This is not usually the kind of film I would pick up but I was intrigued that it was Wong Kar Wai who directed and that Lawrence Block had a hand in the writing. Not sure if this should be called a romantic comedy, probably not as its not very funny, nor is is particularly romantic. I guess there are romantic notions, deliberations over whether to have the infamous blueberry pie, the rather charming business regarding customer keys left at the diner and other little things made rather a lot of. Main thing, this is really good to look at. As was to be expected this is very colourful with the director making the most of neon and reflections. Not afraid to shoot wondrous close-ups irrelevant to the dialogue. Which brings us to Lawrence Block, whose work I have read rather a lot of. Apart from his hard edged villainous stuff (and even within some of those) he can switch effortlessly to believable, small time dialogue, bit like how Tarantino does rather heavy-handedly. Here the actors seem to have had a hand in it too, so much comes across as improvised and no the worse for that. Its just this doesn't really go anywhere, not really, but it is not an unpleasant way to spend some time.

First of all, I'd like to start by saying that I'm a huge fan of a beautiful, arty movie that doesn't really go anywhere, it's just a statement on time or place or feeling and narrated mainly by it's own soundtrack. Which I think was the intention for this. Unfortunately it fell short and the delivery was pretentious and edited like a car commercial. I'd like to give kudos to the production design, costumes, make up and some of the camera work which provided a lovely backdrop and palate to some very grey acting. Sadly, this just wasn't for me. Poor performances from some usually stellar cast and I felt absolutely nothing for Norah Jones' performance or character. Saddens me to give a bad review as I can usually find something to enjoy out of any film you put in front of me but for the first time, I nearly didn't sit this one out. But Jude Law did look very bewitching in that beanie....

Quoting one of the greatest modern films, any time of the day is a good time for pie. Blueberry Pie. The Hong-Kong auteur Wong Kar-Way certainly thought so having made his first English language movie with the popular American desert playing an important role. My Blueberry Nights is a very beautiful, visually instantly recognizable Wong Kar-Way's picture even though his usual collaborator Christopher Doyle did not shoot it. Instead, Darius Khondji provided lush cinematography with lots of night shots and neon lights. The soundtrack is wonderful which is no surprise at all. Kar-Way was very impressed by the singer/songwriter's Norah Jones work and his idea was to make a movie around her voice, her songs and the mood that they create. He says that there is something exciting about her voice. It could be the blend of sensuality, melancholic longing, hidden passion, depth and obvious class that might have attracted the celebrated master of the modern romantic film. My Blueberry Nights is also a travelogue and the contribution of the Hong-Kong director to the American cinema. By his own words, he chose to make his American debut the road movie to learn more about America and to get to know her better.The three stories of love lost, as the song in soundtrack confirms, have been told before. The main story concerns Elizabeth (Jones) who got dumped by her boyfriend and leaves the big city to get far away and to reinvent herself. She befriends Jeremy, the owner of the diner named "Klyuch", which means "the" key in Russian. He keeps the big jar on the counter where his customers would drop the keys for the ones they love to come back and start all over. Elizabeth's journey would bring her to Memphis, Tennessee, where she encounters the guy so crazy about his wife he could not let her go. Later, in Nevada, Elizabeth meets the gambler girl who longs to re-unite with her estranged father. The problem is not in the stories, anything but new, rather, in the simplistic, uneven and abrupt way they are told. In one of the scenes, Elizabeth says that sometimes things look better on the paper. Maybe it is the case with the film. There's nothing wrong with Wong Kar-Way's movie equivalent of Blueberry Pie. It's just... overly sweet and sadly, the impressive cast has not much to play. Perhaps, that's why the female characters in the movie were so forgettable even if played by Rachel Weitz entering the bar in slow motion and Natalie Portman in oversize sunglasses leaning against convertible. And with all due respect to Norah's talent as a musician, her acting debut was not memorable. On the other hand, David Strathairn's performance was impressive in spite of the short appearance and Jude Law was very likable as Jeremy. And there were Norah Jones' songs and the vistas of America the Beautiful as seen through the eyes of the most romantic modern filmmaker in his English language debut which is pleasant, good looking but simple, even silly and lightweight movie. It is very much akin to a first impression of the foreign tourist armed with all sorts of clichés who just started to explore the never seen before country.

How do I start this? It is my first time critiquing a film on-line and I felt I should start with this simple film by Wong Kar-Wai, whom I have seen many of his work. But I put that aside since this was a movie based in America. Most of his films take place in Asian, but ironically enough, his poetic dialogue still lurks among his first English- language project.Not much trivia on it other than the fact that it was the opening film in the 60th Cannes Film Festival. That and some other interesting bitties like that fact that the director (Wong) and lead actress (Norah Jones) both share a dislike in blueberry pies AND how Jeremy (Jude Law)'s character run a diner named "Klyuch", meaning "key" in Russian. One will come to realize that keys are actually looked at as a metaphor. Or so I believe. :)The story starts off with our beautiful protagonist, Elizabeth, who is just finding out from a diner manager, that her boyfriend is cheating on her. This causes her to give Jeremy (the diner manager) the spare keys that were for her. This is a common reoccurrence at the Kyluch diner. So much that there is even a fishbowl (I believe) filled with them. Each carrying their own separate story of heartbreak, including Jeremy himself who came to New York to start ANEW with a girl he fancied.There were three acts, in my opinion, in the story.The first act takes place in New York City with the relationship of Elizabeth and Jeremy spending time throughout the night. Not sensually but simply as friends, getting to know one another. The reason Lizzi keeps coming back is to see if her ex- boyfriend has come to get his keys.The second act, is barely about Elizabeth at all. I mean, the film is still from her point of view, but now, after she has left New York, she resides in Memphis, Tennessee, where she work two waiting jobs, a diner in the morning and a bar at night. The story focuses on a man named Arnie who we first see in the bar, alone, drinking till the place closes down. He is a regular around there and isn't rushed out. The pain and suffering in his eyes tell all that has happened him. He brings up how it is always his last night of drinking, but always comes back the next day. After a while he begins to warm up to Elizabeth who sympathizes for him and his heartbreak (obviously because we saw her go through the same exact thing in NY. Anyway, it is the conversation between him and our lead that really suck me in to this movie. He not only is a alcoholic in denial, but rather more of a kind soul who is just trying to forget. Forget what? His wife, played by the beautifully talented Rachel Weisz, who you will love to hate, seriously! :) It is never really determined whether he is still married or not, but the time does come when his old mistress come trotting in the bar, on his own turn, to go to the bathroom. Yeah right! You can see where this goes, but it is not about what happens. It is about what can never happen again. Some people fall in a hole and can't do nothing but keep digging and digging and digging. Bar fights. Conflicts. The usual. But worth the watch.Now we get to our third act, in which Elizabeth now makes her way to Arizona, a more open setting that will get you breathing easier after the tight city's we've been before. Here she encounter another interesting person. A woman, who owns herself, PLAYS POKER, perhaps for a living (?), gets in a sticky situation. This is Leslie, Natalie Portman's character. This act is not necessarily only about her conflict, but rather hers and Elizabeth's together, who helps her gambling away her money.----There is is my first review. But all in all, I would like to say that I find a lot of heart in this picture. Maybe it was something I was already looking for since I have seen almost all of Wong Kar-Wai's work. I believe if you are a person who can handle slow movies (knowing that it has MUCH to do about nothing and like it), knows a thing or two about loneliness and love-suffering, and basically if you want to dwell within the beautiful MIND of Wong Kar-Wai I would say THIS MOVIE IS FOR YOU. These were the kinda films I loved to watch when I was an alcoholic, but even though I am not anymore, it still tugs at my testies all the same.Last thing I would like to mention is the reason why these films are so astonishing are because of the fact that, one may see it as nothing going on, (No action. No crazy conflicts. No boobs.) and yet it has something to do about EVERYTHING. I give My Blueberry Nights a 4.5/5. And I hope you can all enjoy it as much as I have.