Justin Long & Evan Rachel Wood In Brooklyn Bore

Film review: A Case of You

Stephen Applebaum

June 4, 2014 Updated: June 4, 2014 16:39:00

A bland romcom short on laughs and genuine emotion, A Case of You hits numerous false notes as Justin Long’s hack-writer tries to woo Evan Rachel Wood’s perma-smiley barista by using her Facebook updates to turn himself into her perfect mate. Long, who also co-wrote the screenplay, is the human equivalent of a soggy flannel – a character who seems out of his depth just breathing. Nothing, including the all-white Brooklyn setting, feels authentic in a film that treats the audience as if they’re as unaware as its protagonist. There is some enjoyment in spiky and amusing cameos from Peter Dinklage and Sam Rockwell. Otherwise, this is disposable multiplex filler.

First published in The National

Jude Law Gets Down & Dirty In Dom Hemingway

Film review: Dom Hemingway

Stephen Applebaum

April 9, 2014 Updated: April 9, 2014 19:14:00

Richard Shepard turned Pierce Brosnan into a foul-mouthed hitman in The Matador. Now he gives Jude Law an equally surprising makeover in a film that gets in your face from the first frame and stays there.

As the eponymous safe-cracker settling old scores after a 12-year stretch in chokey, Law is menacing, funny and scabrous. However, the story of his picaresque journey from London to the South of France and back again is woefully underwritten, hinging on dismally contrived twists that just feel lazy. A sentimental subplot involving Dom’s resentful daughter (Emilia Clarke) and a rushed denouement leaves you thinking, “Is that it?”

This is a pity, as Law – who doesn’t quite manage to make sense of Hemingway amid the episodic plot’s tonal shifts – throws himself into the role of the crass criminal with a thrilling recklessness, while Grant is a delight as his somewhat smoother sidekick.

First published in The National