Cafe Society

Set in the 1930s, a young, Bronx-native (Jesse Eisenberg) moves to Hollywood where he falls in love with the secretary (Kristen Stewart) of his powerful uncle (Steve Carrell), an agent to the stars. After returning to New York he is swept up in the vibrant world of high society life and manages an exclusive nightclub with the help of his gangster brother (Corey Stoll).

At 80 years of age, Woody Allen has a career that few directors could match and a level of productivity that'd make any director balk. Since 2000, Allen has made seventeen films - all with varying levels of success, but all very much his own films with his own unique dialogue and texture. Cafe Society, a period piece, sees Allen exploring conspicuous wealth and the effect it has on people and, more pointedly, how success ultimately changes people for the better and for the worse.

Jesse Eisenberg is Bobby Dorfman, another Allen analogue, who's left New York to come to Los Angeles to seek his fortune and work for his talent agent uncle, Steve Carrell. It's the 1930s so, as you can imagine, it's in the Golden Age of Hollywood. In order to acclimate to the town, Carrell puts Eisenberg to work in a variety of menial tasks and introduces him to his secretary, Kristen Stewart. As Eisenberg's character walks through the glittering, glamourous parties of Old Hollywood, he develops something of a relationship with Stewart that, eventually, falls flat and sees him returning to New York to manage a new nightclub belonging to his gangster older brother, played by Corey Stoll.The story splits cleanly into two halves, with one part setting in the gold-drenched Hollywood and the second in New York's dazzling nightlife. As the relationship between Eisenberg and Stewart grows and percolates, it flicks back to Corey Stoll's gangster life - which is, in actuality, one of the most interesting parts of the film.

As mentioned, Eisenberg is working off a similar blueprint that Allen has lain down for his leading men; he's somewhat unsure of himself, he's excessively talkative, he's a romantic and cynical of the vacuous nature of Hollywood. This marks the second time Eisenberg's played a leading man for Allen and, by now, he seems to have it down pretty well. The real star of the film, however, is Kristen Stewart and gives probably one of the best performances of her career as Vonny. She lights up the screen with her with and humour, playing off Eisenberg and Carrell incredibly well and when she's cut out of the story, you begin to see the cracks in the film quite clearly. Blake Lively gives a certain amount of warmth to the film and looks as effortlessly glamourous as you'd expect whilst Carrell does well with what he's given.As mentioned, the most interesting part of the story is Corey Stoll's character, who the film refers back to at various points throughout and gives the film a real sense of humour. Coming away from the film, you'd almost wish the film focused more on him instead of Eisenberg moping around New York and Hollywood.

Allen's script is sharp and bright as anything he's done in quite a while and the film is probably his most visually impressive since Midnight In Paris. The use of period architecture, cars, music and costume design makes it all look beautiful and elegant, but there is a sense that he's focusing too much on it and allowing it to do the heavy lifting for a lot of the film. That said, Allen knows how to edit and cut a scene better than anyone and his skills haven't diminished. Where the film falters is when it cuts back to New York in the second half and loses its sense of direction. By the time the ending comes around, the film leaves you on a hanging note - which might just be the intention all along; that unrequited love is left hanging mid-air for years to come.

Overall, Cafe Society is a beautiful, nostalgia-driven romantic dramedy that has a few interesting points, but doesn't develop them fully enough to keep it memorable.