New York, I Love You

This anthology movie is a follow-up to Paris je t'aime, in which a group of filmmakers and actors celebrated their affection for the City of Lights with on-location-filmed short stories. Like its predecessor, this sequel is a mix of hits and misses—unfortunately, more of the latter. One of the few gems is Joshua Marston's simple tale in which veterans Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman play a bickering couple taking a slow stroll around Coney Island. Also appealing is Brett Ratner's droll story of a geeky high school student who's persuaded by a loudmouth druggist to escort his daughter to the prom, only to find out that she's in a wheelchair. But most of the segments are bland, and some are awful. The worst—an enigmatic piece of twaddle written by the late filmmaker Anthony Minghella (to whom the movie is dedicated)—is about an over-the-hill opera diva (Julie Christie) welcomed to an otherworldly hotel staffed by a wrinkled clerk (John Hurt) and a limping bellboy (Shia LaBeouf, speaking with a ridiculous accent). Reportedly, the producers plan to extend the I Love You concept to other cities, but judging from this entry, the tour might well be jettisoned. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two bonus segments (25 min.), and interviews with filmmakers Josh Marston (5 min.), Yvan Attal (4 min.), Shunji Iwai (3 min.), Mira Nair (3 min.), and Brett Ratner (2 min.), as well as trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a more miss than hit anthology.] (F. Swietek)