My Blueberry Nights (2008).

China’s most acclaimed film director Wong Kar Wai gets the opportunity to direct his first feature film in English. I must say, his direction was absolutely near perfection for his first American feature. However, I fear not many people will enjoy this film because the film is too predicable. Don’t get me wrong, a film has to sell to its performances to the audience. If you simply could feel for their performances, than the actor did not do their job to persuade you.
Norah Jones, eight times Grammy® award winner, makes her acting debut as Elizabeth. Ironically, Wai chose Jones for the leading role as Lizzie because he felt that she had acting capabilities, but was aware of her lack of prior acting experiences.


The film begins with Jeremy, played by Academy Award® nominee Jude Law, who runs a café in New York City. Lizzie, played by Jones, recently discovers that her boyfriend has been dinning at Jeremy’s café with another girl. Lizzie becomes obsessed with the fact of being dumped by her boyfriend. Broken hearted, Lizzie finds her way back to Jeremy’s café seeking for answers about her failed relationship. For several weeks, Lizzie returns to Jeremy’s café exchanging conversations about life, love and friendship.


Their friendship blossoms, but Lizzie leaves New York City suddenly without explaining her decision to Jeremy of her departure, she relocates in Memphis, Tennessee in her search of her identity. She takes up two jobs, in a café and at a bar, to save money to buy a car. She sends Jeremy postcards of her whereabouts not revealing her where she lives or work. One night at the bar a local police officer Arnie, played by Academy Award® nominee David Strathaim, is over coming his grieving about the fact that his wife Sue Lynn, played Academy Award® winner Rachel Weisz, left him. Lizzie learns from Arnie that love is unpredictable, who is overcoming alcohol abuse alone.


Soul searching is the plot of the film. The film is not perfect, but Norah Jones performed brilliantly having no acting experiences.

Grade: A -