New York has always been a city idealized with the phrase “bright lights, big city.” People move there to fall in love, start a career or begin a new life. Behind the romanticized city made of glass and steel skyscrapers, there is a deeper layer: people, love and relationships.
“New York, I Love You” explores the major complicated theme that is love. The film is described on the official website as: “love in all its varieties, from first love, tough love and momentary love, to love remembered, love denied, love yearned for and love that lasts forever.”Love is a tricky, sticky emotion that makes people act like fools and drives us all crazy.
In “New York, I Love You” there are 11 short vignettes, with 11 different directors, representing a brief glimpse into the lives of every day New Yorkers. The film begins as all excellent stories about New York do – in a cab. Bradley Cooper gets into a cab in a hurry to meet his steamy one-night stand at a bar for a possible round two, while he shares the car with Andy Garcia.
The story shifts to a blonde Rachael Bilson taking photos of herself in a sidewalk photo booth. She drops one photo which is picked up by Hayden Christensen. On a whim he follows her into a bar, which comes off as a bit creepy, and tries to chat her up. He discovers her boyfriend is a married man, who doesn’t treat her with dignity. After leaving the bar, Bilson follows Christensen in hot pursuit – a new beginning?
What about first loves? A teenager is dumped by his girlfriend (Blake Lively) the night before the Prom. Instead, he takes the local drug store owner’s beautiful daughter only to find out she’s in a wheelchair, much to his dismay.
Each story emphasizes a particular situation – what goes right or wrong. There are depressing moments such as in one moment, a young Chinese girl becomes the muse for an elderly alcoholic painter. Before she can sit for him, he does presumably of a heart attack. Everyone can relate to at least one of these small moments in these people’s lives. Or the hilarious parts such as when the old couple walks to the pier to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Their story opened with the woman nagging her husband, “don’t walk so fast. I don’t want to have to call an ambulance.”
I thoroughly enjoyed this film and fast past movement from person to person. You get just enough snippets in their lives to understand their emotions and then you move on. At times the love in a situation can be really confusing to understand because the brief interaction the audience has with the characters. Also, the movie can seem disconnected the way the stories are laid out. In the end, it all becomes connected via a character who is a film maker, documenting all of these moments on tape.
I related most to a brief moment between Bradley Cooper and Drea De Matteo. They have a really steamy night together, meet up at a bar and then ask now what? The hot cab scene at the end of their situation – been there done that. And would gladly do it again.
♥ – Erin
