In 2006, I read about a film that was slightly different from anything I’d heard of before. Top directors such as the Coen Brothers, Gus Van Sant and Alfonso Cuaron were all making a series of shorts that would be threaded together into a feature. The short films all center around love in Paris. The film was appropriately titled Paris, je t’aime. Needless to say, the city of Poughkeepsie, where I went to school, was never even on the radar for Paris, je t’aime’s theatrical release. When I watched it on DVD, I was more than disappointed. I don’t know if something got lost in translation or if the short films were just lackluster. Three years later, the same concept has moved to a new city. New York, I Love You showcases the talents of top directors (Mira Nair, Allen Hughes and a surprise directorial effort from Natalie Portman). The subject for all the short films is love in the different boroughs of New York City. The filmmakers had two days each to shoot their respective shorts. This time, the results are a bit more rewarding. New York, I Love You is far from perfect but it is mostly enjoyable.

The different segments of the film all bleed into one another as most are, in some way, related to another. The short films are parts of a whole rather than their own entities. One of the challenges I found most rewarding was figuring out the overlap between stories. The film opens with Justin Bartha and Bradley Cooper (of Hangover fame) awkwardly sharing a taxi. Both characters, despite sharing this scene, would be the focus of their own respective narratives. The film is full of moments like this. Drea De Matteo, a woman grappling with the fallout from a one-night stand in Allen Hughes’ segment, appears in Mr. Riccoli’s drugstore (which plays an integral part in Brett Ratner’s short). The overlaps make the entire film fun and engaging.

The shorts themselves are largely hit or miss. For example, Jiang Wen’s segment about a pickpocket (Hayden Christensen) attempting to woo a beautiful young girl (Rachel Bilson) only to be thwarted by her much older and strangely sinister boyfriend (Andy Garcia) leaves much to be desired. By the time the short finds some traction, its already time to move on. Christensen, as per usual, gives a flat and uninteresting performance. Garcia, even though he’s a veteran, can’t save this segment. On the opposite front, my favorite puzzle piece is actually the Brett Ratner directed story of a boy (a superb Anton Yelchin) dumped and left dateless right before the prom. His pharmacist, Mr. Riccoli (James Caan is genius in the role) lends his handicapped daughter, played by Olivia Thirbly, out for the prom. I won’t give too much away because the twist at the end of the short is brilliant. Seeing Yelchin and Thirbly, who, in my opinion are two very talented and very underrated young actors, sharing screen time is electric. Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively also appears, for a few appropriate seconds, as Yelchin’s ex. The segments either work or they don’t. Given that each is only a few minutes long, there’s not much room for middle ground.

Lets talk about Ethan Hawke. Hawke, the likeable actor and failed novelist, has been largely out of the spotlight for some time. He appears in Yvan Attal’s segment as a womanizing writer who hilariously pursues a high-end call girl (Maggie Q). Hawke, out of all the characters in New York, I Love You, has some of the wittiest and quickest dialogue to work with (Attal also co-wrote the script). Hawke makes the absolute most of the material as it plays to his exact off beat strengths. As he follows the beautiful Maggie Q around, his pickup lines are nothing short of literary and his delivery is spot on. I credit Hawke for bringing the words on the page to life in a performance that will certainly be classified as a comeback. So many times, good dialogue is wasted on poor acting. When good dialogue meets good acting, the results are a joy to behold to say the least. Hawke is one of the best parts of the entire film. Another surprise performance comes from somewhere I least expected it. Shia LaBeouf has rarely gotten to show any acting chops. He has been too busy running away from space robots or chasing down alien heads with Harrison Ford. In LaBeouf’s segment, directed by Shekhar Kapur and written by the late Anthony Minghella, he plays a crippled bellhop at a very ritzy hotel. He shares almost all his screen time with Julie Christie. The two play off each other extraordinarily well. LaBeouf nails a role that not only calls for him to use a believable accent but to also merely hint at the pain his hunched character must endure while carrying suitcases up numerous flights of stairs. Not only does he nail it, but he also holds his own with Julie Christie, who proves why she is nothing short of an icon. Hawke and LaBeouf are two of the film’s pleasant surprises.

I found Joshua Marston’s segement, centering around two senior citizens struggling, on their anniversary, to get back to the place they first met, dragging most of the time. Cloris Leachman and Eli Wallach, who play the seniors, do a fine job but something about the story doesn’t fit. The only purpose it seems to serve is to offer some age-range variety to counteract the many stories centering on young and middle aged characters. I found myself wishing there was more to Shunji Iwai’s short about a composer (Orlando Bloom) and his mysterious over-the-phone muse (Christina Ricci). The premise is promising but, again given that each piece is only given a few minutes, the payoff seems abrupt and unsatisfactory. Bloom, in full on grungy artist mode, is excellent (especially considering he is playing off of a phone rather than another human being). When Ricci finally does show up, the chemistry just isn’t there.

Overall, New York, I Love You is worth checking out. I enjoyed seeing the work of directors I had heard of and some that I hadn’t. The myriad of actors and actresses that are given screen time gives the film a very particular pace that, at times, borders on manic. LaBeouf and Hawke are at their best. New York, I Love You, if for nothing else, is a welcome breath of fresh air in the oft-stale multiplex world.

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Apple has just released a HD trailer for the sci-fi action thriller Jumper. Its being directed by Doug Liman, who has brought us Bourne Identity and Mr and Mrs Smith. I think it may be enjoyable. Possibly a theater see, but most likely a rental.

[flv:/trailers/jumper2.flv 480 368]

Enjoy !