In Chicago, the former photographer and presently advertising executive Mathew (Josh Hartnett) is closing a business in a fancy restaurant with a Chinese representative, when he sees a woman that looks like his former passion Lisa (Diane Kruger). Two years ago, Lisa and Matthew had a love affair, and Lisa simply vanished when Matthew invited her to move with him to New York, where he had the invitation for a better job, and Matthew is still obsessed for her. Matthew decides to follow Lisa, and when he meets her, he realizes that Lisa is indeed another woman (Rose Byrne) with the same name. Matthew stays in Chicago with his friend Luke (Matthew Lillard) and decides to investigate the mystery.
On 16 October 2005, when I first saw this remake, I wrote the following review:
Although having a confused screenplay and too much coincidences, "Wicker Park" is a reasonable tale of obsessive love. The script, with many flashbacks, has many flaws and coincidences in a huge city like Chicago. The character Daniel is badly developed and disappears from the story, without any explanation whether he killed his wife or not, how he involved with Lisa and their relationship. The two lead actresses (Diane Krueger and Rose Byrne) are extremely gorgeous and together with Josh Hartnett, they show a great chemistry and make the romance work. The music score is great, and in the end, this film is a good entertainment. My vote is six.
Yesterday (08 March 2011) I saw "L'Appartement" (1996) for the first time and now I have a totally different opinion:
"Wicker Park" is a shallow and corny remake of a great French film. The screenplay resolves some points that are not clear in the original movie, but the adaptation of the story is developed in fast pace and loses the mystery and the romance of "L'Appartement", forgetting details and characters.
The worst of this remake is the detail of communication. "L'Appartement" is a 1996 film in Paris, meaning neither cell phones nor e-mails were available at that time. Therefore, communication was based on phone booths or letters. This remake takes place in Chicago and the characters have cellulars. This single premise would be enough to destroy this remake. But the screenplay writer needs to provide explanations and give a happy ending, destroying the puzzle and discussions about the European film.
Comparing the two films, I dare to write that "Wicker Park" is a "fast food" and "L'Appartement" is a refined feast. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "Paixão à Flor da Pele"("Passion Near Skin")
