Seen on: October 12, 2009

The players: Directors: Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Martson, Mira Nair & more, Writers: Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal, Alexandra Cassavetes & more, Cast:  Justin Bartha, Maggie Q, Orlando Bloom, James Caan, Hayden Christensen, Blake Lively, Julie Christie...

Facts of interest: None.

The plot: Following the concept of "Paris, je t'aime," this film boasts several short films about love set in the beautiful city of New York.

Our thoughts: I absolutely love “New York, I Love You,” and I don’t just say that because I love New York as a city. Much like its beautiful predecessor “Paris, je t’aime,” this wonderful cinematic anthology of short films set in the Big Apple proves that especially genius screenwriting and strong acting can create a truly memorable big-screen experience.

“New York, I Love You” boasts a series of simple short films written and directed by different filmmakers from all over the world, and much like the city itself, the movie carries a strong multicultural character I found very easy to appreciate and enjoy. Even though each of these shorts clearly differs in style, they all flow together really well packed into one feature.

It’s incredibly tough to talk about these films without revealing too much, so I will keep this short. Love is obviously the dominating theme in this movie, and you’ll definitely get to discover it in all its forms in “New York, I Love You,” a wonderful blend of comedy and drama that can make you laugh one second and deeply move you the next.

Like “Paris, je t’aime,” the film also boasts an all-star cast, but I never found the popularity of most of these actors to be distracting. On the contrary, the superb acting helps make some of these brilliant stories work beautifully, and I admit I was really surprised by some of the performances I got to witness in this marvelous homage to the city that never sleeps.

Of course, I encourage you to see the movie and discover the beauty of it yourself, but as far as I’m concerned, Ethan Hawke, Olivia Thirlby, Chris Cooper, Anton Yelchin and Qi Shu did an especially remarkable job in their respective shorts. In fact, the whole cast made most of these highly surprising stories work this well in the first place.

No, I didn’t necessarily fall in love with each segment, but I admit each of them managed to capture my full attention. In other words, “New York, I Love You” is one of those really absorbing films that jumps right into your mind, impresses you while you’re watching, and stays with you long after you’ve seen it. To me, that’s the true beauty of filmmaking.

I could go on and on and into more detail about which segments I loved so much and why, but that’s not the point of this review. I wrote this because I wanted to share how this experience made me feel, and I can only encourage you to go see it. Do that, and then return so we can discuss which shorts you loved and why.

Freaky quote: "I'm single now, so... dinner?" – Orlando Bloom

The final word: With films directed by talented filmmakers like Yvan Attal, Fatih Akin, Jian Wen and more, and actors including Orlando Bloom, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman and Maggie Q, this delightful big-screen anthology of love stories is a must-see for anyone who enjoys being inspired by easy, yet surprising storytelling. So yeah, I loved it.

Article by Franck Tabouring