'Motherless Brooklyn' creates a mix of magic and missteps

FALLBROOK – Set in 1950s New York, filled with a star-studded cast including actor, screenplay writer and director Edward Norton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, William Dafoe, Alec Baldwin and Bruce Willis and laden with an equal amount of heavenly, yet down to earth, acting performances – most notably Norton’s – “Motherless Brooklyn” circuitously navigates the relationship and friendship between Norton and his boss, played by Willis, who runs a private detective company, as well as Norton’s medical condition, which presents significant and awkward challenges in many aspects of his life.

As the film evolves...