Review: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

I was restless Sunday night, and with the film festival rapidly approaching, I thought I could use some practice. After a quick scope of the Fleur Cinema's web site, I determined that Vicky Cristina Barcelona was the most eligible movie, and off I went.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is Woody Allen's latest work and stars his muse of late, Scarlett Johansson, along with Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall, Penélope Cruz and Patricia Clarkson. The movie, narrated throughout by a non-character, follows the story of Vicky and Cristina, two young and pretty American women staying in Barcelona for the summer. While there, they meet an Artist named Juan Antonio (portrayed by Bardem in a starkly different role than in No Country For Old Men), who propositions the young women, simultaneously. Vicky and Cristina are best friends with similar interests, but very different outlooks on love.

As evidence of their differences, Vicky, the tall, thin, level-headed brunette, is appalled by Juan Antonio's invitation, while Cristina, the busty blond free-thinker is intrigued. They compromise, joining Juan Carlos on a sojourn to Oviedo by way of a small plane piloted by Juan Antonio himself, but checking into separate hotel rooms. While there, they spend time with Juan Antonio, together and separately, and relations ensue. After the weekend, they return to Barcelona, and things become more complicated when Juan Antonio's estranged ex-wife (it's rumored that one of them tried to kill the other, though it's disputed who was holding the knife) reenters the picture. Juan Antonio's wife is portrayed by Cruz, and I have to say it's the first time that I thoroughly enjoyed watching her in a movie.

The movie is about make believe people behaving in ways that you and I would not behave, and would not be able to in the first place because we wouldn't have the time nor the money. That much I learned from the septuagenarians on an apparent first date in the row behind me. I can deduce that they're both hard of hearing, and I am not, for I could hear every word they said. At least, I could until I moved some 50 feet away from them. How I can't wait for the festival, where talkers are booed by their fellow audience members...

Anyway, I enjoyed the escape of the movie, even if the ending leaves you with the feeling of "oh, the movie is over now." The narration speeds the film along without getting sidetracked on details that Woody deemed inconsequential, though I had to wonder if he was double-parked during production. No, I couldn't relate directly to any particular character, but they were believable and entertaining. My imdb rating: 7/10.