Café Society

Cert: 12A. Now showing. Jazz, Jewish humour, old-school Hollywood, pretty ladies and a mild male protagonist: Now in his 80th year, on his 47th feature in 51 years, you’d forgive Woody Allen yet another film indulgence. Enter Café Society, which feels in ways like a particularly personal affair for the writer-director.

After all, like Allen himself, Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg) grew up in Brooklyn, the son of a Jeweller and a nagging Jewish mother. Unlike the bespectacled filmmaker, Bobby is the younger brother of a gangster (Corey Stoll) and suburbanite sister (Sari Lennick). Times are hard so Bobby sets off for Hollywood where his uncle Phil (a winning Steve Carell) is a big-name studio agent. He agrees to give Bobby some odd jobs and introduce him around. In the meantime, he assigns lovely assistant Vonnie (Kristen Stewart) to show Bobby the sights. Naturally, he falls hopelessly for her.

Vonnie has an obstacle in the way of returning any affections for Bobby — she is having an affair with Uncle Phil. When Phil refuses to leave his wife, she runs into the arms of a grateful Bobby but it is a doomed rebound. Bobby returns to NYC where he becomes a manager of a swinging nightclub and finds joy with society beauty Veronica (Blake Lively). He still holds a candle for Vonnie, however.

With dappled golden light gilding every immaculate costume, retro backdrop and comely face, Café Society is certainly easy on the eyes. Allen’s funnybone is more or less still working too, albeit with the odd recycled gag from days past. The most resounding take-away from the experience is an easy charm carried through by the human chemistry in the foreground. HHHH HILARY A WHITE