Lovely girl, Norah Jones. That sultry voice, armfuls of Grammys, a multi-platinum debut album that produced the ubiquitous hit “Don’t Know Why.”
But for all her charms and obvious talent, Jones seems outmatched in her first film, “My Blueberry Nights“, opposite more seasoned actors Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman.
The camera certainly loves her: From the first moment you see her with her soulful brown eyes, pillowy lips and mass of dark hair, it’s obvious why Wong Kar Wai would be intrigued enough by her to create a starring role with her in mind.
But the Hong Kong director’s first English film, another of his typically moody meditations on love, loss and loneliness, never feels like a comfortable fit for Jones, even though she’s made her name with songs that touch on those very themes. You can almost hear her reading her lines; she seems childlike, stiff, unsure of herself.
Jones stars as Elizabeth, who has been saddened by a ruined romance. Night after night, she seeks solace at a New York cafe, where the owner, Jeremy, feeds her blueberry pie, listens to her stories and becomes intrigued by her himself. Why blueberry, of all the pies in all the world? Because it’s the one that’s left over, untouched, at the end of each day. She feels sorry for it but there’s an engaging sweetness to the unexpected friendship they forge.
Tags: film, Grammy, Norah Jones
