'Cafe Society' has humor, heartbreak

Woody Allen’s new film is a bittersweet 1930s-set romance starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart.

For some, learning this is a Woody Allen film is enough of an intrigue to see what his first significant release in quite some time will offer Panida patrons. For others the exceptional all star cast and the story will be the hook of “Cafe Society”. Led by Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Steve Carell, as well as a story that emphasizes both the old Hollywood nostalgia and the story’s basis in dreams, craftiness and a bit of humor.

Brooklyn kid Bobby Dorfman (Eisenberg) shows up in mid-1930s Hollywood hoping to get a job with his powerhouse agent uncle Phil (Carell), who makes the newcomer wait a bit before giving him an entry-level position. Uncle Phil bears more than a passing resemblance to legendary agent Charles Feldman who was Allen’s first Hollywood agent and the producer of “What’s New, Pussycat”. He can’t seem to utter a sentence without name-dropping and seems in all ways the master of his own universe. In Woody Allen fashion he does have an Achilles heel — he’s married, but is nuts about his assistant, the comely young Vonnie (Stewart).

Bobby’s wide-eyed at first, but disillusion sinks in when he falls for Phil’s secretary, Vonnie. She is a free spirit who rejects the name-dropping and doesn’t wasted effort being in awe of the celebrities she is around. Assigned by Phil to show his nephew around (basically showing him a lot of stars’ homes), Vonnie initially cools Bobby’s amorous enthusiasm by claiming she has a boyfriend, but Allen adroitly pulls the long-reliable levers of classic farce to create complications among the three and build pressure in all of them: Phil keeps vacillating between his wife and Vonnie, Vonnie can’t make up her mind either. After getting rejected by Vonnie, a heartbroken Bobby eventually decides he wants to move back to New York.

The strongest anti-Hollywood sentiment Allen can manage is having Bobby say, “It’s really a kind of boring, nasty, dog-eat-dog industry”). He then gets into business with his older brother Ben (Corey Stoll), a gangster who lets him run a nightclub that attracts the thrill-seeking rich and famous of the so-called Cafe Society. As the years go on, the successful Bobby marries and has a child with Veronica (Blake Lively) who knows there’s something in his past that shuts her out. Vonnie re-enters the picture. All the same, there’s nothing caustic in Allen’s approach here; as usual, his characters are wrapped up in their own neuroses, momentary desires and indecision, and they love to verbalize it all.

A pleasant and much enjoyed side note is the rich soundtrack of romantic tunes from the time period. Also enjoyable are the glamorous women’s costuming takes us back to the early days at the Panida. Sanot Loquasto’s production design takes you back to the town’s high-glamour days, while the cinematography. “Life is a comedy,” says Bobby, “but it’s one written by a sadistic comedy writer.” Woody Allen should know and, in “Cafe Society”, he has created a ravishing romantic shot through humor and heartbreak.

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ALSO COMING UP at the Panida: Don’t miss legendary comedian Gallagher’s on his stop in Northwest Idaho for his final tour Sept 20 and George Winston on Sept. 23.

For more information on upcoming events or tickets please visit www.panida.org

Patricia Walker is the executive director of the Panida Theater. She can be reached at patricia@panida.org.