Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

To me, this movie is perfection.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" tells the story of two very different young American women who, for different reasons, decide to travel to Spain together and fall in love with the same man. When his passionate ex-wife appears, things spiral out of control.First of all I have to say that after all that has happened, as much as I enjoy his films, everyone should carefully consider if he is alright working with him. It is not okay to just pretend nothing happened, if the accuses are true. Nontheless, I'll try to set that aside and only rate the movie. I didn't really enjoy this film as much as Allen's other works, possibly because some typical features like the subtle humor are missing. It manages to depict love in very different and true ways but sometimes the plot is missing some tempo and personally, the narrator seemed like a disturbance sometimes. However the film delivers some great acting, big names and surely a lot of good eye for the details of relationships.All in all this is a clever film about love and its forms but it is missing some of the esprit that other Woody Allen films convince with. It is, nonetheless, worth a watch, if you are willing to blend out who made it.

Anyone else get the impression that Javier Bardem's character Juan Antonio had no interest in anything but sex? If you didn't perceive that along the way, then it becomes more than evident when he seduces Vicky (Rebecca Hall) the final time, regardless of her conflicted feelings and potential collapse of her fledgling marriage. If anything, the movie's theme can be best summed up by the character of Cristina (Scarlett Johannson), who the fiery Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) pegs as possessing 'chronic dissatisfaction'. That struck a chord with this viewer, as I'm sure many people of both genders are struck with a semblance of chronic dissatisfaction in their lives or careers. In this picture, it appeared that the condition applied to just about every principal and ancillary character, except Juan Antonio of course, since he found ways to satisfy himself virtually every day of the week.This was a different kind of role for Bardem, hard to reconcile against his relentless assassin turn in "No Country for Old Men". He was just so smooth, one could actually envy him. But it's Cruz who gets my vote as the fulcrum on which this story pivots, just catch her expression when she arrives with a pistol to take out Juan Antonio. Wow! Such brazen hatred in someone so lovely. I don't know if that was enough to earn her the Best Supporting Actress because she wasn't on screen that long, and not until the latter half of the picture, but for the amount of time you saw her, she presented an amazingly complex character.But when it all came to an end, it didn't seem like there was anyone left better for the experience. Life is like that sometimes, so I guess loose ends have their place. The one thing I could have done without in the story was the droning narration by Christopher Evan Welch. I found it more distracting than helpful, tending to lower one's expectations for something exciting to happen. What I would have liked was something larger written for Juan Antonio's father Julio (Josep Maria Domènech). He looked like a character waiting to happen.

On vacation in Spain two American girlfriends meet a tall, dark and handsome artist who satisfies their needs in unexpected ways.A curious little romance that putters along until about the halfway mark, when the introduction of a new character adds some tension and darkness. The sensibility is middle class - safe and responsible - so nothing really dramatic is promised and the story resolves on a minor note: not too comfortable, restrained in emotion.The performances are good, particularly from the ex-wife. Locations are idyllic. Music is gorgeous. Only complaint is the odd voice-over of the narrator, which lords it over the story and is very much tell-don't-show.Overall: fairly interesting, fairly engaging.

I do find the character of Vicky irritating though. As she moves from one guy to the next. I know the point is that she doesn't know what she wants....or thought she did. But why the Ben character then? She's got a husband who she supposedly loves. She meets a Spaniard and begins an affair with him. Which creates her confusion. But then Ben too? What's with his presence in the movie? I think her brief involvement with him is what makes her confusion rather irritating.