(2004)
3
Perry Seibert
Jude Law is not just a character actor trapped in the body of a leading man, he is a character actor trapped in the body of a male supermodel. Although he has successfully used his looks to his advantage in the roles he has played (Gigolo Joe in A.I. and his narcissistic hedonist in The Talented Mr. Ripley), Alfie represents the first time a film he appears in suffers from his looks and charm. Alfie is forever addressing the camera, taking the audience into his confidence and being just as charming towards the viewer as he is to his various female conquests in the film. The problem is that Law is so appealing a screen presence that the audience will not be able to work up enough disgust toward him. For the film's heavy-handed ending to have the power it should the audience has to believe that Alfie will be living the rest of his life alone, and Law is unable to make the audience believe that. For this reason, Jude Law's performance cannot match the emotional depth of Michael Caine's original conception of the character, but it does recall another cinematic philosopher who preached living the good life -- he's a randy, selfish Ferris Bueller. While it is pleasurable to spend time with the character, the emptiness of the film makes that pleasure fleeting. In the end, the audience gets about as much out of their time with Alfie as the women in the film do.
Alfie on AllMovie
Alfie (2004)
