Release Date: November 5, 2004
Starring: Jude Law, Marisa Tomei, Susan Sarandon, Nia Long, Omar Epps, Sienna Miller
Directed by: Charles Shyer
Written by: Elaine Pope, Charles Shyer
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
MPAA Rating: R (sexual content, language, some drug use)
Jude Law plays one of the movies’ better known womanizers in Alfie, a bachelor -- whose selfish actions may eventually catch up to him -- that was previously done by Michael Caine in the 1966 film of the same name (this is a remake). Law fills the role with his own charm, dashing looks, and emotional weight. He plays it so well, actually, that it’s hard not to picture him acting like this in real life. He carries this romantic comedy-drama, which is directed and co-written by Father of the Bride’s Charles Shyer, and he fills a number of the film’s emotional voids. With Law in the lead, Alfie not only entertains, but does a good job of it.
Law’s character is Alfie Elkins, a handsome and clever New York City limousine driver who gets more than his fair share of sexual satisfaction. He specializes in making lonely women feel wanted, including a single mother played by Marisa Tomei, but it doesn’t take long for her and most of the other ladies in the movie to realize he’s only playing them. Unfazed after being dumped by a couple of the women, he continues in his ways and eventually gives in to an even worse temptation, having sex his best friend Marlon (Omar Epps)’s true love, Lonette (Nia Long). He gets lucky, it seems, and that situation blows over, but as he starts to woo two other women (one played by Susan Sarandon, the other by Sienna Miller) his lifestyle begins its inevitable collapse.
The movie doesn’t have a traditional story arc, where the conflict is presented in the first act and then resolved through a series of dramatic events over the next two acts. Rather, much of the first half is dedicated to familiarizing us with Alfie -- it helps that he breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to us -- and how he can’t seem to kick his womanizing habits. His relationships play out as if each one is being stacked on top of the one before it, like maybe he’s making progress. Maybe he’s going to learn something new from each one and eventually break out of this empty and miserable rut.
But that’s not the case. It turns out that each of his relationships are equal -- they can be lined up next to each other, not stacked -- and he doesn’t realize that he’s going nowhere. Near the end of the film, however, a series of dramatic events occur, the most important of which is very well played out. It’s the moment Marlon finally realizes the truth about his girlfriend (now wife)’s one-night stand with Alfie. The look on his face says it all, and Alfie’s reaction finally reveals the character’s never-before-seen emotional side. He’s so furious with himself for hurting his friend he smashes a windshield with his fist (something that Law apparently really did without any fake props or camera tricks, according to director Shyer). It’s in this scene that, finally, Alfie has grown to a respectable level, and it’s a worthy payoff.
Some viewers may find the idleness of the first two-thirds of the movie to be tedious, but it’s the point of the movie and the purpose of the Alfie character that it be this way. His relationship with a young, emotionally vulnerable woman (Miller) is particularly dry, but it’s also at this point that he starts to realize he needs a change. That change finally comes with the climactic scene between him, Lonette, and Marlon. And even after that, he’s dug himself into so much of a hole that he’s not through receiving emotional punches to the gut.
The 1966 Alfie took the story in a slightly different direction, but both have the same idea. In that one, Michael Caine’s Alfie suffers health problems, has his child adopted by another man, is forced to have another mother get an abortion, and is rejected by the woman he finally decides he wants to settle down with. Jude Law’s Alfie goes through a slightly different series of misfortunes, but it’s just as upsetting. And he matches (and possibly surpasses) Caine’s wit and charisma, giving the story and themes the modern twist they need. Whether he’s describing to us which shirt he wants to wear for the day, how to melt the heart of a lonely housewife, or how to learn from your mistakes, he has our complete attention.
Again, this isn’t exactly your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, where events cutely and conveniently play out, so some moviegoers may not be patient with its seriousness. Law does plenty to make sure the film retains an entertaining spirit, reminiscent of the good-naturedness he brought to his roles in A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. But it’s his break from that spirit at vital moments that makes Alfie both unique and effective. It’s Law that carries the movie’s message -- never be reckless with anyone’s heart, no matter how harmless it seems at the time.
-- Andy Zientek (zfilm@earthlink.net)