Vicky Cristina Barcelona

One of my fave movies

I had been waiting for months to see this movie and it did not disappoint. In fact, it is probably one of my new favorites. The film is billed as a breezy summer romance comedy but that description does not do it justice. I'm really not sure what to say about this movie because it really has to be seen to be discussed. One side note: Allen uses a narrator throughout much of the film and I quite liked that approach. It eliminated the many minutes of throwaway dialog that would have been needed to set up several scenes and allowed the viewer to get right to the heart of the matter. There are a handful of reviews out there that show some of the aspects of the film that you may have missed.

This movie is going to boil down to the same old question -- do you or do you not like Woody Allen? If you do, this is more of the same from him. I usually find his style irritating due to the overuse of the narrator which continues in this movie. The story is neither original nor inspiring. You can see the exact same movie called _Summer Lovers_ with Daryl Hannah. The most disappointing aspect of this movie was the cinematography. The entire movie is spent in romantic Spain and even though nearly all the players are artists and Scarlett's character loves photography, I can't recall any scenes of breathtaking sites or landscapes. I also was left wondering how Vicky was able to afford this summer getaway and then whisk off to France when she needed to be separated from her situation in Spain. I know nitpicky but I guess that puts me on the Not a Woody Allen fan team.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a sophisticated romantic comedy from Woody Allen that explores the mysteries of love. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem, and Penelope Cruz, the cast is especially good and delivers strong performances. The story follows two American tourists staying in Barcelona for the summer as they become infatuated with an artist whose freethinking ways challenges their concepts about love and romance. Allen’s directing is excellent, especially in how it captures the beauty of the scenery and how intimate it is with the characters. However, while the film tries to be insightful, the plot ultimately goes nowhere and doesn’t progress anything. A well-crafted and inspired film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is intriguing and provocative, but it doesn’t quite have its message worked out.

The only redeeming quality of this film is Penelope Cruz cursing like a sailor :D The rest is the usual Woody Allen trash.