Cafe Society (Woody Allen) -2016

This is Woody's bi-coastal movie.  Circa 1930, members of a Jewish family find love and difficult decisions in Hollywood and Manhattan.  The sets and scenes are nearly perfect as in most of his movies.  In this one Woody seems to be paying special attention to different types of lighting and muted colors.  A scene by candle light is very well conceived and delivered.  Because of the changes in time and location of scenes, the story required narration.  Woody served as narrator and did a competent job without bringing attention to himself.  There is a lot of dialog in this movie as in most of his movies.  There is probably too much dialog but it is needed to move the story along and complete it in 96 minutes.  The story is complicated and hurried at times but the actors flow with it.  Jesse Eisenberg did his best Woody Allen impression albeit less frantic and neurotic than the original.  [JAM 8/4/2016]