Search - My Blueberry Nights [IMPORT] [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Interesting character studies

Davewise | NJ | 08/23/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The main feature of this film are the characters themselves - the plot almost feels secondary. With good writing and acting, the characters are all engaging and three-dimensional, enough to make you care about them. Norah Jones - a wonderful singer - is very good in her first acting role here, portraying Elizabeth, the lead. Elizabeth discovers at a corner cafe in New York City that her boyfriend has been cheating on her. She leaves his keys there and returns several times afterward to see if he came back for them. Each time, she gets to know Jeremy (Jude Law), the cafe owner, more and more. Jeremy waxes philosophically over the many keys people have left there and the blueberry pie which is almost always left over at the end of the night.

Clearly something begins to develop between Elizabeth and Jeremy; however, she is still working on getting over her ex-boyfriend. She moves across the country to Memphis, Tennessee where she goes by Lizzy. Trying to save money for a car and unable to sleep well, she gets two jobs - working at a diner during the day and a bar at night. At the bar she meets Arnie (David Strathairn), a policeman who is an alcoholic and cannot accept that he's separated from his wife. It's easy to feel sorry for Arnie, although it's clear he is flawed. Likewise, just when you might get to dislike his wife (Rachel Weisz), you learn to empathize with her situation too.

While Jeremy tries all he can to reach Elizabeth in Memphis by mail or phone, she moves on to Nevada. Here she goes by Beth and gets a job at a small casino. She gets to know Leslie (Natalie Portman), a poker player who has lost all her money. Leslie convinces Beth to lend her all her car savings; if she wins, she'll share the winnings with Beth and if she loses, then she'll give Beth her new car. When she loses, Leslie says she can have the car but she needs a ride to Las Vegas to see her estranged father and borrow money. Along the road trip, the two get to know each other more. Again, Leslie has issues such as her inability to trust anyone, but there's still some good in her too.

I enjoyed the characters and the story very much. My one criticism of the movie is the director's use of slow-motion. I felt it was unnecessary for the most part and he used it far too often toward the beginning of the movie. Otherwise, the movie was rather enjoyable. It included some wonderful music and nice cinematography. There was some humor, but for the most part it was a drama with some elements of romance."