Memorable, crazy movie

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Was immediately disappointed that it was no longer London in the Swinging Sixties. I was looking forward though to Jude Law until he mostly had to talk to camera instead of act. So, disappointing. I'll stay with the original. Why re-make movies unless you can make them better?

Alfie (2004): Dir: Charles Shyer / Cast: Jude Law, Marisa Tomei, Omar Epps, Nia Long, Susan Sarandon: Remake of the 1966 British film starring Michael Caine. This time Jude Law plays the title role as a limousine driver involved with numerous women for sexual conquests only to dump them when things become too close. Directed by Charles Shyer who is backed with fine location work and a charismatic performance by Law whose lifestyle seems free spirited until consequences hit a rather sour note. Marisa Tomei plays an ex girlfriend who is there to teach him some life lesson. Law regrets actions he took with her. Perhaps he feels guilt due to her sincerity, which is something he lacked in his flings. Omar Epps plays a co-worker who seeks Law's help in getting back together with his girlfriend, played by Nia Long but unfortunately it turns into an affair and Long becomes pregnant. It isn't difficult to predict how this situation turns out. Susan Sarandon makes a great cameo as an older woman whom Alfie becomes involved with. The performances are convicting with hints of humour throughout. Theme regards taking relationships for granted and how we can hurt others through senseless actions. While the conclusion bears lessons, it is somewhat unpleasant but Law's performance carries through bearing all convictions of broken relationships. Score: 7 / 10

The film is well acted, presented and nicely produced. The characters feel real and there's some lovely location shots from the Waldorf Astoria to the City quayside. Close ups shots of the actors with sweet bohken don't feel cluttered or intrusive and the dialogue flows well.Storyline is simple enough, and shows Alfie at first as a bit of a hero in life and then as the plot progresses you see the cracks in the facade leading to his true predicament in the last ten minutes of the film.Probably the most challenging element for filming would have been Jude Law's soliloquies to the camera. These however are expertly segued in with the day to day events of the cast and add rather than detract from the story.The hardest part of the film for me is just who it's aimed at. Initially I'd assumed it was a chick flick, good looking lead actor, lots of relationship conversations and a distinct lack of explosives or action…. ...but then Sienna Miller comes along and gets naked. In this case it just didn't feel right in terms of timing or an appropriate way to make the scenes point. There were earlier opportunities to fit this in, but it comes out of the blue and lacked the subtlety it would have been easy to achieve. That said if you've got it, flaunt it and Sienna does it with an alacrity which will be painful for those who're not as lucky as she.The end result is a watchable and (largely) consistent film with some nice eye candy and an easy plot to follow. I'd recommend it if there's nothing else on, but there's stronger films out there if you're after a more challenging watch.

Alfie follows the life of a young bachelor, going through women as if toilet paper, tossing them aside when done. Something soon causes him to change his ways. It's sexy, humorous...adorable even. A lighthearted story with a serious tone to it at the same time. Though he is quite the charmer, Alfie is not a character many can relate to. It focuses mainly on the fact that whoever Alfie comes into contact with, he ends up pushing away in some way ultimately ending up alone. The only thing that really holds the movie up is Jude Law's charismatic charm. If not that, it would probably falter more so. It does have it's many flaws but overall, I enjoyed the film. At times, it did feel dull, depressing and unnecessarily long. A story that could have moved faster but they stretched out to fit a certain time limit. Jude's charisma reels you in and holds you...to a certain point. Eventually becoming tiresome.