The title hints at a threesome between two girls and a country, but Woody Allen had a different idea. Using his muse Scarlett Johansen, Penelope Cruise and a simplistically romantic Javier Bardem, Allen gives us yet another version of his youthful frustration fables. An engaged Vicky (a delightful yet flat Rebecca Hall) and a newly single Christina (Johansson) travel to Barcelona for the summer only to find themselves subduly charmed by Juan Antonio, a painter who’s passion crazed wife tried to kill him. Or he tried to kill her, but it doesn’t really matter. Penelope Cruz plays the role of ex-wife Maria Elena with a confidence that outshines anyone in the film and makes Hall and Johansen seem like they’re playing house – which may have been what Allen intended all along. He likes his women young and confused. Bardem is underused and serves as an idea as opposed to a character but in giving us his wife, a headstrong know-it-all, Allen manages to make his bourgeoisie American ladies seem as humorously frustrating and cliché as ever. The movie is funny if you’re not afraid to laugh when the rest of the theater is quiet. With a stereotypical travelers guide to Gaudi and a mildly annoying narrator, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is watchable but nothing new.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona Trailer
Vicky Cristina Barcelona Trailer
2 comments:
I still can't decide if I liked it or not. As I told Shira, my first impression was "oh no, here's another film Woody made for masturbating to -- another one of his horny boy fantasies." However, the story went places that I didn't expect and dove into fascinating psychological territory (this is, by far, Woody's strongest skill).
In fact, as it still settles, I think Vicky was the strongest and most meaningful character of the film.
oh god I almost forgot -- the annoying narrator thing: FAIL. I know Woody Allen was trying to be funny but it didn't fail in a funny way, it just failed miserably.
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