Cannes, France — Critical darling auteur Wong Kar Wai may have a knack for luscious cinematic compositions, but his limited narrative sensibilities hobble this scattershot romantic drama.
Singer Nora Jones makes an unflattering acting debut as Elizabeth, a relationship refugee turned vagabond who blunders into Jude Law's romantic reverie when she enters his character Jeremy's New York diner.
Rather than create a character, Jude Law relies on his bag of stock behaviors as the person that Elizabeth corresponds with on her cross-country road trip that takes up most of the superficial story.
A scene-stealing sub-plot with David Strathairn as an alcoholic cop and Rachel Weisz as his tramp of a wife serves mainly to distract from film's off-key pop-culture melodrama.
Natalie Portman gives a hit or miss performance as Leslie, an accent-slurring Las Vegas poker pro who hoodwinks Elizabeth whose lack of common sense makes her an unsuitable protagonist.
Rated PG-13. 90 mins.
