I just got back from the Cannes film festival and I have to say that the negative reviews for this film are spot on. I think Kar Wai Wong is a fine director but he bit off more than he can chew with this film. The screenplay does not feel natural and while I love Nora Jones as a singer, she's not an actress and it's painfully obvious when you see this film. The best performances in the movie belong to the more deserving supporting actors in the film, mainly Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn and Natalie Portman who bring more to the film in acting than it deserves. The film has two major problems going for it, one is the script which does have one decent segment involving a cop (David Strathairn) and his wife (Rachel Weisz) but that's really a testament on how good both Weisz and Strathairn are as actors because they draw you into their character's lives and makes you feel for them but unfortunately the script derail their efforts in bringing more to their roles. Natalie Portman is great as well but she has even less of a story to work with and not a very convincing one at that. Poor Nora Jones is pretty but basically vapid in her role. She tries but lacks the presence to pull the character off. She's supposed to be the viewer's anchor but just ends up more of a piece of scenery than a character.
All and All a noble yet pretty bad effort by Kar Wai Wong
All and All a noble yet pretty bad effort by Kar Wai Wong