Café

Cafe (2011)

A simple seeming story with a couple of otherworldly (computer reality) twists that gradually works on your sympathies and wins.

Except for a brief exterior giving the sense of place (West Philadelphia) and two or three other very minor exceptions, the entire movie is shot in a coffee shop. A surprisingly large cast of characters take on some significance. And the dreamy idealism of exactly those kinds of independent cafés permeates the movie. The ostensible driving force is the appearance now and then of a nasty guy who deals drugs and the reaction against him by others in the place and the police. But really the movie is more about character, and what makes character, and what makes some people good and whether that kind of goodness is real.

After awhile you also realize that one weird subplot--the appearance of a girl on a computer scree--is maybe the most important aspect of all. Because she helps redefine what reality is--not just the so-called reality of people's lives, but reality reality, ontologically. It's obviously too much to swallow, but just go with it, it's fun.

What holds it up most of all might just be the really solid acting from most of the main characters. And the sweetness the seems to permeate the movie through and through. It's low-budget but keeps it confident and well made anyway. It's a good excuse for hanging out with some nice people.

I've never written a review before and maybe I shouldn't. I've started so no turning back now. Did one person write the story line(s) or a group? I say this because nothing flowed. I watched the movie out of bored curiosity to pass time. I would not recommend this movie to anyone else. Why? Well, Because the whole view of Christianity is incorrect. Entirely misunderstood.

The description of the movie, on Netflix, states "Claire serves wisdom along with the coffee and scones." definitely not true. She only serves coffee, no wisdom. The only character who slightly hints at giving out wisdom is Ellie, even though her so called wisdom isn't wisdom at all.

The movie did pass the time, but I was in awe that it was even put out in the market for the public to purchase. Just shows it is who you know, not what you know that moves our world.

This movie is like the title...sweet. The setting and the characters add to this film. While this movie had the potential to be really good, it wasn't. It had a good message about life but it was confusing. I liked how all the characters seemed to connect but it didn't all flow together. The relationships going on in this movie were all interesting and did help make this movie bearable to watch, if it wasn't for the characters being interesting I wouldn't have watched the entire movie. I think if a few things were changed it might have made more sense. The movie was written well but just not in a way that makes sense. If you are bored on a Friday night watch this movie but if you want to watch a great movie I say you should watch something else.

I occasionally find these movies that most people won't have heard of and will have no interest to see, yet shine as gems in their own right. The criteria I use for determining when these small, indie films make my list is that they take a risk and show a level of creativity that mainstream films have abandoned. Recently I have found an interesting class of these films that I call the indie film with the unexpected sci-fi twist. Café is one of these.

I didn't read the reviews or know the tagline to be forewarned what this movie is about. I have to say, not only was I intrigued, but extremely pleasantly surprised. I am not going to rehash the details of the plot but suffice it to say, if you are a movie lover sitting at home looking for a pleasant way to stretch your imagination and spawn a post viewing discussion, this one is for you.

Recently I found two others I considered similar in this class of film. "Safety not Guaranteed" and "The Sound of My Voice" were two other films that fell into this personal class of interesting film. Take the plunge and try these original films!

so i decided to toss my thoughts toward this odd movie.

first i think the director is playing tricks with the viewer. by this i mean the viewer must decide for himself who or which character is real and which character is not real.

the fellow sitting at the corner table with the notebook and writing constantly in it is the key to this puzzle of people. we are seeing his imagined players or characters along with the real. he's creating a story for us but we must choose the characters to believe in.

therefore it occurred to me this is a shared visualization of the notebook writing man's solipsism. some of his characters are very real - the café employees for example. the imagined ones are the fat guy with laptop and his 'little girl guide'. i believe the troubled black guy isn't real - neither are the police. it's your choice through the entire film! i have more but i've explained myself as clearly as i can. then remember the café owner is never seen - that is what triggered my interpretation.

i do so wish the director had not included that sappy ending. i was very into the action and mystery of exactly what was happening then it's as if the director just wanted to 'wrap it up' and go home. too bad!