Gatsby learns that Ashleigh is to travel to Manhattan to interview the cult director Roland Pollard (Jude Law) for the college paper and he plans a romantic weekend with her. His hopes are dashed as quickly as the sunlight turns into showers. The two are parted and each has a series of chance meetings and comical adventures while on their own.
Considering the general reviews surrounding this film, and the long delay in its release, it would be easy to assume that it isn't very good. It may not be ‘Annie Hall’ or ‘Hannah and Her Sisters’, but it is still well worth seeing. It certainly has all the ingredients; the Manhattan location, Vittorio Storaro's cinematography, a "Woody Allen-like" protagonist, wearing the obligatory cord clothes and sneakers.
He likes gambling, the seedy side of life and jazz (soundtrack by the fabulous Erroll Garner). There is romance, cynicism, humour and a great cast, with the two leads in particular excellent, but with good work from the rest, including Law and Liev Schreiber. Chalamet plays the self-doubting, eccentric art-loving nonconformist intellectual that Allen would play in his own films. While the latter may not be at the top of his game, even a lesser film from him is still more interesting than the bulk of other releases. It was never distributed theatrically in the UK, so here is a rare chance to enjoy it on the big screen.
