10 Worst Performances In Otherwise Awesome 2016 Movies

Beyond directing Café Society, Woody Allen’s further contributions to the movie cre limited to just voiceover narration thankfully. Unfortunately though, it’s a grating and unnecessary addition to what is otherwise a pretty good movie.

We shouldn’t be too surprised really. Throughout his career, Allen has consistently cast himself in his own movies and often as characters that are thinly veiled versions of his nebbish and neurotic self. Even as he’s gotten older he hasn’t strayed from this familiar character formula, but rather hired younger actors as stand-ins for himself. Which is a bit egotistical when you think about it.

Admittedly, Allen’s insistence on inserting himself into Café Society doesn’t ruin the film. Jesse Eisenberg is eerily accurate in his channelling of the director in his role as transplanted New Yorker Bobby who moves to 1930s Hollywood and falls in with a surprisingly great Kristen Stewart as young ingénue Vonnie.

The cinematography is simply gorgeous too. Styled by the talented Vittorio Storaro whose past credits include Apocalypse Now, Last Tango in Paris and Bulworth, it’s a stunning visual homage to old school Hollywood.

Then in comes Allen’s croaky, uninspired narration which serves no purpose but unnecessarily shepherding the audience along through the plot. Which, funnily enough, would be a hell of a lot easy to follow if Allen didn’t keep yapping over it.