My Blueberry Nights (2007)

47% of critics liked it
(123 reviews)
62% of users liked it
(31,196 ratings)

Legendary filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai directs Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, and Norah Jones in his first English-language feature film -- a romantic road movie detailing the cross-country journey of a woman who sets off across the United States in hopes of mending her broken heart. Elizabeth… More Legendary filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai directs Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, and Norah Jones in his first English-language feature film -- a romantic road movie detailing the cross-country journey of a woman who sets off across the United States in hopes of mending her broken heart. Elizabeth (Jones) has just been through a particularly nasty breakup, and now she's ready to leave her friends and memories behind as she chases her dreams across the country. In order to support herself on her journey, Elizabeth picks up a series of waitress jobs along the way. As Elizabeth crosses paths with a series of lost souls whose yearnings are even greater than her own -- including a troubled cop (David Strathairn), his estranged wife (Rachel Weisz), and an embittered gambler (Natalie Portman) -- their emotional turmoil ultimately helps her gain a greater understanding of her own problems. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Kar Wai Wong
Written By: Kar-Wai Wong, Lawrence Block
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: May 16, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jul 1, 2008
Studio: The Weinstein Company

Critic Reviews

Peter Howell, Toronto Star
[A] flaky disaster.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
The casting problem starts with the movie's lead, Norah Jones.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
It's not the pie that is meant to make this watchable, it is Wai's greatest gift, observing people, little slices of life in New York, Memphis or Nevada. Unfortunately in this case, those slices don't add up to a meal, or even dessert.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Fans of Chinese director Wong Kar Wai's dreamy, romantic films will find My Blueberry Nights a luscious treat, although newcomers to his world of sensuous longing will no doubt wonder what all the fuss is about.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
Only in flashes does Wong Kar-Wai let you forget about the relentless, meticulous beauty long enough to lose yourself inside it.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Few directors regularly exploit so well film's capacity for capturing the present and the past in the same instant. Wong is plugged into a special zone that feels that joy of experience and the pain of recollection simultaneously.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
The too-neat screenplay doesn't allow for nearly as much improvisation as Wong's earlier Hong Kong reveries, but this impressionistic canvas is still profoundly sensuous and floridly vulnerable
Rob Nelson, Boston Phoenix
Three years after 2046, Wong Kar-wai is not in love any more--and I for one am happy for him.
Simon Weaving, Screenwize
a languorously slow-baked affair
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
It's a middling sort of experience at the movies.
Paul Byrnes, Sydney Morning Herald
That's another thing about Wong: even when you're not quite sure what he's trying to say, or if he actually has anything to say, you get your money back in the beauty with which he says it.
Enrique Buchichio, Uruguay Total
El director de Con ánimo de amar y 2046 se traslada con éxito a Estados Unidos, donde filma una historia de amor sugestiva, íntima y encantadora.
Jason Di Rosso, MovieTime, ABC Radio National
[Norah Jones] is a blank presence -- she can't give the film the heart or soul it needs.
Mark Demetrius, FILMINK (Australia)
Saccharine, cliched, groaningly predictable and -- in short -- utterly abysmal.
Leigh Paatsch, Daily Telegraph (Australia)
A calorie-free snack masquerading as a substantial meal.
Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile
Wong Kar Wai's visual style with its evocative mood is the mainstay of this lament to love, although its rambling narrative detracts from the film as a whole.
Philippa Hawker, The Age (Australia)
As visually lush and distinctive and enveloping as you would expect from a Wong Kar-wai film, with space for performances that have impact.
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
Consider it Wong lite.
Sean Gandert, Paste Magazine
What the film ends up feeling like is someone else's clumsy attempt to imitate Kar-Wai's style while missing out on his obsessive perfection and emotional depth.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Daniel P

Terminally uneven film. It's charming in New York, purple in Memphis - though David Strathairn shines as a drunk who can't get over the end of his marriage - and completely off the rails in Nevada as Elizabeth/Lizzy/Beth (Norah Jones) travels America to get over a broken… More
Terminally uneven film. It's charming in New York, purple in Memphis - though David Strathairn shines as a drunk who can't get over the end of his marriage - and completely off the rails in Nevada as Elizabeth/Lizzy/Beth (Norah Jones) travels America to get over a broken heart, when really, she should have gotten together with that charming cafe owner across the street (Jude Law) all along. Natalie Portman is too young for the role she plays (gambler with estranged father), but Norah Jones surprises in this beautifully shot and nicely scored film. If it didn't get so precious in the middle, it would have been much better.
Michael G

My Blueberry Nights is a movie that is astonishing if only in the sense that it talks you out of liking it. Its cast is reasonably impressive but director Kar Wai Wong started shitting the bed about 5 minutes in (namely with this jittery slow motioney effect of which the technical… More
My Blueberry Nights is a movie that is astonishing if only in the sense that it talks you out of liking it. Its cast is reasonably impressive but director Kar Wai Wong started shitting the bed about 5 minutes in (namely with this jittery slow motioney effect of which the technical term escapes me, but looks like the director and the editor sat in the editing room smoking meth and drinking Red Bull as they put the movie together) took a movie that you kind of want to care about then convinces you to do the absolute opposite. Norah Jones is a cute and empty vessel in the movie and the whole dynamic between her and Jude Law was as conrtived as it was pretentious. Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn and Natalie Portman play grotesque South caricatures that must have been Tennessee Williams-inspired. The Chan Marshall cameo was a nice surprise but by the time the whole thing was said and done I didn't care. Actually I stopped caring despite the abundant foxiness about 20 minutes in. At least it wasn't long...
Jake .

First and foremost, who would ever have guessed that Norah Jones is really pretty devent as an actress on top of being an incredible musician and vocalist? Some people end up with all the talent! I really loved My Blueberry Nights. It is atomophesic and poetic. The story and dialog… More
First and foremost, who would ever have guessed that Norah Jones is really pretty devent as an actress on top of being an incredible musician and vocalist? Some people end up with all the talent! I really loved My Blueberry Nights. It is atomophesic and poetic. The story and dialog could be absolute crap and the film would still be a pleasure to watch. The visual style is incredible. Kar-Wai creates the sort of places that are familiar, but makes them special, mysterious. We have all been in a cafe, but not one quite like one Law governs. Ultimately it seems like the story is more driven by the characters and emotion than it is by the story. This is something I really appreciate, plus the story is pretty simple. The story does not matter that much, the important part is the ride. Everybody has a story, everybody is broken in some way. Most of the time, it is other people who cause the pain, but the glorious thing is that it is other people that bring every character in the film, and really every one of us, back to life.
Bruce B

A Chick Flick is my guess, didn't hold my interest. Young Girl breaks up with Boyfriend and ends up making a friend in a cafe with owner, but before it develops she?s traveling across America trying to find herself. In the end she's back at the cafe wiping more then… More
A Chick Flick is my guess, didn't hold my interest. Young Girl breaks up with Boyfriend and ends up making a friend in a cafe with owner, but before it develops she?s traveling across America trying to find herself. In the end she's back at the cafe wiping more then Blueberry pie from her lips. 3 Stars
Dead A

Liked this romantic movie. The ending was pretty gross. I mean I don't mind kissing or anything like that but you'll see what I was talking about.
Conner R

It's a well acted piece, just not anything spectacular. The story is almost TOO simple, if that makes any sense. The writing gives nothing for the characters to do. The visual style was great, except for the crazy blurred slow motion sequences that happened a little too much. But… More
It's a well acted piece, just not anything spectacular. The story is almost TOO simple, if that makes any sense. The writing gives nothing for the characters to do. The visual style was great, except for the crazy blurred slow motion sequences that happened a little too much. But overall, the acting from Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Rachel Weisz make up for most of these mistakes.
Carlos M

Another silly Wong Kar-Wai film about love; an insipid Norah Jones makes her debut in this road-movie as a broken-hearted girl who crosses paths with two banal love stories in order to find a meaning or something... yeah, that doesn't cut it for me.
Sarah G

Director:Wong Kar Wai Released: 2007 Stars : Norah Jones, Jude Law and Natalie Portman Genre: Drama/Romance Country: Hong Kong/France A young woman takes a soul-searching… More
Director:Wong Kar Wai Released: 2007 Stars : Norah Jones, Jude Law and Natalie Portman Genre: Drama/Romance Country: Hong Kong/France A young woman takes a soul-searching journey across America to resolve her questions about love while encountering a series of offbeat characters along the way. I've been meaning to watch My Blueberry Nights ever since it was released last year in the UK. It's another one of those films that I have ben meaning to watch, mainly based on the fact that I am such a huge Wong Kar Wai fan. Unfortunatly I was a tad disappointed with the film. My Blueberry Nights, is Wong Kar Wai's first english language film and I have to say that the transition is not quite there. For me the films that he's done are close to perfection. This film seems to be missing something. The script is something which bothered me a lot. There seems to be a lot reptition in the lines, in the sense that I'm sure Kar-Wai has used similar lines before. Most of the time I found myself wondering what was the point in saying that or where's the justification in that?! This was mainly in many of the scenes with Jude Law and Norah Jones. Without the cinematography of Christopher Doyle, who worked with Kar-Wai on many of his previous films-however that doesn't affect the film. The Cinemaography in this film is what keeps the film going. With the bright lights on a sweeping scale it adds some energy into what is a little underwhelming plot. This is something that doesn't ocur often in Kar-Wai's film. Perhaps, having seen the majority of his films that's the viewpoint I'm coming from. Casting in this film, is reasonable, but perhaps not to the standard, many fans of his are used to. With the likes of Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau and the lengedry Ton Leung Chi Wai, his films somehow feel complete. Without them something is gravely missing. The casting of singer Norah Jones is without a doubt one of the worst castings in cinema history. How she was cast, I don't know, as she seemed to take a back seat in the film. Being the in the lead role, she was outclassed by the likes of Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman in every scene that she was with them. With a very wooden performance, the film just lacked any personlity with the scenes that she was in. The main problem is that you just don't care about her character and couldn't care less about her soul searching journey across America. Jones didn't seem to have much chemistry with Jude Law either and this was evident in the pretyt dull opening sequence. A worthy mention, though to Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman and David Straitham. All three livened up the screen with every scene that they were in. I found myself caring about Straitham's character and Portman's. Portman, in particular, who gave off a great performance, put sadly couldn't save the already average film. Kar-Wai still directs well but delivers a couple of freeze frame shots which didn't seem to be justified at all. Some of which annoyed me a lot, mainly because I've seen it all before. However with the entrance of Rachel Weisz it did work. Still unclear as to the point of the last shot at the end of the film. Maybe I might find out after a second viewing. Overall, from a Kar-Wai fan perspective, My Blueberry Nights is very underwhelming film that just isn't up to the standard of his earlier films. If you haven't seen his other films, and have only seen this one, please go and check them out tnow as they are far superior. 5/10
Jennifer X

As a nonfan of Wong Kar Wai, this wasn't as plodding as I thought it would be. I mean, Norah Jones falls pretty flat as an actress but her role didn't require anything much anyways. But this movie was too passive, too non-emotionally invested to draw any real interest from… More
As a nonfan of Wong Kar Wai, this wasn't as plodding as I thought it would be. I mean, Norah Jones falls pretty flat as an actress but her role didn't require anything much anyways. But this movie was too passive, too non-emotionally invested to draw any real interest from me.
E.J. B

I can't guarantee you will enjoy putting up with the slow pacing, beautiful use of colours, and the subtlety - all signature stamps of director Wong Kar Wai's brilliant style. I, however, loved this movie. Yes I am a die hard Wong Kar Wai fan, and yes, my review might carry… More
I can't guarantee you will enjoy putting up with the slow pacing, beautiful use of colours, and the subtlety - all signature stamps of director Wong Kar Wai's brilliant style. I, however, loved this movie. Yes I am a die hard Wong Kar Wai fan, and yes, my review might carry bias. But nonetheless, I was completely lost in the story. In one scene, a character says, "There's nothing wrong with the Blueberry Pie, just people make other choices. You can't blame the Blueberry Pie, it's just... no one wants it." This line is so elegantly written and the amount of subtext is so apparent, it practically begs its audience to dissect its meanings. This is my favourite quote from the film, but there are many others like it. Norah Jones, Jude Law, and Rachel Weisz all give fine performances, but the real winner here is Natalie Portman. I've never seen her before in such a role, and she pulls it off seemingly with no effort. As a romantic, the final scene is just wonderful. Some may say this movie is dull. I'm saying it's one of this year's best films.
Ross C

Rather pointless atmospheric flick that I only partially watched.
Chris G

My Blueberry Nights follows Elizabeth (Norah Jones) trek across the United States following a break-up with her boyfriend in New York City. Along the way she stops for waiting jobs in Memphis (where she meets a despondent cop who wants his wife back) and Nevada (where she meets a high… More
My Blueberry Nights follows Elizabeth (Norah Jones) trek across the United States following a break-up with her boyfriend in New York City. Along the way she stops for waiting jobs in Memphis (where she meets a despondent cop who wants his wife back) and Nevada (where she meets a high stakes car player). Her goal is to buy a car, but essentially it's to find herself. This is one of those movies that has great actors (Jude Law, David Straitham, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman) who deliver some great acting, but are bogged down by a poorly written script. The film is way too predictable and the dialogue is idiotic at times. The script is a failure, but so is the direction. This is one of those movies where the director (Kar Wai Wong) is trying to overdirect the film. The camera work shows off the excess of direction and blur shots are ok for a small sense of atmosphere, but when they are used constantly it becomes bothersome. Add on top of all that the directors obsession with slow motion and it becomes a running joke by the midway point. The films running time is only 90 minutes and apparently the slow-mo parts were to keep the film at feature length. This film wasn't my cup of tea to begin with, but it was actually worse than I expected. It's an amteurish effort with some well crafted actors attached.
Lorenzo v

This is obligatory viewing for romantics, with a touch of cynical realism. It was a delight to see Law in this graceful, characterful role and Nora Jones as a believably quietly intelligent, thoughtful heroine. Beautifully and artistically filmed and directed, with admirable acting… More
This is obligatory viewing for romantics, with a touch of cynical realism. It was a delight to see Law in this graceful, characterful role and Nora Jones as a believably quietly intelligent, thoughtful heroine. Beautifully and artistically filmed and directed, with admirable acting from the supporting roles, even though the purpose of the narrative dawdles in the middle. Elsewhere the pace is enjoyably original. As usual, Law demonstrates his stunning good-looks and the wit to use them effectively, if with a slightly inconsistent Mancunian accent.
Michael S

Kar Wai Wong's first English feature is a beautifully shot, and beautifully rendered tale of a girl searching for herself, and the people she meets in the process. Is it perfect? No, I thought Norah Jones was strongly miscast and a few slo-mo shots lingered for way to long,… More
Kar Wai Wong's first English feature is a beautifully shot, and beautifully rendered tale of a girl searching for herself, and the people she meets in the process. Is it perfect? No, I thought Norah Jones was strongly miscast and a few slo-mo shots lingered for way to long, but despite it's flaws ,MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS is a warm and sincere film worthy of attention... offering an experience as sweet as it's title.
Manu G

An absolutely great film with a very talented cast that just blew me off. After a rough break-up, Elizabeth sets out on a journey across America, leaving behind her life in search of something to mend her broken heart. Waitressing her way through the country, she befriends a… More
An absolutely great film with a very talented cast that just blew me off. After a rough break-up, Elizabeth sets out on a journey across America, leaving behind her life in search of something to mend her broken heart. Waitressing her way through the country, she befriends a troubled cop and his estranged wife and a down-on-her luck gambler with a score to settle. Through these chance encounters, Elizabeth witnesses the true depths of loneliness and emptiness, and begins to understand that her own journey is part of a deeper exploration of herself.
Alice S

I don't even want to say this movie is shit because this movie thinks it's so awesome and artsy that everyone who disagrees with them must be an idiot, and I don't want to fit into any of the categories this movie assigns. Had high expectations cuz I love everyone in… More
I don't even want to say this movie is shit because this movie thinks it's so awesome and artsy that everyone who disagrees with them must be an idiot, and I don't want to fit into any of the categories this movie assigns. Had high expectations cuz I love everyone in the cast but script is just vapid and vague.
Sanjaya &

A great movie with brilliant cast, brilliant cinematography, with just an ordinary story. It's a very great thing to see how Wong Kar Wai had a great idea making a movie like this... The movie itself walk slowly with showing the great emotion that the cast gave to... To me, Norah… More
A great movie with brilliant cast, brilliant cinematography, with just an ordinary story. It's a very great thing to see how Wong Kar Wai had a great idea making a movie like this... The movie itself walk slowly with showing the great emotion that the cast gave to... To me, Norah Jones making a very good debut... She got the character she played, got the emotion well, with of course great song from her... I love 'The Story', it's even better than old song from Norah Jones like 'Come Away With Me' or 'Don't Know Why', it's just flow slowly with a great emotion in the movie.... And the other cast just do great job too... David Strathairn shows his quality, it just felt like I can capture his sorrow... His loneliness... His addictness to his wife, but his wife doesn't want him anymore... It's just perfect... And Rachel Weisz, she really an Oscar lady... Her act was very emotional... Especially after Arnie's death... And of course, she still sexy... Natalie Portman, can't gave any comments on her... That's her speciality for playing such a 'bad girl' like when she got the Oscar nominee in 'Closer', but I think her performance in this movie was better... Her emotion shows, and she still stunning with her looks... And last, Jude Law... I don't have any comment on him... To me, Jude Law stills great... He still have his accent, one of the best I ever heard... Well maybe that's why he's one of my favorite actor... Great movie from Wong Kar Wai!!!
Christopher M

Like, I imagine, anyone who had seen any or all of Kar Wai Wong's previous wonderful films, I was very excited at the prospect of his first English-language film. But what I got was a decent film that was pretty underwhelming considering the brilliance of some of Wong's… More
Like, I imagine, anyone who had seen any or all of Kar Wai Wong's previous wonderful films, I was very excited at the prospect of his first English-language film. But what I got was a decent film that was pretty underwhelming considering the brilliance of some of Wong's other films (especially In The Mood For Love and 2046). I can only suspect that something was lost in translation in the English scripting, because the film itself is chock-full of same amount of visual flair, style, and wistfulness that Wong is known for. It's an absolutely beautiful film, a treat to watch and to listen to also because of the fabulous soundtrack (another Wong trademark). But the script is considerably lacking. And I have to wonder about the casting of Norah Jones, who had no previous acting experience. She looks great in the film and seems to be belong there, but her delivery is significantly lacking. Indeed, even an actress who is usually awesome like Rachel Weisz just doesn't seem to deliver. I really enjoyed the work of Jude Law and David Strathairn, though, and to a lesser extent, Natalie Portman - so I can only suspect it's largely due to the script that some performances aren't all they could be and that the film is completely lacking of the usual punch Wong's films have. In the end, My Blueberry Nights is somewhat of a disappointment and I think I'd rather see Wong stick to what he knows best. If you haven't seen any of his work, go back and watch In The Mood For Love or Fallen Angels or any of his previous films, and then see this just for the sensual delight it is.
William D

[font=Garamond][size=3]"My Blueberry Nights," the first American film from Hong Kong auteur [b]Wong Kar Wai[/b], has stunning cinematography from [b]Darius Khondji,[/b] who incidentally also was director of photography on the recent remake of "Funny Games."… More
[font=Garamond][size=3]"My Blueberry Nights," the first American film from Hong Kong auteur [b]Wong Kar Wai[/b], has stunning cinematography from [b]Darius Khondji,[/b] who incidentally also was director of photography on the recent remake of "Funny Games." [/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=3][img]http://www.nydailynews.com/img/2008/04/04/alg_nora.jpg[/img][/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=3]The film also has a great supporting performance from [b]Natalie Portman.[/b] No surprise there; Portman steals every film she's in these days and is right up there with Kate Winslet and Ryan Gosling as the best movie actors of their generation. [/size][/font][font=Garamond][size=3]There's also a lovely cameo by singer/songwriter [b]Cat Power[/b]. But the film has little else. [/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=3]The core story concerning a heartbroken New York girl (in a debut performance by singer/songwriter [b]Norah Jones[/b]) is thin and dull. And Jones is unlikely to have a movie career ahead of her. Perhaps she has acting talent that Wong couldn't bring out, but I tend to doubt it. Jones should stick to music, but Cat Power might have a serious movie career on the horizon.[/size][/font] [img]http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/1/13839/40_2007/MBN03083.jpg[/img] [font=Garamond][size=3]Jones plays a woman recently dumped by her boyfriend. She mopes around what appears to be lower Manhattan, spending a considerable amount of time in a charming (and very un-New York) diner talking with the proprietor ([b]Jude Law[/b]) at closing time. Much blueberry pie is consumed and much melancholy banter is shared about heartbreaks and the impermanence of love. All through these scenes I found the dialogue second-rate and the visuals dazzling.[/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=3]Jones' character suddenly appears in Memphis, apparently having pulled up her roots in New York and decided to explore another city. In Memphis she works in a diner by day and a bar by night. One of her regular customers is a heavy drinker ([b]David Straitharn[/b]) recently dumped by his wife ([b]Rachel Weisz[/b]). Jones' character becomes very inert during the Memphis sequence, essentially just standing back and watching this couple go through the death throes of their marriage. We learn almost nothing about this couple's marital problems. We just watch them exude grief and rage.[/size][/font] [img]http://www.aolcdn.com/pmms/productpagemovies/0f/00/2407847[/img] [font=Garamond][size=3]The superficiality of the script at this point began to seriously grate on me, as did the immersion in stereotypes of Memphis, including endless servings of Stax music. In the New York sequences the audience is treated to a parade of NYC cliches, such as the subway. In Memphis, it's Stax music and southern blues.[/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=3]Then suddenly Jones' character is in the southwest, near Las Vegas, apparently having uprooted herself again. This is where she meets Portman's character. Now Wong gets to immerse himself in cliches of the Vegas world. At least 20 times we're treated to close-ups of poker chips, for example. [/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=3]Was Wong attempting to make some kind of ironic statement about cliches by drowning the film in Americana? Or was the film just cliche? My take was the latter. Why a supposed auteur would have such a superficial viewpoint on American culture (or any culture) is beyond me. Or then again, maybe this director has been over-rated and is due for some deflation in his reputation.[/size][/font]
Sol C

I was expecting the film to be much better. I didn't like the style of the film. I didn't like a full film, but a series of short films connected as one whole film. The performances by the cast are on the money. I didn't like the shaky handheld camerawork. Jude Law and… More
I was expecting the film to be much better. I didn't like the style of the film. I didn't like a full film, but a series of short films connected as one whole film. The performances by the cast are on the money. I didn't like the shaky handheld camerawork. Jude Law and Norah Jones segment reminded me of the films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, but lacked the heart and spark that those 2 films had. I would love to see Norah Jones in a better film.