Café Society

Name: Café Society
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: July 15, 2016
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 64
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Steve Carell

2016

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Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 139 Ratings

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6.6

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6.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 139 Ratings

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Cafe Society

Movie Details & Credits

Lionsgate | Release Date: July 15, 2016 | PG-13

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Steve Carell

Summary: A young man (Jesse Eisenberg) arrives in Hollywood during the 1930s hoping to work in the film industry. There, he falls in love, and finds himself swept up in the vibrant café society that defined the spirit of the age.

Director: Woody Allen

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 96 min

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Awards & Rankings

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Rex Reed

Jul 13, 2016

Romantic, bittersweet and funny as hell, Café Society turns Hollywood inside out, rooting through the superficial tinsel to find the real tinsel. You go away gobsmacked, beaming and happy to be both. Read full review

The Telegraph Robbie Collin

May 11, 2016

Café Society isn’t Vonnie’s story, but it’s Stewart’s film. Read full review

Carson Lund

Jul 11, 2016

As clarified potently by the film, most of life is spent distracting oneself from matters of the closest personal significance. Read full review

Todd McCarthy

May 11, 2016

Wispy and familiar in its themes and humorous strokes, Café Society benefits from an exceptionally adept cast led by Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Steve Carell, as well as from a luminous glow that emphasizes both the old Hollywood nostalgia and the story’s basis in dreams and artifice. Read full review

David Edelstein

Jul 14, 2016

It’s an unusually warm world, full of helpful wealthy people and friendly faces. That’s the conundrum. It’s too shallow to nourish the spirit of a man like Bobby. But it’s too rich to leave. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

May 11, 2016

Woody Allen’s Café Society is a sweet, sad, insubstantial jeu d’ésprit, watchable, charming and beautifully shot by Vittorio Storaro – yet always freighted by a pedantic nostalgia for the 1930s golden age in both Hollywood and New York, nostalgia which the title itself rather coercively announces. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Aug 2, 2016

This is as decrepit and tone-deaf as any movie he’s ever made, a corpse of a period piece, production-designed to the hilt, distractedly directed, a failure that hints at The End of Woody. Read full review

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User Reviews

NightReviews

Aug 23, 2016

At eighty years young, Woody Allen delivers his forty-sixth (yup, you read that right) feature film with Café Society; a bourbon basked narrative feature showcasing the wonderfully vibrant jazz era of the 1930’s, where the magic of the movies is very much alive; nightclubs are bustling withAt eighty years young, Woody Allen delivers his forty-sixth (yup, you read that right) feature film with Café Society; a bourbon basked narrative feature showcasing the wonderfully vibrant jazz era of the 1930’s, where the magic of the movies is very much alive; nightclubs are bustling with life, traces of the gangster underworld are closer than ever and love is a feeling as whimsical as ever in a parallel tale spanning from Hollywood to New York City.

After forty-six films, you would think, with a director and writer as aged as most of our grandparents, the dialogue and writer of such an iconic filmmaker would lose his touch, but Allen proves his newest feature is as fresh, fun and fantastic as could be. Self-aware and self-absorbed as ever, the auteur extraordinaire showcases some of his most subtle and subdued screenplay to date, focusing mostly on performance from his very young cast and indulging in the beauty of a lively era within the very social elite of Hollywood and New York City.

Like any good Allen film, the story follows a very unsure and adventurous young man by the name of Bobby Dorfman, played perfectly by the nerdy and always loveable Jesse Eisenberg. Bobby, who has chosen for a change of scenery from his native New York City life, decides to chance life on a whim, and join his highly successful and famed uncle Phil Stern (Steve Carell), a Hollywood agent and grande opportunist for a lavish life in Hollywood. Reluctant to really give his nephew a chance, Uncle Phil caves and leaves Bobby in the hands of his angelic and innocently beautiful secretary and assistant Vonnie, played elegantly by Kristen Stewart. Taken by her beauty at first site, Bobby and Vonnie begin experiencing the city of angels through the eyes of glamour and glitz, essentially discrediting the city and its inhabitants as a whole, and wishing for a life that is half Hollywood, and half urban paradise.

As the relationship between Vonnie and Bobby intensifies, despite Vonnie having a secretive relationship with another married man, the two share some of the most memorable meet-cute dates seen this year on screen.

The heart of Café Society relies heavily on the relationship and chemistry between Eisenberg and Stewart, who, luckily for audiences, have played love interests twice before in Adventureland and American Ultra. By now, while watching Café Society, one of the most frustrating elements of the film is why the two stars haven’t began dating outside of the narrative of the films they star in. Eisenberg’s quirk matched with the mysteriousness and nonchalant attitude of Stewart, make the two and quintessential non-Hollywood/Hollywood couple.

As life complicates itself, as all matters of the heart do, Bobby soon finds himself back in the big Apple, eventually succumbing to his big brother Ben (Corey Stoll) and managing a somewhat legitimate business in Le Tropical, a nightclub owned by Ben, among other very illegal and gangster business endeavours. Stoll, who dons a full head of hair as the fiery and ruthless gangster brother to Bobby, brings forth the charm and wit he did as Ernest Hemingway in Allen Midnight In Paris. An Allen alum, Stoll provides the film with some of its most expected comedy, yet is pitch-perfect as the tough guy older brother who knows no life other than the life of the streets.

Allen, who uses many of the same actors over in his films, Stoll twice, Eisenberg twice, Posey, Sirico and company, relies on his actors to deliver some of his most entertaining, fun and light-hearted material to date. Café Society is a fun, summerlicious filled romantic comedy with perfect instances of light-hearted dialogue and narrative that uses the beautiful jazz music as a mosaic of forbidden love and second chances.

While Café Society may not be the huge commercial success of other summer blockbuster films, the film is easily one of my favourite films of the year, delivering a true cinematically entrancing experience, much like Allen’s Midnight In Paris.

If there is one thing I would recommend this summer season, its to make sure to watch this film by any means necessary. Café Society proves again that, like many good comedies, most are written by sadistic comedy writers, and while Allen’s newest is far from sadistic, the film is an examined portrayal of an era of the golden days of cinema that brings back the golden, and leaves the rust behind. Sure, Allen can be completely self-absorbed with his films, making sure his unique cinematic voice is heard and quirkiness felt wholeheartedly, but, regardless of all that, I absolutely fell in love with this film. And while love is not rational, you fall, and lose control, which is the exact same feeling I had when leaving the cinema for this film.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

Mattyice

Jul 31, 2016

This film shows a reflective Allen with all his appreciable comedy and storytelling skills intact and on display. The film engages both the head and heart and should be seen by anyone looking for a thoughtful respite from the summer's car chases, hyperactive aliens and gratuitousThis film shows a reflective Allen with all his appreciable comedy and storytelling skills intact and on display. The film engages both the head and heart and should be seen by anyone looking for a thoughtful respite from the summer's car chases, hyperactive aliens and gratuitous bloodstained mayhem.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

jrodfilms

Aug 1, 2016

standard woody allen of his 2010 years. it actually feels a bit like irrational man, a story of romance, but with some dark themes hidden underneath it. the cinematography is amazing, and steve carrel isnt that annoying.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

LeZee

Oct 4, 2016

A boy from the east, a girl from the west and their life choice over romance.

If you are a film fanatic or a film critic, then the year never comes to end without watching a film by Woody Allen. He's just a Takashi Miike of the Hollywood, but the thing is he always delivers. He hadA boy from the east, a girl from the west and their life choice over romance.

If you are a film fanatic or a film critic, then the year never comes to end without watching a film by Woody Allen. He's just a Takashi Miike of the Hollywood, but the thing is he always delivers. He had created his own style of screen presentation like in the line of Wes Anderson and very few others. Uniqueness define his works and so this another romance twisted tale where the first half of the film sets in Los Angeles and the next half in the New York.

A young Jewish American wants to try his luck in the Hollywood seeks help from his uncle who's a popular an busiest agent in the film industry. He falls in love with his uncle's personal assistant, but she reveals she already has a boyfriend who's away now. After some twists in the tale, it becomes a romance-triangle. Who gets who and how it all ends brings the curtain to the film.

Like usual Woody Allen's background narration had an important role in the storytelling and all those romance troubles were quite nicely told. It opened so well, developed at its best in the middle, but it did not end on a high. I did not like the conclusion, or the last 10-15 minutes. But thankfully it avoided giving out the usual stuff and the end credits rolled up before clearing the situation in the story. That's one of the way to finish it off, which is obviously not clever like lots of films does that same trick. Whatever, still the film is worth a watch, because of the decent story and great performances, and obviously for Woody Allen.

6/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

cnakhla

Mar 14, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Overall this film had some enjoyable moments and was shot thoughtfully by Vittorio Storaro. However, the story felt un-original in its classic Allen 'young attractive girl with older man' framework, yet also satisfying the requisite of the nerdy young man also having the love of the attractive woman. My interpretation was that Allen split himself into two characters in this story. Jessie Eisenberg, so accurately it is annoying, plays the character of a young Woody like that of Annie Hall, he is an unappreciated and lovable 'boy next door' who gains the attraction of Diane Keaton/Kristen Stewart for no apparent or logical reason. While Carrel was playing the older more successful Allen, who is wealthy but loving, and also happens to end up with a beautiful young wife (leaving his older first wife who we never meet). If i didn't know who Allen was or hadn't seen any of his other films then perhaps i would have found this story more interesting. However the stripped down plot of the relationships portrayed were unoriginal and brought nothing new to cinema. For such a renowned film maker, i am still waiting for something more from Woody Allen.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

knowmoviesnose

Nov 5, 2016

With such a stellar cast, I was pretty disappointed. The dialogue with each of the main characters did nothing for character development whatsoever. It was the most shallow endeavor to display any single body that was on this movie that I've ever seen. I would have to say my favoriteWith such a stellar cast, I was pretty disappointed. The dialogue with each of the main characters did nothing for character development whatsoever. It was the most shallow endeavor to display any single body that was on this movie that I've ever seen. I would have to say my favorite Woody Allen movie is "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" because it developed the main characters through each and every interaction, and a great deal of that was through dialogue, humor, and mystery. This failed short on every aspect to make something interesting just... blah. All of the wardrobe and landscaping for a Woody Allen film may have been there with a few quips and quotes, but the substance was most definitely lacking.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SSH83

Oct 22, 2016

Jesse Eisenberg was a horrible casting choice. He turned all the charming bits into freakish and sexual-harassment. There is no sympathy for the Bobby character at the end because of this. Just a pathetic weirdo/loser and you wonder why do women even love him so. If the lead role wasJesse Eisenberg was a horrible casting choice. He turned all the charming bits into freakish and sexual-harassment. There is no sympathy for the Bobby character at the end because of this. Just a pathetic weirdo/loser and you wonder why do women even love him so. If the lead role was given to an actually charming actor, the movie would've worked much better.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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