My Blueberry Nights

I saw Wong Kar Wai’s new film My Blueberry Nights a week or two back. It has had fairly poor reviews, mostly criticising the film for being insubstantial but pretty. This is fair comment but the reviews seem much harsher than is deserved – the film really is gorgeous and it never felt like it was trying to do more than it did. There’s some very off the shelf elements but it’s all at the same level as genre fiction, something you’re being asked to buy into to allow the rest of the work to flow. Not something I’d consider atypical for one of his films – 2046, for example, had similar issues with its fractured plot getting in the way of engagement. The reviews feel like the critics were expecting something of the calibre of In the Mood for Love and are taking out their disappointment on My Blueberry Nights.