Almost (but not quite) a return to form for Allen.
by - Written: Aug 20 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unknown Rebecca Hall and Javier Bardem are a treat!
Cons: Scarlett Johanssen doesn't work for me in this one.
The Bottom Line: The Spanish settings have infused Allen's film with some much needed PASSION. Loads of fun!
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| rmurray847's Full Review: Vicky Cristina Barcelona |
It’s been a LONG time since Woody Allen gave us a film that was truly meaningful and had something “deep” to say about life, love and the human condition. My favorite is HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, but CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS and HUSBANDS & WIVES (with Sydney Pollack’s and Judy Davis’ greatest performances) are Allen’s most recent classics. Since that time, almost everyone would agree that his work has been pretty mediocre. In recent years, MATCH POINT saw Allen moving to London and the change in locale seemed to energize him into making his most “un-Woody” film in ages and a darn good psychological crime thriller at that. But SCOOP and CASSANDRA’S DREAM (also London based), offered rapidly diminishing returns. So Allen has moved to Barcelona, Spain with VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, and once again, the rewards of this new location have jazzed up the Allen formula. However, the film still fails to reward on a philosophical level. It is a surface level delight, with a wry irony about the human condition.
In brief, the story starts with two rich, bored American girls coming to Barcelona for a summer. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is engaged to marry a nice, safe, boring stockbroker type…a man who is mostly interested in picking their perfect home in the perfect NYC bedroom community. Her friend Cristina (Scarlett Johansen) is more a free spirit. She scorns the idea of settling down. Early in their visit, they meet Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), a somewhat well-known artist. He’s something of a lady’s man, and he brazenly invites them to come to his country villa for a few days, where they will see beautiful sights, drink nice wine and make love. This is after he’s known them for 30 seconds. Vicky basically tells him to bug off, but Cristina accepts, and Vicky finds herself going along, ostensibly so that she can keep an eye on Johanssen.
I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that “romantic” (or at least sexual) entanglements follow. They are made far more interesting with the return of Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz), Juan Antonio’s ex-wife. To say that she is a “fiery” personality is putting it mildly. She is looney tunes…but also very artistic, sensual and intuitive. She and her ex have one of those relationships where one is the moth and the other the flame…they constantly burn each other yet instinctively they can’t avoid each other.
I’ve tried to reveal little of what actually HAPPENS in the film, because part of the fun is to kind of guess who will fall into bed with whom and when and why. Suffice it to say that this is all frothy fun. While the characters endure some pretty gut-wrenching, soul-searching times…for the viewer there is nothing to take terribly seriously. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing…but it’s what puts this film just below “classic Woody” status. It’s a vigorous and fun film…looser than his movies have been in awhile. But perhaps it’s the Spanish flavor that has made it all seem a bit trivial. The characters are all impossibly witty (when AREN’T they in an Allen film?) and there is also a narrator (and this device, of course, makes it a little tough to get drawn in deeply).
But the good outweighs the bad, for certain. Allen’s script is VERY fast-moving and really pretty darn funny. His characters are all fairly likeable and there are ample opportunities for all four lead characters to shine. To me, Rebecca Hall was the eye-opener. She is pretty much unknown to me, and I don’t know how or why Allen cast her…but he had a pretty good eye with this one. She reminded me of Frances O’Connor (another obscure name, I know…but perhaps a little less so to some). She’s strikingly intelligent and she plays her character with a believable mixture of reserve and vulnerability. When unexpected deep feelings hit her, she is “unmoored” from her image of herself, and it’s fun to watch her grow and change. It’s also GREAT fun to see her in the last scene of the movie…the point she arrives at in the end is the closest Allen comes to poignancy in this film. Javier Bardem is very charismatic. His character is barely more than a caricature (a hot-blooded Spanish artist with amazing skills in seduction!)…but Bardem makes us believe that Juan Antonio really is this person. But what Bardem also does is show that while Juan Antonio wants to seem deep and warm and intuitive…he is really quite shallow and ineffective. Also, if the last time you saw Bardem was as Anton Chigurh in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN…you’ll be amazed at how very, very different this guy is. Penelope Cruz has been receiving a lot of accolades, and she is certainly a character who truly stirs the pot when she arrives. To me, the part is the most underwritten of the four, and thus a little less successful. However, I don’t blame Cruz…she really pulls off the almost manic/depressive personality of Maria Elena with great energy. It is Scarlett Johanssen who comes off the worst here. I’m not a huge fan of hers to start with…she can be a remarkably still and self-possessed actress…but I actually find her stillness not so much representing an inner life, but to show dullness. I’m sure Scarlett is sharp as a tack and probably great fun in real life…but her acting, very effective in roles like GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, leaves her feeling stiff and unconvincing in parts like in VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA that call for vivacity and some raw sensuality. She is a contrast to the other women on the screen…but it’s not really a contrast between fire and ice. It’s a contrast between fire and another fire that has been doused with water and is now just a burnt-out ember.
If you’ve never liked Allen’s movies before (and I know many people who can’t abide him)…I feel there’s a chance you might actually enjoy this one. Except for the VERY Allen-like voice of the narrator, the Spanish setting creates a warmer, more colorful tone than we’ve seen in awhile. If you’re a fan of Allen, then I believe this is a must-see.
Recommended:
Yes
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