New York, my kind of town

In theaters Friday: Cop Out, The Crazies

New on DVD/Blu-ray: The Box, The Damn United, Everybody’s Fine, The Informant!

Let’s get a few things out of the way. If any place on earth has been overexposed by Hollywood it is New York City. Second, when Paris, je t’aime premiered in 2006, its unique blend of short films set in the French capital came to fruition because of the dedication of a number of skilled and critically-acclaimed filmmakers. Heavyweights like the Coen Brothers, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Gus Van Sant and Alexander Payne, to name a few, really upped the typical batting average for an omnibus film such as this. Producing a sequel in this self-proclaimed “Cities of Love” series was not a good idea.

And yet, here is New York, I Love You—out now on DVD and Blu-ray. Against all odds, it too has more rewards than regrets. The superstar directors are gone, however, replaced instead by a team of younger, but no less international and talented filmmakers. Don’t expect to see the icons of NYC filmmaking, though. No Martin Scorsese. No Woody Allen. No Spike Lee. Instead, Mira Nair, actress-cum-director Natalie Portman and Rush Hour creator Brett Ratner will be the most recognizable names. The rules were the same. Each director had 24 hours to shoot, one week to edit the film to eight minutes or less and each short had to convey the feel of a certain neighborhood within New York City.

Unlike Paris, these stories intertwine and snake in and out of each other like the subway lines beneath Manhattan. Narratives halt and then reprise later on, often in unexpected ways making New York feel much more of a piece than its anthology-like European predecessor. Fans of Before Sunrise will enjoy Ethan Hawke’s two appearances. Orlando Bloom surprises by playing so against type as a creatively constipated movie composer. Sean Penn’s estranged ex Robin Wright Penn surprises by playing things so close to home as a cuckholded wife trying to reconnect with her husband.

Unfortunately, Mira Nair’s Natalie Portman-starring section is overwrought emotionally for such a short film—it doesn’t quite have the time to earn its climactic moment. I guess sensing this, Nair throws in an unnecessary flashback. This edit backfires, only proving how weird it is to flashback to something we saw happen two minutes ago.

On the other hand, the Anthony Minghella-penned segment Shekhar Kapur directed for Minghella—the filmmaker died before he could helm the short film himself—is a masterwork of quiet intrigue, mood and mystery. Truly, this is required viewing. Not only for its amazing atmosphere, but because it contains far and away Shia LaBeouf’s greatest performance to date as a crippled, Russian butler who also just might be a figment of Julie Christie’s imagination. LaBeouf gets a lot of beef for the blockbuster movies he makes, but this short really reveals the promise he has as a serious actor. How ironic because about a billion more people will see him in Transformers than in this wonderful film.

Brett Ratner’s breezy prom night piece is light-hearted but surprisingly heartfelt. Strangely, the director—who went to NYU film school—tries to channel director Wes Anderson with an original Mark Mothersbaugh score, James Caan in full-on Mr. Henry mode from Anderson’s Bottle Rocket, and a downtrodden but sparky lead in Anton Yelchin recalling Rushmore’s Max Fischer. Ratner’s mimicry falls way short, of course, but Ratner trying to be Anderson is better than Ratner trying to be Ratner. In the end his tale really works.

If you want to see some of your favorite actors in unlikely roles, the boutique stories and atmospheric trips through the boroughs of New York City in New York, I Love You are worth exploring.