Trama

Eleven love stories set in one of the most loved and hated cities of the world, New York City.

Eleven vignettes, all homages to New York City life, are presented. I. Ben (Hayden Christensen), a pickpocket, is attracted to Molly (Rachel Bilson) at first sight, and gets into an interesting "pissing match" with Molly's married lover, New York University professor Garry (Andy Garcia). II. Mansuhkhbai (Irrfan Khan), an orthodox Jain diamond wholesaler, and Rifka (Natalie Portman), an orthodox Jewish diamond retailer who is getting married tomorrow, learn that they have more in common than just diamonds. III. David (Orlando Bloom), a musician and music editor for a video being directed by Abarra, is having problems meeting Abarra's demands while he slowly falls for Abarra's assistant, Camille (Christina Ricci), who he's never met, but has only talked to on the telephone solely about work. IV. A young man believes he's made a powerful connection to a stranger, a young woman, in the simple act of lighting her cigarette, and proceeds to convince her of the same and as such that there is a future for them from that point on, and not at some unspecified time down the road. V. A high school senior, who has been dumped by his girlfriend just before senior prom, is given a gift by his local pharmacist, Mr. Riccoli (James Caan), the senior not understanding the full implication of the gift until the full process of prom night is over. VI. Each on their way to their first official date together after what started out solely as a one night stand, Gus (Bradley Cooper) and Lydia (Drea de Matteo) each contemplate not keeping the date. VII. Isabelle (Julie Christie), a retired opera diva, has returned to a hotel where she's stayed many times and where she has strong memories of encounters with a young bellhop. VIII. Brown-skinned Dante (Carlos Acosta) and white-skinned young adolescent Teya (Taylor Geare) spend time together in a park, most outsiders see a manny and his charge, not realizing the true nature of Dante and Teya's relationship. IX. In questioning why one of her elderly Eastern European customers chose her as the wanted subject for his next painting, a young Chinese herbalist may be inspired to create some art of her own. X. Anna (Robin Wright), who meets Alex (Chris Cooper) by chance on the street each going about their individual business, asks him a question, she having an ulterior motive while expecting a totally different reaction from him contrary to her motive... maybe. XI. Abe (Eli Wallach) and Mitzie (Cloris Leachman) are spending their 63rd Wedding Anniversary together, not always harmoniously. Interspersed between these eleven vignettes are even shorter ones, often tying together to another or to one of the eleven primary ones in some manner.—Huggo

Eleven vignettes in New York City: a pickpocket meets his match; a young Hasidic woman, on the eve of her marriage, reveals herself to an Indian businessman; a writer tries a pick-up line; an artist seeks a model; a composer needs to read; two women connect; a man takes a child to Central Park; lovers meet; a couple takes a walk on their anniversary; a kid goes to the prom with a girl in a wheelchair; a retired singer contemplates suicide. There are eight million stories in the naked city: these have been eleven of them.—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Diamond merchant Mansukhbhai (Irrfan Khan), the father of Vinesh and Paresh, a Gujarati-Jain, who abstains from meat, onions, garlic, seafood, potatoes, and everything with roots, attempts to negotiate a deal with a Hasidic woman, Rifka (Natalie Portman), who has just shaved her head in order to get married. He recalls his life with his wife, who left him to live a simple non-materialistic life, seeking alms in India, while he dreams of marrying Rifka; Abe (Eli Wallach) and Mitzie (Cloris Leachman) take a walk on their 63rd Wedding Anniversary; Ben (Hayden Christensen), a thief, attempts to befriend a woman, Molly (Rachel Bilson), but must content with her boyfriend, Garry (Andy Garcia); A writer tries to woo a woman but finds she is a hooker; A boy takes a wheelchair bound girl as his prom date; Manny Dante (Carlos Acosta) takes Teya (Taylor Geare) to the park; An artist wants to draw a portrait of a woman who works in a Chinese herbal store. Just some of the stories depicting residents of New York City from all walks of life.—rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

This is not one movie but a series of short films. They are not separate, but some of the films have two or more parts, and not all of each film is seen in its entirety at once. These are not in order.

In the first story, in a scene where everything is orange, Ben follows a beautiful girl played by Rachel Bilson to a bar and tries to pick her up. She is sweet and nice to him, but then Garry walks in. He is married but she is his mistress. He is also a skilled pickpocket. Later, the girl shows up in the blonde wig from her photo. The girl and the man have a pleasant encounter.

A Hasidic Jewish woman is about to get married and she conducts a business transaction with a Jain man. They each talk about their culture and negotiate over the price of whatever is being sold. After that, the wedding has no dialogue or even audio other than music, with lots of men with beards and hats. The bride and groom seem to be enjoying themselves. The Jain man is shown driving somewhere.

There is a story where a white girl born in Mali gets in a Haitian driver's cab. They have a nice conversation. Then they are joined by another man.

A composer of music for anime meets a girl online. She is sweet but he has never seen her. Finally they meet, and she has the distinctive face of Christina Ricci. Another scene in a restaurant is orange.

A young woman on the subway is narrating her story, but the viewer only hears her talking. There is a man she will meet later.

A retired opera singer moves into a nice hotel. The young foreign-born bellhop is disabled but determined to his job. They have several nice conversations before a mysterious white light appears outside the window. Another older hotel employee seems to say everything the younger man said.

An artist who wasn't born in the United States but looks like Jay Leno if he didn't bother to shave wants to paint a beautiful Chinese woman, but she is hesitant. The woman's boss is very strict and doesn't seem to care about her. There is some Chinese music and a surprise at the end.

Also in Chinatown, a white woman brings in her sexiest clothes to be dry-cleaned. The dry-cleaner seems uncomfortable with the situation, but at least they are speaking Cantonese and the older man can't understand them. He is shown later in a nice scene with a middle-aged but attractive woman smoking outside a restaurant. This one has a surprise ending.

In a park, two white women see a Hispanic man with a white girl at a fountain. They compliment him on what a good job he does as a "manny". Then the man returns the girl to her mother, where we find out things are not as they seem.

A high school student is set up with a date to prom with by a pharmacist. The prom date includes an unpleasant surprise for the boy when he meets the girl, an awkward encounter with the girl he was going out with, and an unexpected ending to the story.

Cloris Leachman and Eli Wallach play a bickering couple walking through the city to the beach on their 63rd anniversary.