New York, I Love You

Rated: R for language and sexual content.
Release Date: 2009-10-16
Starring: Emmanuel Benbihy, Tristan Carné
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.newyorkiloveyouthemovie.com/#/home

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With a film that has so many names attached to it there are so many places where it can succeed and just as many places where it can fail. New York, I Love You startles on this double-edged sword for so many reasons.

So the basics are that it is a composition of short stories that intertwine together to tell one larger narrative. And as the title suggests the shorts are about New York and about love. Each story focuses on two things: (1) it is inherently a New York moment, and (2) it is about love.

The beauty of this production is that it is designed as a taskmaster and it works that way, if you love New York you get to see the many ways it loves. The worst part of the production is that although the craftsmanship is great, the movie does not connect, which sadly was the principle idea. Independent of the lofty ideas and its predecessor, Paris Je T’Aime, this film just seems discontinuous, which may work for New York but not for the film. On the other hand all the powerful performances of the film should make you think twice before you pass it up. From veteran actor Andy Garcia’s impressive minutes on screen to Natalie Portman’s first steps as an intelligent director, the art of film lives in many degrees with its curators.

The concept and the gusto of the project are endearing, but they never quite hit the mark. The irony is that it truly embodies New York in many ways; when you jump into the film you jump into the rhythm of New York. The intent of the film was to carry forward with the principle ideas of movies like Crash, where everything is connected without straight lines, but what comes across are lines that cross over one another without a big picture.

Essentially this film is one that is worth a watch, but how and when you decide to watch it depends on which side of the sword you fall on. This is a film that tells you to decide for yourself, but because of its approach I think most people will enjoy it more at home with a group of their own loved ones and where they can critically evaluate where this film is leading.