Genius Products / The Weinstein Company
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The story for “My Blueberry Nights” comes from a short that director Wong Kar Wai had done years ago. His new feature, which has just come out on DVD, concerns the delicate relationship between the owner of a small New York diner (Jude Law as Jeremy) and a neighborhood gal with a freshly broken heart (a surprisingly endearing Norah Jones as Elizabeth). A light flirtation with the man who bakes the pies is not enough, however, for Elizabeth. And thus begins a road trip to some of the saddest corners of present-day America. She works at bars and casinos and coffee shops and the like. And it’s in those spots that she bears witness, and later becomes a player in the dismantled lives of these lost souls as they dig themselves deeper into their little messes. And it’s here on the road that she learns what we all do eventually. That there’s no place like New York. Much of her journey is tough to watch because it’s just, well, it’s straight-up deeeeepresing. Thankfully, a fine ensemble of actors fill those roles: David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman. And when she returns to New York and to Jeremy (as we know she will), he is beguiling and she is open to his kindness. It’s a very sweet - if very simple - story, but if the depravity of its characters affects you as it did me, then you may have to give it a couple tries before hitting the finish line that we are anticipating.