The whole movie long I thought I was watching a movie that Woody wrote, and only realized it was written and directed by John Tuturro during the closing credits. I'm a big fan of Woody, and I was like, "Wow, this a bit more daring, subtle, and deep than Woody's other works. How did this not get more traction?!" And to be honest, before I even knew Tuturro wrote it, I had already deemed this to be my favorite Tuturro role. He was terse in speech, but his expressions spoke volumes. I was really impressed with the nuance with which he played the character, but it makes a bit more sense now that I know he wrote and directed it.
I was also happy to see Woody in a great role that fit and celebrated his older self. For his own movies, it's almost like he aged out of being able to play the characters he writes for, but this was different. It seemed like such a natural evolution of the Woody character from the Seventies and Eighties to seem him here as an elderly, scheming, but warm-hearted pimp in a mixed-race marriage. He had all the classic wit and charm, but it was somehow sweeter, like a well-aged wine. I found it very heartwarming.
And I can't fail to mention the mesmerizing charm and presence of Vanessa Paradis. I hadn't seen her until this movie but was instantly taken by her potent feminine presence. I looked her up on Wiki and learned she's dated Johnny Depp and Lenny Kravitz, and that she was the first choice for the Calvin Kine campaign, which she turned down, but launched Kate Moss to stardom. Obviously I'm not the first to mesmerized by her quiet but daunting allure. She is definitely "Top shelf, hard to reach. That's what makes her so good."
This movie surprised me. I found it incredibly interesting, enjoyable, engaging, and unique. I just became a big John Tuturro fan.
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