Review: Café Society

If you’re fan of that strange nostalgia that comes from witnessing old Hollywood glamour, Café Society might just be for you. Complete with a backdrop of wonderfully detailed fashions, an upbeat jazzy soundtrack and in the company of presumably rich, carefree socialites, Woody Allen’s latest venture is a rabbit hole into that bygone era of Hollywood romanticism.

Set in the late 1930s, Café Society details the life of the young and naïve Bobby Dorfman, as he sets foot in Hollywood, eager to make a name for himself. Using the connections of his powerful uncle, he is given a front seat to the glitz and glam of Hollywood life. However, for all it’s glory and lavishness, Bobby finds himself more infatuated with his uncle’s secretary, Veronica, or rather, Vonnie, as she’s called. From here, a messy and bittersweet romance unfolds itself and brings Bobby back to New York, where he runs a high society night club with the support of his colourful and eccentric family.

The film is delivered with a light-hearted playfulness and charming sense of humour.

And through this whimsical setting, Café Society departs a rather sympathetic view towards the fickle and impulsive nature of love and its effect on relationships. Whether or not you agree with the character’s choices throughout the film, it’s clear that Allen isn’t afraid to have them dwell on their feelings and in many cases explain their positions in the form of conversation and argument. There are numerous scenes throughout this film where characters unabashedly proclaim their different ideals and philosophies on life, on relationships and whatever else. It’s here that Allen really shines, able to create incredibly natural dialogue full of conflict and energy, yet never loses its sense of wit.

In this sense, the constant shifting from party, to restaurant, to dinner table really sells the heart of this film: A Café Society obsessed with itself, full of moral ambiguity, mindless gossip – all drenched in a layer of pretention. And what’s not to love? It’s difficult to resist the allure of it all, especially with the detail they have put into the setting. Here, many of the background characters spring to life. Just through little snippets of dialogue and interaction with the main cast, Allen manages to carefully construct many vibrant set pieces that suck you in.

In terms of the performances, Jesse Eisenberg plays, well, Jesse Eisenberg. His stuttery and seemingly perpetually-nervous performance of Bobby is to be expected at this point, and save for a few scenes, it’s acceptable for the most part. Surprisingly, Kristen Stewart sets the bar as the mysterious and ever down-to-earth Vonnie. Though I never thought I’d say this, the muted and generally stoic demeanour that has copped her criticism in the past actually comes off quite refreshing in a sea of endlessly flamboyant characters with rapid-fire speech patterns.

In concluding this review, I’d like to make a somewhat embarrassing and shameful confession: I have not seen a Woody Allen film. There, I said it. Now, whether this discredits my authority on the quality of this film or perhaps, leaves me unclouded to whatever preconceptions his previous works may given me, that is up for you to decide. But I will say for sure, from what I’ve seen so far, I’d like to see more.

Café Society opens to cinemas everywhere on the 20th of October.

Written by Victor Cai

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