"Autumn in New York," why does it seem so exciting? Well, apparently it doesn't to several reviewers, but don't lose hope.
The lovely old tune is done justice at least by director Joan Chen's lush, cultivated and, yes, exciting, version of Manhattan. According to some critics, that's the best part of the film of the same name. But, hey, we have Winona Ryder and Richard Gere here, to say nothing of the marvelous stage actress Elaine Stritch. Let's not be too hasty.
Will Keane (Gere), a youthful 48-year-old playboy and celebrity restaurateur who has managed thus far to stay away from romantic commitment, meets 22-year-old Charlotte (Ryder), and guess what? Age doesn't matter, somehow. The two take off on a mad affair, until Will has to back off from Charlotte with one of his standard lines, "It can't last."
But Charlotte has a sharp and jolting rejoinder. She knows it can't last; she's dying.
Things are further complicated: First, there's the fact that Will used to date Charlotte's now deceased mother. Is he seeing her in Charlotte? Then there's Will's illegitimate daughter lurking about here and there to confuse the romance, or at least the audience.
The bright spot in all this is Dolly, Charlotte's high-stepping grandmother (Stritch), who comes up short in the compassion department but has plenty of flair.
All in all, it sounds like a good romp, a Love Story for the new millennium.
The film is rated PG-13 for language and some sensuality.
It's playing at Market Square East.
