"Alfie"

Starring Jude Law, Marisa Tomeii, Nia Long, Sienna Miller, Omar Epps and Susan Sarandon. Directed by Charles Shyer. (2004, Paramount Pictures)

Never has a tagline about a movie being so accurate, "what's it all about?"…definitely true about 'Alfie', which is pretty much about nothing. Is it a romance? Is it supposed to be funny? What's with the dramatic turn points? There's no point to this movie and it isn't helped by a director who has no idea what type of movie he is trying to make. Why do we want to watch a movie about some guy talking to us about his conquests and his fashion sense? Are we running of ideas?

Jude Law plays Alfie, a cocky, womanising limo driver who discovers that his actions have consequences and begins to learn about life. The film pans his relationships with five women - single parent Julie (Marisa Tomeii); lonely rich woman Dorie (Jane Krakowski), free-spirited Nikki (Sienna Miller), his best friend's girlfriend Lonette (Nia Long) and the much older executive Liz (Susan Sarandon). In the midst of wooing these women, hurting them and "finding himself", there's also scenes of Alfie's metro sexuality and he helps explain to us his grooming habits, personal dress sense and his lifestyle habits as if we care. This tactic of having the character talk to the camera works only somewhat, but what's the point in having him go through his wardrobe with us? How did this movie turn into 'Queer Eye for the Big Screen'? What's the deal with the dramatic shift into seriousness with his health scare?

For the most part, it seems 'Alfie' is a guide to 21st century dating. But, Alfie doesn't date, he manipulates and flirts his way into every woman he encounters. Is that wrong? That's where this film really fails because it doesn't want to give us a straight answer, it wants us to take both sides of the coin. Director Charles Shyer should know the romantic comedy genre well but here is lost in a sea of experimentation. Much of the film is shot like a commercial and a lot of tricks are used to come across as hip, edgy and stylish to suit the character. Credit must be given for trying, but the results are very uneven. There's no satisfaction in the ending, which steers the audience in a direction it doesn't take and ends abruptly and without any resolution to this unnecessary story. Does 'Alfie' learn the error of his ways? Does he change? The film doesn't want to give us that answer so succinctly. It also drags on unbelievably long, but perhaps it's because there wasn't a major plot to begin with.

On the performance side, Jude Law is charismatic but this is a tricky role and its difficult to watch him for 2 hours straight play an arrogant and not very likable character. Still, there's not many actors that could have pulled if off and Law for the most part gives it his best. Still by the time 'Alfie' has supposedly "found" himself, it's not believable. Most of the actresses have very small roles just to fill in time from Alfie's conquest from one woman to the next. Susan Sarandon is always a diamond in a bag of coal but Marisa Tomeii for the billionth time is wasted in a one-dimensional role and Sienna Miller who became Jude Law's current squeeze should consider acting lessons. Nia Long has the worse role of all as a character whose motives doesn't seem true and her involvement with Alfie isn't clear enough.

'Alfie' quite simply is unnecessary. There's no point to it, there's no plot and every attempt to bring up a subplot isn't believable. A look at 21st century dating? 'Alfie' isn't your typical dater and it's an exercise in experimenting with an idea that has uneven and muddled results. There isn't a single ounce of truth in this movie. As the tagline states, "what's it all about?", a better fit would have been "what's the point?".


out of ten

Reviewed by Chris Cappola

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