Wong a la mode

Probably only Wong Kar Wai could direct an American road movie that takes place mostly indoors – in cafes and bars, honky-tonks and casinos. When in the last third of "My Blueberry Nights," the movie finally bursts into daylight in the Nevada desert, it’s a breath of fresh air. Wong may have left behind the lacquered Chinoiserie of his recent films like “2046” and “In the Mood for Love,” but he still paints his interiors in hues of deep red and blue, maroon and magenta. Singer Norah Jones, the film’s central character, holds her own in the first episode, playing a jilted lover who strikes up a possible romance with a café worker played by Jude Law. (Law keeps feeding her blueberry pie, which becomes her new addiction as she mourns her lost love.) But when she lights out to Memphis and Nevada for the next two segments, she tends to fade into the background. First, David Strathairn pops up as a man who’s drinking himself to death in the wake of a break-up from his wife Rachel Weisz, who storms into the film and creates a scene or two. Then, Natalie Portman takes over as a reckless gambler coming to terms with her father. Through it all, the visuals are seductive, but the English-language dialog by Wong and Lawrence Block falls flat. “When a person goes away, it’s usually because they want someone to find them,” we are told, and then, “Good-bye doesn’t always mean the end, sometimes it means a new beginning.” Shut up, and pass me another piece of pie. At the first press screening, a few fans tried to generate some applause, but the screening room quickly fell silent. (Gregg Kilday)

UPDATE: THR film critic Kirk Honeycutt doesn't feel Wong breaks new ground, but he does find much in the film to admire. Here's the opening of his review:

"My Blueberry Nights" is a melancholy torch song in three-part harmony. In Wong Kar Wai's English-language debut, the acclaimed Hong Kong-based filmmaker brings before his always-prowling camera three stories about addiction -- addiction to alcohol, addiction to gambling and, most of all, addiction to love.
Nothing truly profound gets discovered, nor does this film mark a career breakthrough for Wong despite the shift in language and locale. The director is chasing a mood here -- a mood, an atmosphere and feelings -- much as he did in "In the Mood for Love," which premiered at Cannes seven years ago.

And THR's Ray Bennett, writing on his blog thecliffedge.com, offers an appreciation of the movie's soundtrack.

Singer Norah Jones stars in Wong Kar Wai‚s ruminative road picture "My Blueberry Nights," which opens the Festival de Cannes today, and she makes a fine impression in her acting debut, but she doesn‚t sing. The voice everyone will leave the picture thinking about is that of Chan Marshall, the gifted singer and songwriter from Georgia who leads the hot outfit Cat Power and the Memphis Rhythm Band. Chinese director Wong's beautifully shot first film in English, which prompted warm applause at this morning‚s press screening, isn't filled with music but there are some typically evocative guitar tracks from Ry Cooder and several songs featuring Marshall. She also shows up briefly onscreen with Law as former lovers in a sadly wry encounter. Composer Gustavo Santaolalla, who won Oscars for "Brokeback Mountain" and "Babel," also displays his expert picking on one track and Cassandra Wilson does a great job on Neil Young's plaintive "Harvest Moon." The soundtrack album for the picture, which costars David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman, is due out on Jones‚s label, Blue Note records.