While it's hard to replicate the pathos of the original, the very handsome Jude Law makes the remake eminently watchable.
Alfie (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:146
Fresh:72
Rotten:74
Average Rating:5.5/10
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sexual content, some language and drug use
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Nov 5, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $13,351,235
Synopsis: Jude Law stars in this trenchant dramatic-comedy, a remake of the 1966 British counterculture classic that launched the career of Michael Caine. This version is set in New York City and is pumped... Jude Law stars in this trenchant dramatic-comedy, a remake of the 1966 British counterculture classic that launched the career of Michael Caine. This version is set in New York City and is pumped up with giddy, cleverly experimental editing. The story has Alfie (Law), a Don Juan-esque limo driver, speaking directly to the camera as he seduces the lovely ladies of the city. Eventually he's forced to take stock of the damage he's caused, and acknowledge the emptiness at the core of his chosen lifestyle. Playing the role of Alfie requires a fine balancing act from Law--he must be so charming that he seduces both the audience and himself, while also conveying the self-delusion and sadness at the character's core--and Law is up for the challenge, expertly conveying glimpses of the unfathomed depth beneath his polished shallowness. Equally good are his array of conquests, including Marisa Tomei as a single mom, Sienna Miller as a mood-swinging party girl, and Susan Sarandon as a rich older woman. A soundtrack by Mick Jagger and David Stewart (Eurythmics) adds liberal dollops of self-aware rock & roll melancholy. Dick Latessa is great as an old man who offers Alfie some sage advice, and Omar Epps plays the screwed-over limo driving buddy. [More]
Starring: Jude Law, Marisa Tomei, Susan Sarandon, Sienna Miller
Starring: Jude Law, Marisa Tomei, Susan Sarandon, Sienna Miller, Omar Epps, Jane Krakowski, Nia Long, Gedde Watanabe, Dick Latessa, Renee Taylor
Director: Charles Shyer
Director: Charles Shyer
Screenwriter: Elaine Pope, Charles Shyer
Producer: Elaine Pope, Charles Shyer
Composer: Mick Jagger, David A. Stewart
Studio: Paramount Pictures
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Reviews for Alfie
The original Alfie was as much overrated as the remake is underrated. Split the difference.
... Law — while less riveting than Caine — does a fine job is this grown-up romp about modern sexuality
What at first seems a glossy ad for the swinging single life gradually reveals itself as an stinging indictment of the emotional impotent.
Easy to look at, but it has no depth, and before long its smart, bright images become unendurable, like a commercial for 1-800-FLOWERS stretched to feature length.
The movie’s mossy tip-off might be the soundtrack by those rock ‘n’ roll geezers, the Rolling Stones.
After wounding and dumping lots of ladies, Alfie finally faces the minor-key music, but he doesn't inspire empathy.
It seems that Michael Caine is passing the acting baton, however indirectly, to Jude Law.
Shyer's Alfie captures the 1960s "British invasion" filmmaking style of Richard Lester, Michael Winner, etc., better than Lewis Gilbert did in the 1966 original.
The key to this movie's success rests in the central performance by Jude Law -- this easily represents his best acting to date.
Charles Shyer (who processed the Parent Trap and Father of the Bride updates) plays coy with most matters sexual—an odd and puritanical approach to a character who molds his entire existence around the procurement and enjoyment of sex.
This funnier, glossier Alfie is a mite too watered down. In the end, we're having so much fun we don't feel his soul-sickness. It's lightweight desolation.
Latest News for Alfie
September 07, 2006:
Jude Law to Reprise Michael Caine Again in "Sleuth" Remake
He did it in "Alfie," and he'll do it again. Jude Law will star in the remake of the 1972 thriller, "Sleuth," as an adulterous hairdresser opposite Michael... More...
November 02, 2005:
Hoffman & Shyer Sign on for "Less"
Variety reports that director Charles Shyer has been tapped to direct the Dustin Hoffman comedy "Father Knows Less" for New Line. And if you're even a little familiar... More...
August 18, 2005:
In Other News...P. Diddy, Madonna, and Jude Law
Make note, world -- Sean Combs, hip-hop producer, aspiring actor, and professional celeb extraordinaire -- is making a change. As of this month, when the entertainer will... More...
July 18, 2005:
In Other News: Marital Edition...Jude Law, Sandra Bullock, and Frankie Muniz
In Other News is back, with marital highs and lows alike to keep you gossip-mongers happy...starting with "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" star Jude Law, whose... More...
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