alfie
2005
directed by charles shyer
jude law marisa tomei omar epps nia long susan sarandon sienna miller

jude law, jude law, jude law. whatever are we going to do with you. probably the very definition of man candy and he knows it. women want him, and men want to be him. his critics will point out that he tends to be a lot of style with only a little substance, but how can you blame him? he bangs gorgeous blonde actresses two at a time and is adored by millinos over there across the pond. if thats what a lack of substance gets you these days, then bring me a $3000 suit, a haircut, and some of that toothpaste that makes ya teeth go bling! when you smile.

jude's character in this film is even more important that his flashiness. it used to be that in movies, the hero had to be this uber macho roided up hot head, and anything or anyone less than this was a total wuss bag and didnt deserve to save the girl. think rambo, superman, bruce willis, excetera. but in more modern times, the post teenage love drama era, there is a new hero. the smart, smooth, all too confident ladies man. instead of destroying a whole village with a flamethrower and carting off his booty by throwing her over the shoulder, the 21st century leading man makes women faint and fall and pursue him. by outthinking and outplaying women at their own game, this new hero expends much less energy than Early Man. the ramifications of this new hero are astounding. the man doesnt need the fancy car or a big house or lots of guns. the man needs to project confidence and utterly unflappable demeanor to get the girl, finally proving that the best pick up line in the book is a shit eating grin. also see jerry maguire, hitch, spiderman.

charles shyer is most notably the director of steve martin marriage films, ie the father of the bride series. in this film, however, influences from british pop film directors, such as tony scott guy ritchie and numerous other music video producers are easily seen. lots of bright colors, and edits of fast paced artsy short scenes made me feel at times like i watching snatch without the guns and the gangsters. another trick shyer used a great deal were the not so subtle mise en scene billboards when alfie is walking around the city that proudly display large emotion words, such as PERSUASION and DESIRE, in huge letters. these are not typical ways of conveying emotion, but they work kinda like hiding your dirty magazines under the coffee table books in your living room.

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