Woody Allen’s Café Society is a period romantic comedy set in 1930s Hollywood, but it plays like a meditation on betrayal, ambition, and the price of fame. The film premiered at Cannes in 2016 and reached U.S. theaters later that summer through Amazon Studios and Lionsgate. It earned a modest $43 million at the box office and holds a 6.4 out of 10 aggregate score, a middling mark that reflects a film that’s clever but rarely moving.
The story follows Bobby Dorfman, played by Jesse Eisenberg, a young man from a Jewish family in New York City who moves to Hollywood in the 1930s to escape his father’s jewelry business. There, he lands a job running errands for his uncle Phil Stern, played by Steve Carell, a powerful talent agent. Phil introduces Bobby to his secretary Veronica Hayes, played by Blake Lively, who helps him settle into the city. Bobby falls in love with Veronica, but she’s already involved with someone else: her boss, Phil himself.
Trailer, via Prime Movies.
Bobby and Veronica’s Double Life
The film’s central lie is that Veronica has a journalist boyfriend named Doug, whom she tells Bobby she has. In reality, “Doug” is Phil, and the two are carrying on an affair. Phil promises to divorce his wife and marry Veronica, but when the first-year anniversary of their affair arrives, he hands her a letter signed by Rudolph Valentino as a gift. Then he breaks the promise, telling Veronica he can’t divorce his wife and ending the affair.
Veronica, crushed, turns to Bobby. Their friendship deepens into romance, and the film spends its middle stretch watching Bobby try to hold onto a woman who’s already been used by someone more powerful than he is. The setup is simple, but Allen stretches it across nearly two hours, and the slow pace starts to work against the material.
The Cast Carries the Weight
Jesse Eisenberg plays Bobby as a nervous, awkward young man who’s trying to make his way in a city full of people who don’t care about him. He’s earnest and likable, and his performance anchors the film’s emotional core. Kristen Stewart, as Veronica, is cooler and more distant, playing a woman who’s been burned by love and is now using Bobby as a stand-in for the affection she can’t get from the man she truly wants. Steve Carell is excellent as Phil, a smooth operator who’s charming on the surface but cruel underneath. The chemistry between Carell and Lively is electric, even when the script forces them to play their affair as a secret.
Parker Posey shows up as Rad Taylor, a gossip columnist who’s obsessed with the Hollywood elite. Her scenes are the sharpest in the film, and she gets some of the best lines. Corey Stoll plays Ben Dorfman, Bobby’s gangster brother, and Ken Stott plays Marty Dorfman, Bobby’s father. The rest of the cast, including Jeannie Berlin as Rose Dorfman, Anna Camp as Candy, Paul Schneider as Steve, and Sari Lennick as Evelyn Dorfman, fill out the world around Bobby without getting much room to breathe.
The Hollywood of the 1930s
Allen sets the film in a glamorous, decadent version of Hollywood, full of parties, gossip, and backstabbing. The production design is lush, with wide shots of mansions and parties that evoke the era’s excess. But the film’s vision of 1930s Hollywood feels more like a cartoon than a lived-in world. The characters talk about the industry and its scandals, but the film never quite captures what it felt like to be there.
The film also includes a subplot involving a letter signed by Rudolph Valentino, a silent-era star whose death became a cultural sensation. The letter serves as a symbol of the past and the weight of history, but it’s a thin device that doesn’t carry enough weight to justify its prominence.
Where It Falls Short
The problem with Café Society is that the setup is stronger than the execution. The film spends too much time circling around its central triangle of Bobby, Veronica, and Phil without finding new ways to say what it’s already said. The pacing drags in the middle, and the final act rushes to tie everything up without giving the audience time to feel the stakes.
Allen is at his best when he’s writing sharp dialogue and character-driven scenes, and those moments are scattered throughout the film. But the overall shape of the story is less successful. The film’s themes of betrayal and ambition are valid, but they’re not developed with the depth that Allen’s best work demands.
A Comparison of the Leads
| Character | Actor | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Bobby Dorfman | Jesse Eisenberg | Young man from New York |
| Veronica Hayes | Blake Lively | Phil’s secretary, Bobby’s love interest |
| Phil Stern | Steve Carell | Powerful talent agent, Veronica’s lover |
The table above shows the film’s core trio, and it’s worth noting how different their roles are. Bobby is the innocent, Veronica is the seduced, and Phil is the seducer. The film’s success depends on the contrast between them, and the actors deliver.
The Verdict
Café Society is a competently made film with a talented cast and a premise that could have been richer. It’s clever, occasionally funny, and visually pleasing, but it lacks the emotional force that Allen’s best work has. The score of 6.4 out of 10 is fair, reflecting a movie that’s pleasant to watch without being essential.
The film’s tagline, “Anyone who is anyone will be seen at Café Society,” suggests a world of glamour and status. But the film itself is more interested in the lies beneath that world than the glitter on top. That’s a worthy theme, but it’s not enough to carry a two-hour feature.
The film’s ending sees Bobby heartbroken and Veronica choosing Phil over him. It’s a sad conclusion, but it’s also a predictable one. Allen’s films often end badly, but this one feels less tragic than exhausted.
The score of 6.4 out of 10 is fair, reflecting a movie that’s pleasant to watch without being essential. It’s worth seeing for the performances and the production design, but it’s not a film that demands a second look.
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