Tagline: What’s it all about?
Alfie is from England living in Manhattan, working as a limousine driver. Alfie wants to some day own the limo business, but right now he is chauffeuring the rich around town, and sometimes making love to the lonely female passengers in the backseat of the limo. Alfie is very charming to women and knows what they want to hear. Alfie’s goal is to make love to as many beautiful women as he can with no commitment or responsibilities, before he finds his soulmate. But Alfie finds that life is not that simple, and he will have to take responsibility for his actions.
Alfie is a 2004 British-American romantic comedy-drama film based on the 1966 British film of the same name, starring Jude Law as the title character, originally played by Michael Caine. The film was written, directed, and produced by Charles Shyer.
Alfie grossed $13,399,812 domestically and $21,750,734 overseas for a worldwide total of $35,150,546 on a $60 million budget. The film opened on November 5, 2004 in the United States and grossed $2,206,738 on the first day. That weekend, the film was #5 in the box office with $6,218,335 behind The Incredibles’ opening weekend, Ray’s second, The Grudge’s third, and Saw’s second. When compared to its $60 million budget, Alfie was a box office bomb.
About the Story
The original “Alfie” captured a blend of romp and reality that was shocking and innovative in its time, and introduced a young Michael Caine to the world. In this contemporary re-invention, Alfie is now an irresistible Londoner who has taken up residence in Manhattan, where he hopes to make his fortune — and make love to as many beautiful women as possible. The sophistication of New York City is the perfect setting for Alfie, who knows that when it comes to shagging birds, it’s all about one thing… “location, location, location.” Surrounded by an abundance of gorgeousness and diversity,” Alfie takes every opportunity to conquer all the women he can, whenever he can.
Alfie Elkins (Jude Law) works as a limousine driver, chauffeuring the wealthy through the streets of Manhattan, and occasionally making love to his lonely female clients in the backseat. Though he has his ambitions, he wants only enough to get by, his primary focus being the pleasures of life — without any of the responsibilities.
For Jude Law, arguably one of the hottest actors of his generation, portraying Alfie presented a unique challenge. Not only was the actor in every scene, often having an intimate dialogue with the audience, but also he was playing the role of a man with highly questionable integrity.
“This kind of lothario, matinee idol, good-with-the-girls type of character is definitely a test for any actor to portray, but the script was so good I had to do it,” says Law. “Actually, Alfie is more multifaceted than one would think. He’s really quite a thoughtful fellow when you think about it, and he is trying to change his wayward ways.”
Director Charles Shyer and co-writer/producer Elaine Pope decided to tell the character’s story in Alfie’s own words. To do this, the writers employed the challenging technique used in the ’60s classic – where Alfie speaks directly to us, the audience.
“I was very clear that the character should be outrageous, not just in the sense of his actions, but in his thoughts as well,” says Shyer. “By having Alfie speak to the audience, he’s able to offer insight into what he’s really thinking… this is the first of many steps he will take on his bumpy journey to discover what’s truly in his heart.”
Producer / Co-writer Pope felt that the device of having Alfie speak his mind to camera presented a unique opportunity, “Alfie is such an interesting character, damaged and self-destructive, but very up-front,” says Pope. “Whether the audience agrees with his philosophies or not, they become his exclusive confidant. This gave us the chance to address certain, usually unspoken, truths about relationships that everyone can relate to.”
Law observes that breaking that wall between fantasy and reality is something that doesn’t come naturally to an actor. “It was very alien at first, but after a while I began to feel like the wall wasn’t there at all,” says Law. “It truly became second nature for me, and I think that once people watching the movie get used to it, they’ll feel that Alfie is talking to each one of them as a friend.”
Seeing the film as the evolution of a man who goes from living a mindless existence to one who is trying to become mindful, director Charles Shyer walked a careful line between comedy and drama. In fact, both he and actor Jude Law skillfully balanced Alfie’s dark side with his fun-loving outlook on life.
“Charles is a director who understands comedy very well,” says Law. “I was always trying to pull out the darkness from Alfie, and thankfully, Charles was there to help pull out the light. It was the perfect blend.”
Shyer welcomed Law’s take on the more serious side of the character, but encouraged him to offset it by exploring the subtle humor. “There’s a definite dark side to Alfie,” says the director. “The dark side being his blindness, his ignorance and his cruelty, all of which he’s blissfully unaware of — until, of course, he’s forced to take a hard look at himself and the pain he’s wrought.”
Continue Reading and View the Theatrical Trailer
Alfie (2004)
Directed by: Charles Shyer
Starring: Jude Law, Sienna Miller, Susan Sarandon, Marisa Tomei, Omar Epps, Renée Taylor, Jane Krakowski, Nia Long, Tara Summers, Jefferson Mays, Dick Latessa
Screenplay by: Elaine Pope, Charles Shyer
Production Design by: Sophie Becher
Cinematography by: Ashley Rowe
Film Editing by: Padraic McKinley
Costume Design by: Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
Set Decoration by: Penny Crawford
Art Direction by: Ricky Eyres, Joanna Foley, Alan Gilmore, Marc Homes
Music by: Mick Jagger, John Powell, David A. Stewart
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, language and drug use.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: November 5, 2004
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