Jesse Eisenberg Romances Kristen Stewart and Blake Lively in Bicoastal Dramedy ‘Café Society’

Sandra Miska

Woody Allen heads to Los Angeles for his 47th film, the romantic dramedy “Café Society.” This time, the setting is the 1930’s, and Jesse Eisenberg stars as Bobby Dorfman, the son of a Jewish jeweler who leaves his job with his father and his native New York for a more glamorous life in Hollywood.

In L.A., Bobby goes to work for his uncle Phil (Steve Carell), a powerful agent. It’s not long before he finds himself falling for Phil’s secretary Vonnie (Kristen Stewart). One minor complication is that Vonnie is having an affair with a married man – Phil. Discovering that he is in a love triangle with his own uncle is enough to send Bobby back to New York, where he goes into business running a nightclub with his gangster brother Ben (Corey Stoll) and marries the beautiful Veronica (Blake Lively). Eventually he rekindles his friendship with Vonnie, and things get even more complicated after Ben is convicted for murder.

”Café Society” debuted last May at the Cannes Film Festival, as one of two films featuring Stewart screened at the festival. While her “Personal Shopper” was met with boos, the reaction to “Café Society” has generally been positive.

Despite being considered by many to be one of the greatest living filmmakers, Allen has long been a controversial figure due to his marriage to the daughter of his former partner Mia Farrow. The controversy intensified over two years ago after his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow wrote an open letter detailing the alleged sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. The day of the Cannes press conference for “Café Society,” The Hollywood Reporter published an essay by Allen and Farrow’s son Ronan Farrow in which he criticized the media for not taking his sister’s allegations seriously enough.

Naturally, the media is now asking the women who have worked with Allen some tough questions. Lively, when questioned by the Los Angeles Times, claimed that she has somehow avoided reading anything about the director’s personal life. “It’s very dangerous to factor in things you don’t know anything about,” she said. “I could [only] know my experience. And my experience with Woody is he’s empowering to women.”

“Café Society” opens July 15 in select theaters and nationwide July 29.