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Vicky Cristina Barcelona [Blu-ray] |  | Actors: Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem
Studio: Weinstein
Category: DVD
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Language: English (Unknown)
Media: Blu-ray
Number Of Items: 1
ASIN: B001C48E6K
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 What's It All About, Woody? September 1, 2008
Spoiler Alert***
When I go to Europe, I get propositioned-a lot-in metro cars, in cafes, on the street. It's not because of my looks but rather because passion, beauty and sex are a function of life Spain, France and Italy. And so it happens for Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Christina (Scarlett Johansson). While spending a summer holiday in Barcelona, Vicky and Christina are given a "best offer" from Juan Antonio (the dreamy Javier Badem), to fly away for the weekend. Vicky is hostile to his offer-she knows what she wants-a drama free relationship with her fiancee. Christina finds the offer and the man interesting and states her desire to go. To protect her friend, Vicky goes along for the ride, but finds herself caught in the undertow of love and succumbs unexpectedly to Juan Antonio's gentle seduction.
The three return to Barcelona and Vicky returns to her work and her plans for marriage. Christina begins a relationship with Juan Antonio. Juan's ex-wife, Maria Elena (the gorgeous Penelope Cruz) tries to kill herself and Juan tells Christina they have to take care of her until she gets on her feet. Oddly, the ethereal Christina acts like a salve in the tumultuous relationship between Maria Elena and Juan Antonio. The three of them fall in love and life is going along swimmingly until Vicky begins to feel a familar desire-one which Maria Elena correctly labels "perpetual discontent" in an emotional tearful moment.
In the meantime, Vicky continues to yearn for Juan Antonio, and her discontented Aunt schemes to set the two up. They meet for a seductive lunch, but seduction is in the head as much as the heart and taking from an earlier scene where Christina tells Juan Antonio that he shouldn't blow it with with something small-the wrong pair of shorts for example, he blows the seduction of Vicky completely with the wrong kind of life-a life of drama which the staid Vicky can not really imagine being a part of.
This film has it's problems. First and foremost, Christopher Evan Welch talks over some of the scenes-almost like he was presenting script direction, "Vicky felt x, while Christina felt...". I'm a fan of "show, don't tell" and would have preferred to "get it" on my own. With this style of presentation, Allen feels a bit controlling, as if he's going to tell his audience his message because we're too dumb to infer it on our own. But whatever the problems with Vicky Cristina Barcelona, I loved it. I love Allens exploration of culture. I saw Annie Hall when I was five and I've been intrigued with Allens brand of dysfuction ever since.
Vicky Christina Barcelona is a gorgeous film, you'll enjoy the background shots of La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. Like earlier Allen films Manhattan or Annie Hall where New York goes a long way in effecting the psyche and neurosis of the characters-Barcelona and the charm of the spanish country side disenchant Vicky and Christina with the lives they are living back in the States. Setting is never just a backdrop in an Allen film.
A great film with gorgeous actors and a contemplative script. Worth seeing.
If you enjoy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, I'd recommend Margot at the Wedding, Eagle vs. Shark, The Housekeeper and all of the Pedro Almodovar films, particularly All About My Mother(especially if you want more Penelope Cruz and Barcelona) and Talk to Her (Hable con Ella)
 Allen is less inspired in Barcelona than he was in London August 27, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
As thornhill sat in the movie theater on opening night, he thought back a couple of months to the first time he saw the trailer for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", the new film with Javier Bardem , Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johannson. As thornhill heard these names announced, he thought 'interesting', 'more interesting', 'don't know her' and 'well, even thornhill can't have everything.' But the trailer looked promising and when it was finished playing, he remembered where he had heard about the film before.
Thornhill has been in many movie theaters over the course of his life, and many, many, many of these screenings were for new films by writer and director Woody Allen. Early in his life, the young cineaste began to appreciate the skill of the director and eagerly sought out every one of his new films. Granted, some of these offerings were better than others, but the extremely witty writing, the comedic timing and the performances the director was able to evoke frequently surprised thornhill. When Allen is at the top of his form, the work is great and often priceless. Who can argue that "Annie Hall", "Manhattan", "Hannah and her Sisters" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors" will not be remembered as great, well-made films? But Allen makes a lot of films and he occasionally makes films that are just good. And he also makes films that can be excruciating. Unfortunately, there have been more of the last two types of films in the last few decades than the great works from earlier in his career.
Thornhill is such a die hard fan, he has been subjected to many of Allen's lesser works. Allen has a reputation that thornhill knows too well, a reputation that also works against him. Allen makes his films on extremely tight budgets, and his films are generally profitable because of this, which allows him to make the films he wants to make, to tell the stories he wants to tell, with little interference from the studios. Because of his reputation, and the caliber of performances he is capable of getting from his actors, many stars want to work with Allen, even at greatly reduced salaries. He can basically pick and choose whom he wants to work with and this has led to some great performances (Michael Caine and Barbara Hershey in "Hannah and Her Sisters", Martin Landau and Alan Alda in "Crimes and Misdemeanors"). But it also leads Allen to work with 'new and exciting' stars, performers on the rise who are thrilled to work with the respected director but who really don't belong in an Allen film. As the stars get younger, they seem more out of place, more alien to the universe Allen creates. This has led him to work with Will Ferrell, Radha Mitchell, Elizabeth Berkley, Helen Hunt and many others who simply don't work in an Allen film.
A few years ago, Allen created a film called "Matchpoint", a thriller set in London starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer and Mathew Goode. Everything about this film says it should join the group that includes "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" and "Melinda/ Melinda", two of the lowpoints of Allen's career. In other words, it should join the bad list. But it worked. Extremely well. Thornhill was pleased. Very pleased. But then Allen followed with two clunkers, "Scoop", starring Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman and Allen in a lame, terribly unfunny comedy and "Cassandra's Dream" starring Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell trying to recreate the magic Allen found in "Matchpoint". But they didn't work. Now that his London bug is out of his system, the filmmaker has moved on to Spain (and Spanish funding for his film) and brings us "Vicky Cristina Barcelona".
If thornhill ever had any doubt that Johansson is Allen's new muse, "Barcelona" erased them for good.
He thinks that Allen may have made this film simply to include the scene depicting Johansson and Cruz's characters in a lip lock. But your intrepid movie reviewer is getting a bit ahead of himself.
So each time thornhill saw the trailer, his anticipation went up a bit. Was it possible that this would be one of Allen's "good" pictures? It looked promising. Until thornhill sat in the theater on opening night.
Thornhill's friend, who would accompany him, first broke the bad news to him the afternoon they were going to attend. He remembers asking her "So, was the review in the ____ Times good?" He also remembers the slight pause. Then she answered "No. They made a point to comment about the voice over." Then thornhill paused. "Voice over? Well, how much could there be". And he happily clicked away to buy their reserved seats for the screening that evening.
How much could there be indeed. Voice over is best used sparingly. It should be used to help give the audience some idea of what a character might be thinking or contemplating when the actor, director and writer can't have the character express these feelings verbally. Or voice over can help bridge parts of the story we really don't need to see saving time and money.
In "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", Allen uses an unidentified voice to tell us about Vicky and Cristina's thoughts, feelings, emotions as we simply watch them looking at each other, or towards the camera, off in the distance. We learn about their history. We learn about what brought them to Barcelona in the first place. We learn Vicky is engaged to be married. We learn about her fiancée. We learn about everyone and everything and the voice seems to speak nonstop. What this does is to take the viewer out of the action and away from the characters. Because someone is telling us about their lives, emotions, feelings, how are we supposed to connect with these same characters? So much of the connection between and audience and the story comes from the discovery of these same aspects of the characters of a film. If someone is telling us all of these things, why should we bother? In fact, hearing so much voice over makes me think I am reading a book. I enjoy reading, but if I am at a film, I want to experience something visual.
Someone mentioned to me that they heard this was Allen's homage to Truffaut's "Jules and Jim". This actually makes a lot of sense. Thornhill knows that Allen very often tries to evoke the style and look of his favorite auteurs, most notably Ingmar Bergman. This is the first time thornhill has heard of the filmmaker trying to evoke Truffaut, but it fits. But that doesn't make thornhill like "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" any more.
Because Johansson has been on so many of Allen's recent films, thornhill has come to the conclusion that Allen has appointed her his new muse. How else to explain the director's infatuation with this actress? Thornhill agrees that she is pretty, but he can also emphatically argue that she is simply a good actress. Better than Elizabeth Berkeley. Not as good as many, many other actors who frequently work in the director's films. "Barcelona" is about two American women (Rebecca Hall, "Starter for 10", "The Prestige" and Johansson) who travel to Spain for the summer and end up catching the eye of an artist (Bardem) who is still reeling from craziness his ex-wife (Cruz) brought into his life and many of the women fall in love with Bardem's artist. All of these shenanigans seem designed to make it possible for Allen to orchestrate a kiss between Johansson and Cruz. I know he isn't the only man in the world who would enjoy seeing such a thing. But Johansson just isn't that great an actress. And he could choose better people to appear in his films.
Thornhill enjoyed Bardem's portrayal of the slightly eccentric artist Jose Antonio who seems to enjoy being an artist almost as much as he enjoys what being an artist means. He can be impetuous, he can be romantic, and he can be noncommittal. And he displays all of these attributes to their best and worst.
The real find in "Barcelona" is Rebacca Hall, a British actress who appeared in "Starter for 10" and "The Prestige" and will be seen very soon in Ron Howard's adaptation of "Frost/ Nixon". She is the only actor in the film who appears to be trying to show some emotional range. Even better yet, the character's problems appear natural and believable. In short, her character isn't dependent on the excessive voice over. Initially, she is put off by Jose Antonio's offer to take she and Cristina away for the weekend, to "make love". But Cristina wants to go, so she tags along as an escort. But events turn on her and she finds herself in a conflict. Then her fiancée, Doug (Chris Messina, HBO's "Six Feet Under") shows up and wants to get married in Barcelona. Hall does a good job with the role.
Thornhill even liked Penelope Cruz and she usually drives him nuts. There is a funny ongoing joke between her character and Bardem's, providing much of the only laughter in the film.
So, all in all, thornhill thought Allen's new film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" was okay. Not his best work. Not his worst. Sort of mediocre. And not worth spending money to see at a theater. Definitely a movie to wait for on DVD. Maybe they will put the voice over on a separate track. That way, if you detest it as much as thornhill does, you can turn it off and try to concentrate on the performances instead.
Allen Finds His Romantic and Artistic Muse in Spain with a Sharp, Eclectic Cast August 25, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
From a thematic standpoint, Woody Allen's latest film offers nothing we haven't already seen in his earlier work like Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters. Like those classics and several lesser efforts, this 2008 romantic dramedy is a distilled examination of why men and women long for romance and how we fluidly fall in and out of love as a result, often with dire consequences and not without personal humiliation. What makes this entry particularly welcome is the full-blooded infusion of Spanish art and architecture that brings an emotional ripeness to the story. It also helps that Allen has gathered a more eclectic cast than usual to inhabit the richly developed characters. This is easily the most enjoyable film he has made since going abroad and probably his funniest since at least 2000's Small Time Crooks.
The plot focuses on two American college friends, polar opposites on the subject of love, as they vacation in Barcelona for the summer. As the conservative one who values stability and devotion, Vicky is there to study "Catalan Identity" as she waits to return to the states to marry Doug, an ambitious young man who maps out their future with a stifling lack of spontaneity. Failed filmmaker Cristina, on the other hand, is a romantic adventurer who craves unbridled passion with no limits. Their differing perspectives on love clash immediately when they both catch the eye of renowned abstract painter Juan Antonio. He makes a supremely self-confident proposition to Vicky and Cristina to join him on a romantic weekend trip to Oviedo, a picturesque town near the northern coast. Naturally, Vicky is appalled and makes no bones in telling him so, but Cristina is excited by the idea of being seduced by him. They agree to go with him and face unexpected consequences. Things get even more complicated when Juan Antonio's tempestuous ex-wife Maria Elena shows up and forces him to face his weaknesses.
Part of the resulting roundelay feels like a throwback to Allen's A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, but there is also a palpable sense of melancholy more reminiscent of his mid-period films like Crimes and Misdemeanors and Husbands and Wives. What remains consistent throughout is the filmmaker's incurable romanticism, a freshly optimistic viewpoint that makes the film thoroughly pleasurable despite the familiar set-up. The performances are terrific beginning with Rebecca Hall, a surprising find as Vicky, a young woman who thought she knew what she wanted only to find out too late that it's not what she wants at all. As a typical Allen heroine, Hall lets her initially strident manner as Vicky give way to a resonating sadness. As for Scarlett Johansson, the third time's definitely a charm. In Match Point, Allen exploited her effortless sensuality, while he tried to make her a fumbling Diane Keaton copy in Scoop. As Cristina, however, she gets to blend together her carnal allure and comic insecurity in a more seamless fashion. She has a wonderfully funny moment when she just can't control her titillation at Juan Antonio's proposal in the restaurant.
For those who have only recently been introduced to his mesmerizing work by way of his maniacal killer in the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men, Javier Bardem is completely convincing as Juan Antonio, a man who effortlessly controls the fates of the three women enraptured by his sensual manner and open soul. Unlike a shallower actor like Antonio Banderas, Bardem manages to move between smoldering and vulnerable with fluency. As Maria Elena, Penélope Cruz finally comes into her own in a non-Almodovar film. Taking the concept of a tortured artist to an extreme, the actress blazes with dangerous vitality, even though the role is relatively minor. She brings visceral life to the combative relationship between her and Juan Antonio, and at the same time, displays a sharp Allenesque wit, especially when she slyly ridicules Cristina in Spanish during their tension-filled conversations. The always-reliable Patricia Clarkson is quietly effective as a family friend of Vicki's with secrets of her own, while Chris Messina conveys the right level of unctuous smarminess as Doug.
The film is beautiful to look at thanks to the luscious, sun-dappled cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe. With Gaudi's most famous work on display, Barcelona could hardly look more appealing on film. Just as evocative is the atmospheric music by a bevy of contemporary Spanish composers. The one aspect that doesn't work quite as well as intended is Christopher Evan Welch's stentorian narration, which lacks the right level of irony to make the ploy worthwhile. Most of the time, it comes across as a conceit to explain parts of the narrative that seem clear enough from the scenes. Regardless, this is a genuine return to form for Allen and well worth seeing for fans.
Lovely cinematography August 24, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
but very dull and monotonous story.
Gorgeous sets, lighting, scenery;
It was sorta worth seeing in order to watch Javier Bardem as a sterotypical womanizing manipulator ( great to see a real man on screen, hunky and hairy...however shallow the part, the man is juicy to behold and has tons of charisma)
Penelope Cruz played a one note character, dynamic as the mentally ill artist and muse, but such a stereotypical Latina mama constantly screaming her Passion. Whoa, she must be hot blooded, right?
Rebecca Hall was okay but dull,dull,dull, as was her character.
Scarlett Johannsen was as usual in everything I have seen her in , the weakest actress. Yes pretty and curvy, which explains why Woody Allen keeps casting her as these ditzy sex-potty ingenues. She doesn't really have to convey anything, just bounce and pout. ( Her outfits were cute. Shallow on my part I know, but I became so bored with the story I had to focus on something!)
Patricia Clarkson was totally and completely wasted in a nothing role. And this is also what gets me... Patricia is a fine actress squeezed into a bit part and the younger actresses get the big parts but they don't have the depth to convey deeper meaning or understanding. Pre age 30 actresses get featured because their youthful unlined faces can be openly gazed upon. I get it. I can appreciate the beauty of the under 25 year old set, but it doesn't mean I want to watch 2 hours of their boring angst about the suave Spaniard they each Love So Much. I kept wishing this was a movie about the complexities of relationship, lust, and confusion starring Patricia Clarkson instead! Imagine an actress of her caliber opposite Javier Bardem? Well I would like to have seen that.
The #1 worst thing about the movie was the male narrator droning on in every scene. I did not need this voice to explain what was happening or about to happen.
Visually appealing movie, just like flipping through a photography magazine.
Intellectually and artistically appealing? Sorry, no.
Woody Allen's Spanish Triumph August 22, 2008
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
"Vicky Christina Barcelona" (2008), a new film written/directed by Woody Allen, is a charming dramedy/romance that takes place during one summer in the capital of Spanish Province, Catalonia, Barcelona which is known as Antonio Gaudi's city. Allen has moved even further away from Manhattan but in his new film, the characters and their dilemmas remind a lot of the Manhattanites from his best pictures with their neuroses, search for love and meaning of life, and their ironic dialogues. We also meet two Spanish characters here played by Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. Bardem's Juan Antonio is a popular bohemian painter who would take a serious place in the lives of two American tourists, young women named Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Christina (Allen's current Muse and inspiration, Scarlet Johansson. He is certainly in love with her voluptuous figure and especially her sensual lips. The male characters in at least two his films with Ms. Johansson repeat the same exact compliment to her lips. Time will tell if she ever gives performances as memorable, moving and subtle as Diane's or Mia's or Dianne's). Cruz was easily the best part of the delightful movie. As an estranged wife of Bardem's Juan Antonio, she created the force of nature out of her character. She was unbelievably good - crazy, sexy, beautiful, passionate. She and Bardem stole the show and redefined the term "On screen chemistry". Forget Vicky Christina - it should be called Maria Elena Barcelona - after Cruz's character. To her belongs the most hilarious "A deus ex machina" scene in the end of the movie that I've seen for long time. Penelope Cruz MUST play in either Spanish movies or in Woody's movies. She reminds me of a Greek mythological hero, Antaeus, the son of Earth. As long as he stayed on Earth, she would give him power and strength to fight Heracles, the greatest hero Greece ever knew. Once Heracles pulled him off Earth and kept him on Air, Antaeus' strength was gone. When Cruz plays in her native language in her Country, she is magnificent. When she plays in inferior American movies, she is nothing but a pretty face and a nice body. It was fun to see how good and effortless Bardem is in a romantic dramedy after his scary Oscar winning turn with the bad haircut and deadly air gun in "No country for Old Men". There is also Patricia Clarkson in a supporting role, talented, reliable, and subtle. Barcelona is a dream. I've been there in 2000 and I still regret that we had to leave to continue our tour. The Gaudi buildings and Park Güell are alone worth the price of admission. Spanish guitar music would kill you softly with its melodious passion. What is there not to like? For this Allen's devoted fan, "Vicky Christina Baarcelona" is a dream come true. :)
It is interesting that Allen himself considers Vicky Cristina Barcelona "a very sad film." Yes, it is sad because like in many Allen's films, the characters would not get the answers for their questions. And being truly, deeply, madly in love would not make a couple happy because mad love creates such charged and heated atmosphere between them that they simply can't survive in it. The words of another famous cynic come to mind, "A Man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her", and this is a sad realization. What is not sad, though that Allen at the age of 72 still knows how to make a marvelous movie, to which his Spanish project is a glorious proof.
4.5/5
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