This entertaining and engaging film about New York City is the second release, following Paris Je T'aime, in what producer Emmanel Benbihy calls the "Cities of Love" series. The next films will take place in Rio de Janeiro and Shanghai in 2010, then Jerusalem and Mumbai in 2011.
New York, I Love You showcases the work of eleven international filmmakers whose short tales each focus on love; they are set in one or more neighborhoods in the city. Taken together, these vignettes of life in the metropolis reveal the connections that tie people together, the manifold mysteries of human nature, and the yearning which drives men and women in a quest for intimacy. In director Yvan Attal's segment, a character says:
"You know what I always like about New York . . . these little moments on the sidewalk, smoking and thinking about your life . . . you can watch buildings, feel the air, look at the people and sometimes you meet someone you feel like you can talk to."
A story set in Chinatown and directed by Jiang Wen features Hayden Christensen as a pickpocket who meets the beautiful woman (Rachel Bilson) whose picture is in the wallet he has stolen. Her boyfriend (Andy Garcia) shows up and cleverly turns the tables on him.
Mira Nair's tale is set in the Diamond district, and it is a gem. Irrfan Khan is a Jain Indian diamond dealer, and Natalie Portman plays a Hasidic Jew and bride-to-be. Their encounter draws them together in a connection that transcends race, gender, and religion.
In a segment set on the Upper West Side, Shunji Iwai probes the mysterious series of events which draw an isolated young musician (Orlando Bloom) together with a perky young woman (Christina Ricci) who takes an interest in the project he is working on.
Yvan Attal's film is set in Soho where a writer (Ethan Hawke) tries to seduce a call girl (Maggie Q) but she has a big surprise for him. He also presents a tale about a woman (Robin Wright Penn) who tries to seduce a man (Chris Cooper) standing outside of a restaurant. In both cases, we see that one never knows what to expect in the city where strangers have their own agendas.
One of the most appealing stories is directed by Brett Ratner. A gawky teenager (Anton Yelchin) takes a beautiful girl (Olivia Thirbly) to the prom in a wheelchair. But his mind is blown when they arrive in Central Park and she goes way beyond fulfilling his wildest fantasies.
Shekhar Kapur takes us to the Upper East Side for a surreal tale featuring a former opera singer (Julie Christie) and a bellhop (Shia LaBeouf) dealing with life, death, and memory. The other segments feature films by Allen Hughes in Greenwich Village, Natalie Portman in Central Park, Faith Akin in Chinatown, and Joshua Marston at Brighton Beach.
