Directed by Wong Kar-Wai
Written by Wong Kar-Wai & Lawrence Block
Director Wong is a master, and by now in the timeline, the world knew this. No longer were his talents only specific to Hong Kong, or even Asia generally. But what does this mean for his prospects? Well, Hollywood came calling, hoping to capture his style and talents for an American audience. Unfortunately for Wong, My Blueberry Nights was the beginning of the end, with just one more feature film to come before resigning himself to Chinese television. It’s hard to say exactly what went wrong, but I will try my best in this review, but in the end his style was either lost in translation, or more likely lost in lack of control, with American producers stepping in and molding his signature style to what they felt American audiences could handle. Whatever the case may be, My Blueberry Nights will stand as a bizarre entry into the Wong Kar-Wai filmography.
Elizabeth (Norah Jones) has just been jilted by her lover in New York City. Seeking refuge in a late night cafe run by Jeremy (Jude Law), Elizabeth finds solace in a piece of blueberry pie. To escape her depression, she embarks on a country-wide road trip, starting in Memphis where she works as a waitress at both a breakfast diner and a dive bar, befriending Arnie (David Strathairn), an alcoholic who frequents the bar in hopes of getting over (or winning back) his wife Sue Lynne (Rachel Weisz). Elizabeth moves on the Nevada, where she encounters poker player Leslie (Natalie Portman) while working as a server at a casino. The two become connected over gambling debt and make their way to Las Vegas before Elizabeth decides to return to New York and see her friend Jeremy again.
There is a lot to talk about when it comes to My Blueberry Nights, so where do I start? Let’s start with the good stuff. In general, this movie looks like a Wong Kar-Wai movie, it just doesn’t end up feeling like one. The vignette style, along with production and cinematography (even without longtime cinematography Christopher Doyle behind the camera) have the signature style of Wong. It tackles the themes of love lost and found, of strangers making lasting connections and exploring the cultures of a space. I just think Americans aren’t as romantic, exotic or interesting as other cultures, which is really where the film falls down.
Additionally, the performances are odd. Very odd. Norah Jones is not an actress, so why she was selected for the lead role is weird. She is actually fine as Elizabeth, as is Jude Law, even if their interactions feel too perfect and scripted, not natural and flowing. But the real problem comes from accomplished and talented actresses Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman, who are making choices in this film. Weird, wild, big choices that don’t exactly make sense or fit within the framework of what should be a nice, reflective movie about love and strangers. As major contributors to essential segments of the film, they really distract and largely sink the movie, rendering what are otherwise well written stories flat.
I wonder what the Hong Kong version of this movie would look like. Perhaps it’s not possible with the great American road trip element, but it definitely feels like something was lost in translation somewhere. Be it the literal translation of the dialogue, the translation of Wong’s direction, or the translation of his signature style into the American studio system. Something is off. My Blueberry Nights has enough going on to make it a fascination among Wong’s filmography, a worthy watch, even if in the end it will rank as one of his worst films, and one of his most unique, outliers. It’s such a weird experience it can’t be missed, truly.
Corndog Chats 