Cafe Society Review: 6 Ups & 3 Downs

2. Allen Narrates The Movie (And He's Great)

Woody sadly (if understandably) doesn't appear in his movies very often anymore, though fans will be pleased to learn that he does provide Cafe Society's occasional voiceover narration.

It comes as a bit of a shock at first, frankly, because Allen's voice has deepened and changed considerably over the years, so it sounds distinctly different from the widely-parodied version of his accent that's been doing the rounds for years.

Still, voiceover narration can so often come off as trite and lazy, but here it enhances the vintage texture of the film, and Allen's recognisable tenor is itself always a welcome flourish. It's abundant, though at the same time not distracting away from the core narrative.