2008 Woodie Awards
Unwanted Time Warp
Retro remake lacks relevance to today's audiences.
LaGina Phillips
Issue date: 11/17/04 Section: Valley Life
- Page 1 of 1
"Alfie" has many things working for it: creative casting, excellent acting and fine direction. However, the film has something working against it: the plot.
The moral of the story is that being a player is bad. When remaking a classic, the plot should still be relevant to today's audience. With Lewis Gilbert's 1966 "Alfie," starring Michael Caine, it was a ground-breaking, innovative topic to tackle. Today, the plot is played out.
In Charles Shyer's remake, Alfie (Jude Law) is a charming, attractive womanizer living in Manhattan. He makes his living as a limousine driver and knows what women want - using that knowledge to get what he wants.
Starting off, Alfie is the ultimate player, juggling an array of girlfriends, played by Marissa Tomei, Susan Sarandon, Jane Krakowski, Nia Long and Sienna Miller - Law's real-life girlfriend. As the story unfolds, Alfie turns into a caring and sympathetic character the audience starts to empathize with as his lifestyle begins to backfire, turning his life into a chronicled story of regrets.
In the book of bad movie remakes, "Alfie" is right under 2000's "Get Carter," another attempt at reprising a role crafted so well by Caine.
With "Get Carter" it was Sylvester Stallone trying his hand at the reins, with "Alfie" it's Law (Cold Mountain, Artificial Intelligence), who does bring some originality to the table as he attempts to make the character his own by turning Alfie into a charming guy who is easy to sympathize with, opposed to Caine's Alfie, who was every bit as dislikable as a comic book villain. Caine's Alfie referred to women as "it" and showed little remorse, but Law's Alfie is more manipulative than blatant in his treatment of women.
While the film doesn't have all the elements, what it does cover, it covers well. The supporting characters are just as talented as Law, with an outstanding performance by Omar Epps, playing Marlon, the naïve best-friend of Alfie. As Marlon is suffering through a break up with the love of his life, Lonette (Long), Alfie preys on Lonette and makes her the next in his long line of conquers.
Adding comedic relief is Gedde Watanabe (Long Duk Dong of Sixteen Candles), playing Wing, Alfie's high-strung boss.
Though the performances hold the film together, they aren't enough to distract the audience from the film's inadequately updated story line.
"Alfie" should have stayed in 1966.
The moral of the story is that being a player is bad. When remaking a classic, the plot should still be relevant to today's audience. With Lewis Gilbert's 1966 "Alfie," starring Michael Caine, it was a ground-breaking, innovative topic to tackle. Today, the plot is played out.
In Charles Shyer's remake, Alfie (Jude Law) is a charming, attractive womanizer living in Manhattan. He makes his living as a limousine driver and knows what women want - using that knowledge to get what he wants.
Starting off, Alfie is the ultimate player, juggling an array of girlfriends, played by Marissa Tomei, Susan Sarandon, Jane Krakowski, Nia Long and Sienna Miller - Law's real-life girlfriend. As the story unfolds, Alfie turns into a caring and sympathetic character the audience starts to empathize with as his lifestyle begins to backfire, turning his life into a chronicled story of regrets.
In the book of bad movie remakes, "Alfie" is right under 2000's "Get Carter," another attempt at reprising a role crafted so well by Caine.
With "Get Carter" it was Sylvester Stallone trying his hand at the reins, with "Alfie" it's Law (Cold Mountain, Artificial Intelligence), who does bring some originality to the table as he attempts to make the character his own by turning Alfie into a charming guy who is easy to sympathize with, opposed to Caine's Alfie, who was every bit as dislikable as a comic book villain. Caine's Alfie referred to women as "it" and showed little remorse, but Law's Alfie is more manipulative than blatant in his treatment of women.
While the film doesn't have all the elements, what it does cover, it covers well. The supporting characters are just as talented as Law, with an outstanding performance by Omar Epps, playing Marlon, the naïve best-friend of Alfie. As Marlon is suffering through a break up with the love of his life, Lonette (Long), Alfie preys on Lonette and makes her the next in his long line of conquers.
Adding comedic relief is Gedde Watanabe (Long Duk Dong of Sixteen Candles), playing Wing, Alfie's high-strung boss.
Though the performances hold the film together, they aren't enough to distract the audience from the film's inadequately updated story line.
"Alfie" should have stayed in 1966.
