Review by Matthew Frendo
Scarlett Johanssen is Woody's new “it” girl, that's for sure. This little fact happens to be great for both parties involved. Now, granted, I haven't seen all 500,000 Woody Allen movies out there, but I've seen quite a few, and been a fan of all to varying degrees. It seems like Scarlett Johanssen has provided him with a new muse of sorts, as his new output is far different than his old. Scarlett benefits from this partnership as well, as she has become the best actress' of our generation, as opposed to making forgettable, commercial fluff (with a few exceptions).
Of course, the same themes run through Allen's films, new and old, which, for the most part, are (a) obsession and (b) the dichotomy between artistic freespiritedness and conservative monogamy. However, his later work has been much more serious, such as Match Point (in fact, Match Point is fascinating because it is the embodiment of exactly the same neurosis as his previous films, set to tragedy instead of comedy). Vicky Cristina Barcelona continues a trend to more serious fare, though far lighter than the before-mentioned Match Point. And it seems to also answer the latter theme discussed: that both sides bring their own set of confusion and loss, with neither providing a full answer for life. Vicky Cristina Barcelona takes place in, as you may have guessed, It's probably best if I leave the plot right there, so as to not ruin what comes next. I will say that Penelope Cruz turns in one of the strongest performances I've ever seen (there is already possible Academy Award nomination talk going around). The cinematography is beautiful and the soundtrack (made up mostly of Spanish guitar work) fits the mood perfectly. The one word that came to mind when describing this film is: “exquisite”. This is a classy film, one in which beauty goes side-by-side with melancholy and doubt. This is where I would discuss the cons of the film, but honestly, I couldn’t find one. This may be the most perfect film I've seen (a sentiment only previously felt with Blade Runner). There's a rumor that Allen did not talk to the actors at all, except to give stage direction, letting the cast flesh out the characters themselves. And if that’s true, Vicky Cristina Barcelona just became the textbook case that letting things happen naturally does yield the most truthful results (in this case, truth being more philosophical than historical). With 5 /5 stars Review by Don Hill How do you make a movie starring lots of hot people (including Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johanssen, two of my favorites) in a story about lesbian sex, three-way relationships, infidelity, and suicide set in exotic Barcelona and make it, well, rather dull? You get Woody Allen to write and direct it, apparently. Two American friends go on holiday to I would never have guessed that this movie would be dull. Reading the plot synopsis, seeing the fantastic actors involved and knowing that a legend of film was writing and directing, I was really excited to see the movie when it was first talked about. But I watched it and I was bored…. well, as bored as I could possibly be while watching Scarlett have (implied) lesbian sex with Penelope Cruz with Javier waiting upstairs for the three-way. Halfway through the movie I was half-hoping Bardem would revert back to Anton Chigurh, but alas, it was not to be. All of the acting was top-notch, as would be expected with this great cast. The story was pretty good too, but I just was not enthralled and I really wanted to be. The narration was grating and unnecessary and the movie seemed to wander towards the end. And the ending? Just terrible. It just… ended. No resolution. Maybe Woody wanted it to be that way, but how would you have felt if Rocky had ended during Round 8? To continue with the boxing analogies, this movie “coulda been a contenda”. But instead it retires without ever winning the heavyweight title. And the next time I want to see some Woody Allen, I’ll just re-watch Annie Hall. 3 / 5 stars |
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