If all of this is truly meant to be taken at face-value, then this alleged reprisal of the Hollywood musical (I was unaware there was a dearth of these) is fairly unremarkable.
Haunted by a dream of a life that never was; Café would really make a great romantic “what could have been” double feature with Scorsese’s Age of Innocence.
Featuring the flow of a really good episode of Saturday Night Live, where the jokes come flying and land often enough to make you forget about the ones that fall flat.
Too often a character wanders around a damp or dark basement or room, while the bombastic score yells in your ear to make sure you're on edge. I wish Wan would trust his audience to know when they should be scared.
Even if you find some story and character elements illogical, it's tough not to get enraptured by the sheer dread behind each corner and each interaction.
