and some simply don’t work. Law and Jones have incredible chemistry that maintains the film’s main story arc. Jones is a revelation with her subtle and natural performance. It is hard to believe this is her first film. Although the rest of the cast is fine, there is a falseness to many of the segments that falls too easily into clichés. The fact that Norah Jones’ songs are used sporadically as the soundtrack to scenes she is in also hinders the believability of the film.
My Blueberry Nights is an interesting take on the American road movie that deserves a viewing if only for the incredible visual talent of Wong Kar Wai and the understated acting talent of Norah Jones.
- Review by Sebastian Cordoba.
You can view the trailer here on TheVine.