“New York, I Love You” is Hollywood’s answer to French self-love.
Following in the footfalls of the nuanced and artsy “Paris, je t’aime,” a vignette-style film paying homage to every arrondissement of Paris, an all-star cast of Hollywood talent are out to prove that New York is just more interesting.
Composed as an anthology of short films, each separately crafted by different directors, “New York I Love You” combines love stories from every neighborhood that resonate as a whole. The grand love affair, of course, is with The Big Apple itself, and the film promises to be a patriotic ode. If much has changed in this country in the aftermath of 9/11, New York City remains, here and in the rest of the world, the best representation of the American ideal.
Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, the “Hot Knishes” (as Portman called them) from The Other Boleyn Girl, are making their directorial debuts. Rush Hour director Brett Ratner also directs a segment, along with Yvan Attal, the Jewish-French actor/filmmaker. Portman also stars in the film, joining a torah scroll of talent that includes James Caan, Ethan Hawke, Christina Ricci and John Hurt.
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