Luminous Law What’s It All About

Whenever a major studio decides to remake a beloved film, it’s tempting to ask, “What’s it all about?” That’s an especially apt question when considering Paramount’s update of the Michael Caine favorite “Alfie” now starring Jude Law. But with Dionne Warwick subtly warbling that theme refrain over the famous studio logo, all my hesitation melted away a good ten minutes later. What’s it all about? How about a remake that’s worth the price of admission.

Smooth talking Brit Alfie Elkins (Law) is a New York limo driver who professes to subscribe to the European philosophy of life, namely wine, women and, well, more women. Nothing highbrow here, just a straightforward narcissist looking to retain his good looks and get laid as much as humanly possible. These “birds,” as Alfie calls them, melt under his charm and dashingly sexy smile, and he’s not above using them to score a hot meal or a backseat shag if need be. And, with him, the need always be, and that’s not an understatement.

But you can’t live an entire life completely devoid of dreams. That’s where best friend and fellow driver Marlon (Omar Epps, “Love & Basketball”) comes in. Together they’re going to purchase their firm from under the nose of their boss, turning it into THE luxury limousine company in Manhattan. Malon’s girlfriend problems are putting a serious crimp in the duo’s design, however, and Alfie attempts to rectify matters isn’t helping. His late-night schmoozing with the beauteous Lonette (a sultry Nia Long, “Love Jones”) is either going to produce a quick reconciliation between the two of them or, and it’s a distinct possibility, a punch in the face from Marlon. Alfie’s just not sure which.

Other than that, things are going swimmingly. Sure, long-time bird – and single mother – Julie (Marisa Tomei, “In the Bedroom”) has made him fly the coop, and he’s but the kibosh on a sex-only relationship with backseat dynamo Dorie (Jane Krakowski, “Go”), but that doesn’t mean things are falling apart. Heck, even an unwanted bout of flaccid-itis can keep Alfie down, especially after he runs into the dashingly smoldering Nikki (newcomer Sienna Miller) during a late-night run around town.

In Alfie’s mind, Nikki is his “Christmas Miracle,” saving him from a holiday of being alone. And as their relationship heats up – figuratively and literally – the suave lothario thinks he just might have found the woman he could actually think of settling down with. But after awhile, after the sparks start to die, Alfie discovers Nikki just might be the poster child for codependents, more in need of emotional care and human comforts than even he is. 

In reality, not much happens in “Alfie,” and yet I feel as if I’ve gone on one of the best, most long-lasting journeys I’ve been on all year. Alfie’s story is a sad one, a tale of a man so consumed with his own person he forgets to let his guard down and just let love in. He’s a cad; a womanizer lacking in self-confidence and trying to make up for it by bedding every sexy woman he meets. But this freewheeling lifestyle takes a toll, unraveling in ways Alfie isn’t prepared for, and as things fall apart this chic, stylish lothario is going to have to figure out if he has what it takes to be a man and join the human race.

I loved this movie, there are no two ways about it, and it should be noted up-front I was not prepared to. First off, even though I’ve never seen the original (a tragedy I will remedy as soon as I can get the time to rent the DVD) any remake of a Caine classic can’t help but raise my eyebrows. Second, I’m no fan of director Charles Shyer (“The Affair of the Necklace”), his (along with former cohort – and ex-wife – Nancy Meyers) remake of “Father of the Bride” one of the most unctuous I’ve ever had the displeasure of having to sit through. Yet this movie works very, very well, Shyer, Law and all the rest crafting a dramatic romance that stuck with me long after I left the theater.

Frankly, this is Law’s best performance. Sure, he’s shown glimpses of brilliance before in work as varied as “Cold Mountain,” “A.I.” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” but he completely outdoes himself here. Whether speaking directly to the camera – and breaking that third wall is never an easy thing to pull off – or wooing women of all shapes and sizes, Law’s Alfie is a character for the ages. He’s piggish and gruff, a bastion of smug priggishness that should be a complete turnoff. But the actor takes the character so much deeper, revealing bits and pieces of his inner-workings that, by the end, leaves him almost naked and emotionally bare. It’s a bravura performance, easily one of my favorites for the year, and I can only hope others see the same thing I did.

The rest of the cast is equal to the challenge. Tomei sparkles, Krakowski simmers and Miller brings things up to such a heated boil I could feel my own brow sweat. Epps, so good earlier this year in the otherwise anemic “Against the Ropes,” takes what is apparently a throwaway best friend role and raises it to stratospheric heights. He has a countryside meeting with Law that brought chills to my spine, Epps’ sad eyes and wounded smile enough to break my heart six ways from Sunday. Even better is Susan Sarandon (“Shall We Dance?”) playing a rich cosmetics queen whose every bit the female counterpart to Alfie. She has a world-weary sadness to her, an almost disheveled honesty that’s entrancing and disheartening all at the same time. Even with the means to live a lifestyle the likes of which Alfie cannot really imagine, is she really happy? And, if not, how will he ever be with only a fraction of her wealth to get by on?

Always having been an elegant director much in the Vincente Minnelli style, Shyer films things in a glossy, surrealistic style that keeps “Alfie” edgy, elegant and alive. He, editor Padriac McKinley (“Igby Goes Down”) and cinematographer Ashley Rowe (“Calendar Girls”) work in great tandem, every facet of the film feeling ornately organic. Even better is the director’s script. Working with “Not Necessarily the News” and “Murphy Brown” writer Elaine Pope, the duo show a laudable bravado to take “Alfie” into unsettling terrain that could very well turn away just as many audiences as they embrace. There are some touchy subjects broached here, some of them hitting more than a bit uncomfortably to home, but so many of them work so very well don’t mind me if I stand up and applaud.

Sure, Shyer doesn’t bag all of his syrupy tricks. There are a montage or two of such saccharine sweetness I really could have done without, and some of the stuff dealing with Alfie’s boss (played by annoyingly awful Gedde Wattanabe of “Gung-Ho” fame) is just plain embarrassing. Also, while the songs by Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart are really, really good, they don’t add anything to the picture. Instead, all they do is call attention to themselves, the movie stopping every time one plays as if the director is trying to say to everyone just how cool it is to have Jagger and Stewart onboard.

What saves “Alfie” from being just good and elevates it to greatness is one of the most strikingly poignant and powerful endings to hit theater screens this year. As I’m sure you’re all aware, an ending can make or break a picture in the span of a heartbeat. Just look at director M. Night Shyamalan. His ending for “The Sixth Sense” scored, and the movie benefited immensely becoming an instant classic. On the flip side, the denouement to this year’s “The Village” buried the film, no amount of great acting enough to salvage the flick in even the most casual viewer’s mind.

The ending here is priceless, sharp comeuppance for the title character, yet one sure to elicit tears from even the hardest heart. It’s an exquisite moment, and Law captures it beautifully. To talk about it more would be blaspheme, just know that as endings go, it is one I’ll cherish for quite some time.

What’s it all about? Perfection, and this is one remake that come close enough to kiss it.