Young stars consolidate their gains

Jessie Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg made his thespic debut in such less than stirring and sensational vehicles as “Roger Dodger,” “The Emperor’s Club” and “The Village,” but he finally made his mark in “The Social Network,” where filmmaker David Fincher made him act against his usual, aw-schucks type by casting him as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

It was a huge step up for the young actor, who used to be boxed into “nerd next door” roles, and he affirmed his director’s  “risky” faith in him by coming up with an amazingly insightful portrayal that won a Bafta award and was nominated for an Oscar.

Since then, we’ve been waiting for the next lead portrayal that would firmly consolidate Eisenberg’s gains—and we’re happy and relieved to report that it’s finally come by way of Woody Allen’s latest film, “Café Society.”

Allen pays the actor the supreme compliment of casting him clearly and indubitably as the movie’s protagonist, the character who is the storytelling’s “governing” point of view,  and is most affected and changed by how it unfolds and concludes.

Eisenberg initiates his character’s development being as callous and clueless as they come, but as he  experiences one disappointment and betrayal after another, we see him “learn” and “wise up.”

The actor reveals this key change externally by way of physical and wardrobe adjustments, but even more noteworthy and revelatory are his internal adjustments, as the psychic welts and wounds turn into scars.

The danger, of course, is that all that “instructive scarring” will make him love his basic, “differentiating” goodness—so that he ends up just like the monsters who have grievously hurt and exploited him.

Thank goodness, the actor and his director don’t allow that to happen, so the main thematic lesson learned from viewing the film is still a positive one.

Kristen Stewart, as the protagonist’s great but faithless love, has a tougher thespic row to hoe, because she comes with much more excess baggage than he does.

Stewart attained stardom by way of the listless and even benumbing  “Twilight” films, where she came up with “appropriately” dull and sluggish performances that were big turnoffs for us.

So, we’ve tended to avoid watching her other starrers, for fear of being zonked out to extinction.

But, the fact that “Café Society” is a Woody Allen film persuaded us to give it a go despite Stewart’s stellar presence.

We’re slap-happy to report that she did not sleepwalk her way through it, and in fact comes up with a perceptive, appealing and dynamic portrayal that effectively cancels out her tepid and turgid thespic “baggage” of old.

Stewart’s transformation may not be as sensational as Eisenberg’s, but it’s  praise-worthy in its own right.

Her best scene is the one toward the movie’s denouement, in which she reveals how much she’s changed, from the lovely, optimistic innocent of yore to the ostentatiously wealthy and neurotically name-dropping Hollywood producer’s wife she has sadly and even tragically become.

The subtle shift and change is a big challenge, but the now no longer sluggish and sullen actress measures up to its complex requirements, with flying thespic colors.