Mihai Toma Alfie is a playboy, a lonely soul, enjoying life. Thanks to his good appearance, he meets women, has fun with them and then very fast, dumps them. He has nothing to worry about, not even about his home in which he hardly sleeps. All seems to be going well but he's about to find out that a person's life isn't really that easy. Along the way, he makes a lot of mistakes which at the moment aren't acknowledged, but as time goes by, they collapse on him, one by one, making him change his mentality. The question is, will Alfie be able to do something before it's too late?I really liked the whole idea of this movie and especially how it's presented by the main character himself throughout the whole movie. Seeing how a person's life can take such a dramatic turn is quite staggering to be honest, but nevertheless, it's reality. I also liked the way the movie kept me focused all the time, without any "dead" or boring moments but unfortunately I was expecting more from the finale. Maybe it's just me that wanted some sort of happy ending which frankly wasn't there but overall, it's a great movie.

mdenvee I'm probably writing the only review which sees this newer version of Alfie as far, far better than the original. I know it will inflame many loyal fans of the Caine original, but I can easily say the Jude version is solidly better in every respect. But, I will admit that having seen the new version first, I can understand how some people may be biased in their opinion- typically the first version is better, and actually conditions your mind to unconsciously compare the new one with the old one. Nevertheless, it does not mean it should invalidate a review, provided that there is careful objectivity. I think most significant is the different type of film the Jude version is- a more engaging, heartfelt,'balanced' version with a both modern and vintage flare. The Caine version was way too cold, serious, dry, and somewhat humorless, and one could not relate to Caine's Alfie- he was a bit creepy and his womanizing behavior seemed more deliberate and emotionless, while Jude's Alfie is a more charming, sweet and in most ways innocent character who happens to indulge to excess seducing and ultimately manipulating women. But in the Jude Alfie, it's almost like a kid in a candy store who has a free pass to candy- Alfie's free pass is his charm and good looks which enables the Jude version to come across more convincing and lovable... as opposed to the Caine Alfie who is not especially handsome or charming and comes across as calculating and a true sexual compulsive. Don't get me wrong- I love Michael Caine and I am an old-movie buff and normally I prefer the original version of almost all films. But even great movies like The Maltese Falcon had a prior version before Humphrey Bogart which lacked the music, tempo, personality, humor, and emotional connection. Another 2nd and better version of other great movies are The Man Who Knew Too Much and Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Meet Joe Black. The originals are good in many ways, but lack the "total package" of a great movie, almost as if the first version were a rough draft. Anyway, getting back to the Jude Alfie...I really can't say enough about the impact the movie has on guys and girls in their 20s and 30s. It's a both bright and dark as well as moral movie without pontificating or preaching and it covers a myriad of aspects to relationships and many hard lessons and realities. Every character fits perfectly with the direction and writing of the film and seems real-life and just very engaging. Caine's Alfie seems like a psychological analysis of a sexually obsessed man who's bereft of emotion and the women he womanizes. His film is decent, but pales in comparison to other Caine films and frankly he is quite miscast for the role of Aflie. Jude Law is brilliant and one of the finest and most versatile (and under-used) actors I've ever seen (as he was in Talented Ripley). He literally becomes Alfie, a womanizer that you love but want to hate (but can't). And via his acting and his script, Jude makes you in many ways identify (and almost excuse) his character's behavior. The newer Alfie is written with a bluntness and brutal candor about the male and female gender and how we unconsciously see each other- this may come across as offensive to ultra liberals or feminists, but none of it is offensive or hurtful- it is just life's reality. The flow of the film is perfect and nicely edited and transitions seamlessly. The film has high points and low points, which the audience can relate to, and creates the effect of not making it a mono-toned film like the original Alfie, and this is what I meant by "balanced". For a film of this difficult subject matter to work right, it cannot be as somber, relentless and two-dimensional as Caine's version. A real expression of superb writing and direction in a film is when it can have both happy moments, funny moments, and immediately after have serious, even heartbreaking moments and ultimately teach a lesson which anyone can learn from. An example of the newer Alfie being a lighter film, but just as powerful and even more shocking is the discovery that he has a child which he had thought was aborted. This is likened to the Caine version where Alfie see's the actual aborted fetus remains and has an emotional breakdown. The new version is just as stunning (and actually more unexpected) and in my opinion more of a reality check of life's twists and turns and the lesson that our actions may have life long consequences. While I can appreciate the impact of the Caine sequence, it is basically 'over-dramatic' since the Jude version itself is just as or more effective and instead of horrifying the audience and unbalancing the film, it is both sad and happy when we learn Jude's Alfie has a son. This is just one example of the tone of the newer Alfie-- different, just as powerful, better acted, better written, better music, better scenery, better flow, more realistic, and far more enjoyable to watch. And most important, a film that literally all of us can identify with at some stages in out lives. Truly a great film. 10/10.

Jackson Booth-Millard Sir Michael Caine was perfect in the original classic comedy drama, so it was going to be interesting seeing another big English actor taking on the role, from director Charles Shyer (Father of the Bride). Basically, set in Manhattan (what's wrong with good old London, England), our leading man, talking directly to us, is cockney English limousine driver Alfie Elkins (Jude Law). He talks about wanting to own his own limousine company, and his food and drink tastes, but more than anything he talks about how he has dabbled with women. Aflie is charming and charismatic to women, knowing the right things to say, and he wants to make love to many women with no commitment or responsibilities, until he finds "the one". But as he spends time with these women, among others single mother Julie (Marisa Tomei), rich married but neglected Dorie (30 Rock's Jane Krakowski), girlfriend of his friend Marlon (Omar Epps) - Lonette (Are We There Yet's Nia Long), turbulent alcoholic Nikki (Sienna Miller) and rich older woman Liz (Susan Sarandon), he finds problems. He finds he has to take much more respo0nbility as these relationships become difficult, with such occurrences like erectile dysfunction, pregnancy, suspected testicular cancer and much more, coming to the conclusion brief encounters aren't the way to go. Also starring Tara Summers as Carol and Dick Latessa as Joe. Law is obviously better looking than he is really getting into the character, the American setting isn't really a really big deal apart from maybe some of the lifestyle and stuff, it's just a cheap way to hype it up a bit, and it just adds to its feel of not being as good as the original. It won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart's "Old Habits Die Hard". Jude Law was number 60, and Susan Sarandon number 25 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, Law was also number 10 on The 50 Greatest British Actors. Okay!

garyandtodd Actually, I think this is an excellent movie, and that with time critics will appreciate just how remarkable it is. First, it is a rarity in that it successfully updates an original that, while ahead of its time at its release, now plays like a period piece. The original explores the limitations and pathos of a man trapped in the uncertainty and personal anarchy of the 1960s sexual liberation—a liberation we now take for granted. This remake explores pathos of many men who fail to achieve an ethics of love and sex in the 21st century in light of that liberation.Michael Caine's Alfie is brought up short by the discovery that a carefree love life exacts a great price. He just can't swallow that rude truth. Jude Law's Alfie isn't fazed that there's a price—everyone in 2005 knows that. He's thrown by the realization that he's missing something fundamental in life, and worse yet, he lacks the equipment to understand what that something is. It's not that he can't face the truth—he's willing to face it, but he doesn't know how to look for it. I know quite a few men like this, and similar to Law's Alfie, they're not horrible people. They want to do the right thing and they want to find love. But they've never learned the vocabulary of love—it's as if everyone who has found it is speaking a foreign language. They've divorced themselves from the rest of us, or we've divorced them, which amounts to the same thing. That's why this film seems strangely empty—this Alfie can't even connect with people well enough to tell us what's really wrong with him.Law does a very good job portraying this lost soul, with only occasional awkwardness or unsubtlety. And the cast of women gets it exactly right, down to the last detail. The pacing and narration, purposely anachronistic—hearkening to "simpler" times—is flawless. And yes, it is a very beautiful film, visually and musically. Come back to this movie in six or eight years, or after age forty, and you'll see its value.