Welcome to New York

source: Welcome to New York

This film tells the story of a powerful French man in the field of economics, who is addicted to sex. He runs into trouble when he is accused of raping a hotel maid in New York. I think the problem about "Welcome to New York" is that everyone knows the whole plot already before watching the film, so it is a challenge to keep viewers interested and surprised. Having extended sex scenes one after another may superficially do the trick, but ultimately I find "Welcome to New York" lacking in real substance. The wife, Simone, is likable and gives convincing displays of emotions. I am sympathetic towards her character. The main character, Devereaux, on the other hand, lacks that certain spark. I guess it is because his character is so egocentric and pathological that he does not show much emotions. He only sweet talk to ladies, yet he is not shown to be able to do much else. The filmmakers could have made it interesting by throwing in more courtroom drama, or more public outcry. There are loads of missed opportunities with the film to deliver a gripping and sensational story.

Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculous mus (The mountain gave birth to a small mouse). S-K. incident could have indeed given many hints to be pursued in making a decent movie: the interests of the rich and the influent colliding with justice, the sexual dependence of a mature man vs his family, or again loneliness and decadence in modern days. However, the director chose to follow them all at the same time, resulting in nothing more of a collection of sketches, causing the audience some annoyance, not to mention some impatience for the plot to recollect the various topics. Sadly, such hope is to remain unattained, and the movie remains an exhausting prologue of a story we will never see. The lack of pathos or sympathy for any of the characters or stories don't help. One may advocate Brecht's disenchantment of the epic theater, but one would seriously doubt that this was the case.

Anyone acquainted with the Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal that rocked international media would find Welcome to New York interesting. The movie gave us some time in private with the main protagonist, although it's clearly been a work of fiction, as the introductory notes underlined. In this movie the aesthetics of Abel Ferrara were put to gut use. As it usually has been the case with his movies, it was difficult to say whether the look and feel of a TV docudrama was intentional or the budget didn't allow a better postproduction. Either way, it sat well with Welcome to New York. It was a gritty insight into the daily routine of an important man who, after a hard day's work, relaxed in some debauchery. From there we go to a cordial welcome at NYPD until the big international capital intervened and charges were dropped. The last section of the movie, although the least exciting, gave the main protagonist the opportunity to spend some time under house arrest and open his heart. And it wasn't the possibility that both himself and Dominique Strauss-Kahn could have become "the future president of France" that made my stomach turn. It was rather his/theirs inability to perceive any wrongdoing and the unwillingness to repent.

In some ways Gerard Depardieu is the Gallic Helen Mirren, i.e a more than accomplished actor, admired by his peers, adored by fans, an Award winner yet with a compulsion to take off his/her clothes. He did it first - to my knowledge - back in the 70s in The Last Woman where, not content to spend half the film in the buff, he cut off his * for an encore. He stops short of self-mutilation here and the one full-frontal scene - it occurs when, following his arrest, he is strip-searched = last no more than a couple of minutes. Depardieu, like most of the cast, phones it in and I suppose one has to give him credit for appearing in something that is both cheesy and sleazy, the sort of role a young actor will take on to get noticed. In fact the only reason I can think of for the appearance of Jacqeline Besset as Depardieu's wife is the fact that she has more or less dropped off the radar and the ego needed a little massaging. There's absolutely nothing to recommend in this movie - perhaps 20 years ago the sex would have sold it, a la Last Tango In Paris, but not in an age where you can access the same thing at the click of a mouse.

okay, this movie is not very "deep", its more like a real-time documentation of some real life facts/conditions.. so, for about 20-30min its really a "Welcome to New York" with all its special realities.. i was constantly wondering during the movie, what the deeper thoughts of Abel Ferrara and Depardieu & Bisset were to make this half-documentary.. Abel Ferrara made such great films like "Bad Lieutenant" (as you surely know)->what does he (and Depardieu & Bisset) wants to tell us with that ? i guess almost nothing->for me it culminates in a superb acting scene with Bisset and Depardieu at the end.. its a "homage" to two great actors: Bisset & Depardieu.. thats all,thats it..if you are a great Bisset&Depardieu+Movie-Fan, you will like it->great acting !! (PS.appendix: after watching it by chance for a second time in an "Uncut"- Version, its also mainly a "blaming the capitalism", was ,but not so, clear before in the "cutted"-version..)

I have never been disappointed with an Abel Ferrara film yet never seem in a rush to see a new one. I guess the ferocity of emotions he tends to whip up are both exciting and disturbing. This particular film, depicting the events surrounding Dominique Strauss- Kahn's attack upon a maid in his New York hotel was so dismissed by the critics at the time of its release, I delayed my viewing. No need to have had any doubts though, this is a sensationally good film. Gerard Depardieu was a fantastic choice to play the lead for despite all the horrors and abuse of power, there is something about the actor and his reputation that presumably, like DSK in real life, prevents the viewer from totally dismissing the guy as an animal. A couple of devastating, direct to camera stares underline this, 'Who are you to judge me?' attitude. Jacqueline Bisset is also very effective as his then wife and there is a very powerful scene when she is showing him round the flat she has found for him and tries to resist his clumsy advances. The dialogue is brilliant throughout and totally believable and it seemed to me that i may never have heard such convincing lines from non white actors, particularly in the courtroom, police and prison scenes. The whole sequence following the removal from the plane and his incarceration and strip search are spine tinglingly believable. I must also mention that before we launch into the main story Ferrara presents us with the DSK view of the world with 'ladies' sweeping into a briefing session to fold themselves over his lap and offer a *. And then an orgy scene in New York shot really tight with just parts of bodies visible and cocaine laced whipped cream much to the fore. A highly erotic scene to set us up for the main body of the film leaving us in no doubt all the while that a certain part of the man's (any man's?) anatomy is directing his actions.

In New York, the French director of the World Bank Mr. Devereaux (Gérard Depardieu) is a pervert and womanizer, partying and participating in gang bangs with women. When he tries to rape the hotel housekeeper in his room, the woman reports to the police. Devereaux is arrested, affecting also the life of his wife Simone (Jacqueline Bisset). "Welcome to New York", by Abel Ferrara, is a long, uneven and inconclusive film based on the New York v. Strauss-Kahn case. The story shows the lead character Devereaux as an egocentric, pervert and sick womanizer through excessive sex scenes and his relationship with his daughter and wife. When he is released in house arrest, the screenplay is developed at a very slow pace and is boring. However the lack of conclusion is terrible. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Bem-Vindo a Nova York" ("Welcome to New York")

Even a good cast can not save Welcome to New York from the label of mediocre. The film tells the tale of a lecherous, moneyed Frenchman who is accused of raping a housemaid whilst staying in a ritzy New York Hotel. Gerard Depardieu offers up a reasonable if not exceptional performance as the male lead. His character is a rather revolting, dissipated type who is driven primarily by sex, which he equates with a disease.His character is not that complex and as such, not terribly interesting. By contrast, his long suffering wife, played by Jacqueline Bisset, offers up a passionate performance as a woman driven to pure exasperation and despair by a man she still loves in spite of his conspicuous faults. Its a very personal drama let down by limited character development and the rather stunted story line which leaves the viewer asking what it is they have just witnessed. Indeed, Welcome to New York really amounts to little more than a reiteration of life's realities, that the world is an unfair, unjust place where money makes a huge difference and the dysfunctional go on being dysfunctional. Five out to ten from me.

Totally non-believable boring and basically unwatchable. I'm not an apologist for DSK, NYPD, IMF, or the PS but this movie is so far away from reality that its pathetic. Who funds garbage like this? I don't know DSK but I do know he was managing director of the IMF for 4 years as well as holding MANY prestigious posts within the French political system. I find it hard to believe that he travels alone taking yellow cabs to the Airport and is then left in the New York Prison/Court System without getting access to a lawyer and then strip searched? LOL ... Come on now! The scenes are dull lifeless and bland. I know more about DSK from watching a few stupid news clips than I learned from this entire movie. There was NO attempt to develop his character or anyone else's. It seems as though the script writers knew NOTHING about DSK or ANY of the characters in the film. His wife is portrayed as some sort of "backbone" who ran his career? The scene with Bisset and Depardieu was scripted poorly and acted even more poorly if that can even be possible. I'm not the biggest fan of the NYPD either but their depiction in the film was very insulting to them and ME! The guy supposedly rents an apartment for $65k a month but can't get a private car to pick him up at the airport?? I still don't know the real story of what happened with DSK. Its obvious that people in very high places want to destroy the careers of DSK, Depardieu, Bisset, and Ferrara because it certainly shines a pitiful light on all of them.