Director:
Charles Shyer

Cast:
Jude Law
Susan Sarandon
Sienna Miller
Nia Long

Official URL:

http://www.alfiemovie.com

Country: USA
Rating: R
Studio Name: Paramount Pictures
Running Time: 2 hr 0 mins
Release Date: November 5, 2004

Critics's Rating:
(3 Reels) 

November 5, 2004

By Veronica Mixon

Charles Shyer’s updated version of the 1960s Michael Caine feature Alfie is a charming fairy tale of a notorious lothario. But will it appeal to men or women? Of course, casting handsome Jude Law makes it 'I want to see’ for loads of women who adored the young British actor in recent romantic films like Cold Mountain and The Talented Mr. Ripley. But, will men who love the idea of a handsome playboy with dozens of females to choose believe Law’s performance as a modern day Alfie? Law is like the character he plays, in that he’s hard to pin down. The gorgeous actor aspires to be more than just a pretty boy. Nevertheless, the director has delivered a thought-provoking film rife with contemporary romanticism and dating horror. The new millennium Alfie is still a cautionary tale about the responsibilities sex.

Alfie (Law) is a transplanted Brit who glides around Manhattan on a little scooter winking at beautiful women with joyous abandon. By day, he works as a limo driver and at night, he makes the rounds bedding a single mother (Marisa Tomei What Women Want), a wealthy older woman (Susan Sarandon Shall We Dance), party girl (Sienna Miller TV’s short lived series Keen Eddie) and the girl friend (Nia Long Love Jones and The Best Man) of his best friend (Omar Epps Love and Basketball). To be fair, Alfie isn’t a total, carefree cad. He’s often hit with bouts of tenderness (like his unguarded affection for Tomei’s son), guilt (when he runs into a discarded lover played by Jane Krakowski TV’s Ally McBeal) and even erectile dysfunction. So, he’s not as happy as one imagined. But, it doesn’t matter that Law’s Alfie doesn’t enjoy his life as much as Caine’s Alfie did because we’re in a different era and Shyer’s film reflects that.

While the retro 1960s chic clothes and hair may reflect the current youth infatuation with the past, the yearnings for love and commitment remain the timeless. Shyer has left small visual messages on billboards and wall signs that slyly indicate Alfie’s mood as he flits from one situation to the next. Desire is always thick in the air. And, so is pain especially prevalent when things invariably go wrong. Alfie takes everyone for granted and never thinks before he unzips. Many viewers will recognize or identify with this attitude. The film’s look is sleek and sophisticated with a gritty reality. The music by Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart is toe-tapping and awesome!

Jude Law’s beauty is as captivating a despite his doggy behavior, women will melt into those luscious green eyes. Law’s star started to rise with roles in the futuristic Gattica, Clint Eastwood’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and Cold Mountain. Nevertheless, he plunged into unlikely roles like the ugly hit man in The Road to Perdition and the waxy robot in Steven Spielberg’s A.I. He has been working non-stop and his next film, Closer, a romantic drama which also stars Julia Roberts, will open next month.

Alfie is a light, effective romantic comedy with a dazzling star and some thought-provoking drama.

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