Autumn in New York

Rating:
Summary: What's Eating Richard Gere?
Review: That's the question I ask myself every time I watch yet another disappointing Richard Gere vehicle. I have followed Gere's career since his breakout role in Terence Malick's brilliant "Days of Heaven", and nothing he's done since has fufilled the early promise he displayed in that film. It seems time and again the Movie Gods smile on him with a great role, which he immediately follows up with a piece of steaming celluloid ka-ka. After giving a gutsy performance in one of the defining films of the '80s, 'An Officer and a Gentleman', Gere followed that up with fluff-pieces like 'American Gigolo', 'No Mercy' and 'Breathless', in which he had little to do other than exploit his looks and his bad-boy persona. The occasional attempt to break out of this stereotype and display some actual acting chops('Yanks', 'King David') still appeared unfocused and scattershot.

Then Gere discoved the Tao, vegetarianism and Cindy Crawford, and seemed to enjoy a career renaissance of sorts to go along with his newfound inner balance. 'Pretty Woman' put him on the A-list of romantic leading men and ushered in Act II of Richard Gere as Sex Symbol. He gave a heartbreaking, Oscar-worthy performance opposite Jodie Foster in 'Sommersby', and was evil personified as the rogue cop in 'Internal Affairs', a brave gamble that displayed that yes, the man can indeed play against type when he chooses to. Unfortunately, the the same time period was also marred by missteps ('Final Analysis'; 'Intersection')--that found him lapsing into his comfortable glib bad-boy persona again, only this time around, on a mature Gere, it sits even less well than it used to. Recent attempts to recapture the romantic comedy-hero magic of PW--'First Knight', 'Runaway Bride'--fall flat. Those movies are appealing enough, if one can look past the detail that Richard is getting a little long in the tooth for these parts and more or less appears to be sleepwalking through them. Of late, the most intriguing bit of a Richard Gere picture is the Hair--will it be brown or silver or somewhere in between? Shortish or Beethoven long? And that's a pretty sad commentary on the quality of his performances.

Which brings us to 'Autumn in New York', which I would call the nadir of Richard Gere's career except that I haven't yet seen 'Dr. T and the Women'. I'm saddened by what seems to be the undeniable conclusion--Richard Gere has the stuff to have become one of the finest American actors of his generation but time and again he has sacrificed his talent on the altar of Hollywood commercialism. Despite his tireless off-screen activism promoting spiritual values, it seems like a totally different Gere, a much shallower one, that makes his movies. His personal life seems to be in no way informing the choices he makes in his work, and I would have expected better from such a vocal proponent of spirtual balance as he has been.

It could be that Mr. Gere is sincerely conflicted about his dual role as Movie Star and World's Second-Most Famous Buddhist, and not surprisingly is finding the two mutally incompatible. It would be better in that case to gracefully withdraw from the Hollywood limelight as his fellow activist Robert Redford has done, rather than involve himself in such low-brow projects as his most recent cinematic ventures. His presence in movies like 'Autumn in New York' doesn't elevate the material as one would think. In less high-profile hands, the movies mightn't be bad at all. But Gere is capable of much better, so the movies appear that much worse by comparison. Let's hope he rediscovers his passion for acting, and soon. Otherwise he'd better retire to that mountaintop in Tibet and spare us any more painful excercises in futility like these.

I give this film 2 stars for the lovely exterior shots of New York and the always pixie-ish charm of Winona Ryder. Mr. Gere gets no stars for recycling his same tired ladies-man schtick again. If you want a feel-good valentine New York, watch 'Harry Met Sally' or almost anything of Woody Allen's instead.

Rating:
Summary: Quite a letdown
Review: From the beginning, the movie looked promising, with dazzling New York as the backdrop, and Diana Krall crooning at the background. Not a bad effort for Joan Chen as the director & she engaged the service of one of the most famous cinematographer in China. All actors & actresses in this movie were trying their best to sustain the movie but the downer would be the predictable script rite to the dote. An ageing handsome playboy restauranteur who fall in luv with a young & innocent soon-to-die attractive girl. Initially, it's all for a fling until his heart told him otherwise that he was in luv with the girl but alas, it wasn't meant to be. To make the movie more interesting, there was this mysterious woman who was tracking down the restauranteur but when her identity was revealed, it was quite unreal. No surprises here & despite its beautiful cinematography, this movie failed to captivate my emotions & I'm adamant that many viewers shared my point of view. Having said that, for a quiet nite viewing, just perhaps, this could be the one for you.

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful, Old Fashioned Screen Romance.
Review: If "Autumn in New York" were a Remake, you'd Swear that the Original would have starred and Older Cary Grant and the Ever Youthful Audrey Hepburn. It's Lack of Originality and Surprise is Not Enough to Offset the Beauty that the film Delivers in Spades, or the Enjoyment that one gets from such an Old Fashioned Love Story.

Winona Ryder and Richard Gere are both Very Charming in the Romantic Roles that they inhabit in this film. These Attractive Leads are supported by Attractive Co-stars (Jill Hennessy, Anthony LaPaglia, Sherry Stringfield and Vera Farmiga), let's not forget the Attractive Directing (by Actress turned Director Joan Chen), Attractive Cinematography and Attractive Production Values that the film Also Provides. Who needs Originality or Classic Dialogue when we get such Beautiful Images in their place. Honestly, what the film Does lack in Story and Script, it makes up for in Other ways.

The Best Scenes in the Film don't even involve Gere and Ryder's Romance; they involve the Mysterious Lisa, played Wonderfully by Newcomer Vera Farmiga. She is Beautiful, she brings out the Best in Gere and her scenes are just So well Written. Her scenes raise some Delicate Issues and they are Handled Honestly and they Cleverly Avoid Clichés.

I only gave the film 3 stars as it Is quite a Forgettable film in the end, no matter How much I enjoyed watching it, I Know I won't enjoy it Half as much on it's Next viewing. It's a Fluffy, Forgettable Love story that should please All fans of Romance films.

Rating:
Summary: I Thought It was a Great Movie
Review: Autumn in New York, in my opinion, was a great movie because it made a selfish man realize that a person can end up alone. Will is your typical 48 year old man that owns a successful resturant. He has a flaw that stands out which is that he is a womanizer. You have Charlotte who is a 22 year old free spirit who acts every bit like she has not grown up from being a child.

It seems like their personalities would clash, and some would say that they do, but I say that they don't. After the one night stand, Will tells Charlotte that he does not want to hurt her, and what they did was just a "fling". Charlotte ,on the other hand, reveals to him that is what she was looking for, too, but a little bit more. She tells him that she is ill, and that since she does not have long to live that they should give each other a chance because Will does not have to worry about becoming attach.

One night, Will, has a one night stand with his ex-girlfriend, and the scene is so powerful when Charlotte finds out what he has done.

Chen and the way she puts the scenery together does make Autumn in New York beautiful. The colors of nature and the colors of that the people wear interwined beatuifully, and so, those Will and Charlotte's love. Will finally gets why it is so important to love because love those hurt. But love also can be a beautiful thing.

Rating:
Summary: Not Flawless, But Still Delicate and Beautiful
Review: Some people complained that this movie was long and drawn out; others complained that there was no chemistry between Gere and Ryder. While these observations have their validity, I think the people who raised these complaints did not see that these are the film's very merits. There is no real chemistry between Ryder and Gere, but that is the whole point. Under normal circumstances this relationship would never have happened. BUT THE SITUATION OF THIS RELATIONSHIP IS NOT NORMAL. Yes, the movie is really slow, but this is not a movie with a typical plot, climax, and conclusion. We are dealing with a very young woman's last moments. (Her last autumn, her last Halloween, the last time she'll see the autumn leaves, the last snow she'll see, her last Christmas, the last time she will ice skate, etc.) These are NOT moments to be quickly glossed over; rather they should be savored. Even though her character may appear happy, we should feel some sorrow knowing that she will never experience these things again. One person made a valid point by saying, we should watch for the change in colors, the flow of the autumn leaves, the seemingly unimportant noises like the rain drops, the flight of the birds, and the falling of the snow. This is not really the drum I march to, but I will say this is one movie you should watch at least once.

Rating:
Summary: Much more than it seems
Review: The DVD could have more special features; a commentary by the Director (Joan Chen); interviews with the principal actors; commentary by the composer. Out takes. We get none of these. But the film is well crafted, very well written and entertaining. So this purchase is a good one.

On its beautiful surface, Autumn in New York is a typical romance. From the colors-all golden-red (leaves), plum-colored (dresses, sweaters), warm orange (lamps), subtle charcoal grays, elegant blacks, rich ivories, and crystalline whites-to the pale beauty of the ingenue (Charlotte), often the brightest image on the screen and therefore the place to which our eye is naturally drawn. Will with his thick silver mane, mature good looks and urbane way, complements her perfectly. But this is a subtle, sly film and not everything is what it seems. The director (Chen) tells us as much in a brief transition scene when a briskly walking Charlotte slows to ask an elderly woman on the street if she needs help shortly after we have seen Charlotte herself collapse in the previous scene. Charlotte is a woman-child contradiction, sometimes having more in common with the children (her bedtime-story butterfly scene) of Will's contemporaries than with Will himself ("I'm a creep. You're a kid.").

The story and dialogue are spiced with irony and delicious inversions. Charlotte for all her seemingly naïve "wow"ness seems to control the outcome of most events planned by Will. In their first extended conversation (on the phone) he points out that she says "wow" an awful lot. ("You're all grown up now. When is that going to stop.") But when she emerges from the limo in a gown he bought for their date, it is his turn to say "wow." (You will too when you see Ryder in the dress). Later in the evening, Charlotte takes Will's "unprecedented and therefore utterly unpredictable," come-on line, identifies it as such, then declares it true not because of anything Will intended, but in spite of him. He thinks he's doing the seducing but in fact it is she who seduces him (the stairway scene). The morning after (breakfast scene), he tells her they have no future, "only what we have now." But it is Charlotte who trumps him by taking his standard noncommitment line, quoting it back to him after having given it a deeper meaning (she'll soon be dead), once again making it her own. Between the two, it is she who wields power through language and through the intensity with which she occupies time: "What shall we do, Will...with this moment that we're in?"

Despite her poetizing, soft voice and impeccable manners, there is a voracious quality to Charlotte's love. It is selfish (she knows, as does Will, that she will be the one to leave), hurried ("I'm way out front in the love race.") and implacable ("...give it...share it!"). Charlotte has to live and love a lifetime in a single season. Will is actually the young kid in the way he lives his life; a string of young women with no commitments, an out-of-wedlock daughter he has ignored, his casual betrayal of Charlotte with an ex-girlfriend at a party. His use of language in not taking responsibility for his behavior: ("I guess I had sex with Lynn McHale...")

So what we have is this duality, a romantic, poetic surface contrasted with a pragmatic underside where we get a good look at the gears of love's machinery. This begins in the second scene of the film in the kitchen of 458. Will is busy locating a Chilean bass that is masquerading as an Arctic Char, finds the bouilla baisse missing. Lots of cursing, complaining, and asking for raises. All of this activity is the basis for the ambience out front. Charlotte, grandmother and friends are celebrating her 22nd birthday. After a charming introduction and a little witty reparte, Will sends over 3 bottles of Crystal. His maitre de knows it's an investment. This doubleness returns again when we overhear Will's driver and doorman chatting. The driver showed up early because it is raining. Charlotte and Will may be spending a romantic night out, but these guys are working. They are part of the machinery that helps make the romance possible. Charlotte delivers Will's hat and we see him chewing out one of his vendors for the quality of Parmegian cheese he had recently delivered. Will is still the tough taskmaster when he accuses Charlotte of being late. He recovers quickly enough with a compliment "what's the point of being young and beautiful if you can't keep men waiting," but we get the idea.

Of course the most powerful contrast of all is Will and Charlotte's last moment together. He recites poetry, they exchange expressions of love and commitment, but this romantic parting is harshly interrupted by the medicine-speak of Dr Grandy and a nurse as they burst into the room and brusquely roll Charlotte away for surgery. The romantic moment is not quite done but life has its own timetable. The last time we see Charlotte she is alone staring up at the harsh surgery light, to me, one of the more powerful moments in the film.

I could go on, the themes: the linking of sex and responsibility, truth and lies, birth and death, childhood versus adulthood, transitions (metamorphosis), time, surface and what lies beneath. The symbolism: white for death, purple for mourning, the butterflies, the swan image in Charlotte's art and the single swan in the last scene (they mate for life), reflections (windows, water, mirrors, glass beads). The sound track (especially the Elegy for Charlotte and Jennifer Paige's Beautiful during the credits) works perfectly. This film needs time and patience. Immerse yourself in it and Autumn in New York will yield its treasures a little at a time and move you deeply.

Rating:
Summary: Why oh why was this movie made!
Review: I should have known back in August when critics weren't even allowed to review the film; I should have known when the shear mention of the film caused friends to shudder. I should have known that when my best friend fell asleep during it in the theater that this one was not a winner; I REALLY should have known that when I already saw twenty copies pulled off the shelf with a 9.99 price tag on them that I was in for a stinker, but I've never really agreed with critics before and having been a fan of Richard Gere since "Pretty Woman" I thought I should give it a chance. I want my four bucks back.

Some people JUST don't have chemistry. I've seen Pretty Woman probably about 5,000 times and cry everytime I watch it; here you have a movie with a woman dying and I can't even shed a tear. Everytime Richard and Winona looked at each other I felt bugs crawling up and down my body and I've never felt like that during any romantic movie. I kept watching, I was giving it a chance. No matter how great an actor is, you can't save a bad script. THIS is the reason I don't watch soap operas. No amount of acting can save a movie from lines like "Let me love you." I felt like I had food poisening my stomach churrned so much. Not to mention that sex scene, I've never been more uncomfortable. You could just tell that it was not making love, it was two people forced to be kissing and rubbing up against each other. To quote what someone else had said, it was CREEPY! Not to mention the whole "I love him even though he had a fling with my mother." that just has Jerry Springer written ALL over it.

Now for the good points. Richard looked good, which isn't saying much, he always looks good. The chemistry between Will and his daughter was more touching then anything between him and Charlotte. Then there are the supporting actors I felt BAD for. Jill Hennessey whom I've adored since Law & Order and took my breath away for her protrayl as Jackie Kennedy, tried as best she could to make this movie work with the few scenes she had, but of course was unsuccessful. Elaine Stritch has many awards on her mantel, but not even that could save this garbage from being hauled to the landfil. Anthony Lapaglia has great one on ones with Richard, but even I could tell he didn't want to be there. Sherry Stringfield left "E/R" so she could move to New York and spend time with her boyfriend, so we know she isn't known for her good career moves.

When I first saw the trailer the movie looked good, the trailer made me cry, but then again the trailer was only a minute and a half long, not an hour and fourty four minutes of shear agony.

I never thought I'd ever write a bad review for a movie; there are many I did not like but my two cents really doesn't matter, but this one just should have never been made. But for the record, I will always love Richard, no matter what stinkers he made.

Rating:
Summary: Just how it really is!
Review: I can't believe that this film has been criticised so badly! It just tells a very different love story which does exist a lot more than we think! I once had a relationship just like Charlotte has with Will! The young woman flattered, the "older" (not old!) guy just having fun at first ("No future!" and flings with ex-girlfriends)- hey that does sound familiar to me! The relationship is caught very realistic and down to earth. The chemistry between Gere and Ryder is there, just different for it is a different relationship. The friends act as expected, finding it wrong at first but get along with it after a while. And in addition to that story: New York at its best with autumn colours, wonderful music and two actors very nice to look at (Gere still an eye-catcher!)! What else do we want?

Rating:
Summary: Forced Attempt at a Tearjerker
Review: First off I am a huge Richard Gere and Winona Ryder fan, so eagerly anticipated this flick despite the vast criticism it endured (what do critics know?? listen only to me...)but felt ultimately let down by this film.

Gere and Ryder just don't have any chemistry together. Plus, my beloved Gere is aging fast, and it was kind of hard to believe that Charlotte would dig him for his body. Characters repeatedly refer to how good looking Gere is, and his way with women. Huh? Pretty Woman era Gere, yes, but this Gere? He seems thin, and his hair is too long.

But I digress. The story is shockingly uninvolving, and Charlotte's character in particular is just hard to believe. Most laughable moment: Charlotte says out of the blue, "I can SMELL the rain".....

The film never managed to really affect me, I felt that their romance never got off the ground. It is hard to see why Gere cares so much for the Ryder character.

The Grandmother is the most intriguing character in the film, and we never get to know about her. Also, things seem completely unresolved between Ryder and her Grandmother. She basically ditches her Grandma to spend her last days with Gere. Mysterious.

The beads were a very corny overdone touch, as was the ice skating incident. And Charlotte collapses too darn often.

My favorite element of the film was when Gere, a marvelous VEGETARIAN in real life-you go Gere! prepares a meatless feast for Charlotte and his friends. A great plug.

I am saddened to so thoroughly diss this misfire, but diss I must.

Rating:
Summary: Melodramatic Autumn
Review: The chemistry between the two lovers is lacking; the man is old enough to be the woman's father, but that is not the stumbling block to the romance--the woman is terminally ill. This is what Autumn in New York is about. Well, the movie is just an unsuccessful melodrama. I found it creepy and ludicrous.