Jude Law turns on charm in 'Alfie' remake

By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service

ALFIE (R) Three Stars (Good) One of the screen's most memorable womanizers — Alfie — has come back to life in a new time and place in a modestly entertaining remake of the memorable 1966 film that made Michael Caine a star. Jude Law stars with Susan Sarandon and Marisa Tomei for writer-director Charles Shyer. Paramount, 105 minutes.

The new "Alfie" stars Jude Law as the British playboy, but this time he's chasing women in the post-feminist era in a glossy, pastel-colored, picture-perfect Manhattan. He is a limo driver who seduces a broad selection of the women he encounters while flirting on the fringes of a more stable relationship with a single mother named Julie (Marisa Tomei).

The darker, more cynical original depicted its cockney cad in London shadows, as an insensitive opportunist, a lothario caught up by his own licentious libido. The character ultimately got entangled in the issue of back-alley abortion. In an obvious nod to modern times, today's "Alfie" is merely the central figure in an exploration of his lack of commitment (a familiar theme in modern romantic comedies).

The result is entertaining, but in a more superficial, less meaningful way. It seems some of the lessons the original "Alfie" had to learn have since been learned by society as a whole, which lessens the impact the character has on us.

Both "Alfies" are blessed with charismatic lead actors whose charms hoodwink filmgoers as well as the women in their lives. Like Caine, Law spends much of "Alfie" speaking monologues while looking directly into the camera (while other actors in the scenes remain oblivious). In lesser hands, the technique could be tiresome or a bit precious, but the script and Law's flirtatious delivery make it central to the film's overall seduction.

Director and co-writer Charles Shyer leans naturally toward remakes, having previously updated "Father of the Bride" and "The Parent Trap," though this is an admittedly more ambitious project. He and his production staff paint Manhattan in soft, glowing light and pastel tones. (Pink is so prominent in the first few reels that you might initially think there's a color correction problem, but you'll finally recognized the tone is intended.)

The women in Alfie's life are impressively played by Susan Sarandon (as the voluptuous Liz, a lady whose sexual appetite surpasses even Alfie's), Jane Krakowski (as the married Dorie) and Sienna Miller (as Nikki, a statuesque beauty with deep emotional flaws). The film takes its only serious turn when Alfie beds Lonette (Nia Long), who is engaged to marry his best friend, Marlon (Omar Epps).

The original "Alfie" tipped a hat to hipness by employing the music of saxophonist Sonny Rollins. The new "Alfie" tries a similar tact, putting new tunes by Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart on the soundtrack.

Rated R, sexual content, language.