Tonight we saw the new Woody Allen film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (official site). Woody is not in it but it has his unmistakable imprint in the writing and directing. In other words, it’s a good one. The excellent Rotten Tomatoes site is rating it an 80%, which is pretty high, with the consensus sentence being “A beguiling tragicomedy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona charms with beautiful views of the Spanish city and a marvelously well-matched cast”. You can read plenty of reviews on the RT site.
The Woodman rarely makes a weak film and this one entertains, and more. OK, ok, it is not his absolute best but that is such a high standard. It is very good, with elements of both comedy and drama mixed together well. No silliness, though, and also a bit lighter than his last one (Cassandra’s Dream). Of course, most films are lighter than that one (which I liked too).
The cast is top-notch, which is par for an Allen film. Everyone wants to work with him even for far less than they usually get. This time it is Scarlett Johannson, Javier Bardem, Peneope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, and others. My wife Petra thought that Penelope Cruz was especially good. I thought the cast was quite good in general. Rebecca Hall as Vicky is an actress I had not seen before, but she did quite a good job. Scarlett was fine as usual. Javier was a big surprise, after seeing his repellent cold-blooded killer in No Country For Old Men. He is a MUCH different character here, thankfully. The film also shows the city of Barcelona in a loving and enthusiastic way.
I won’t give away any of the plot. If you have seen it (or not), what do you think?
Updated: One thing that neither of us really liked was the tone of the narrator. As the film progressed, there was less of him so it was not really an issue once things got rolling.
Update again: There are two trailers for the film here.
You know, I pretty much agree. I thought Penelope Cruz was great (really convincing). I realize that she plays angry really well. It reminded me of her performance in Blow. I loved Rebecca Hall; I thought Javier Barden was great. Comparing the NCFOM role to this one shows his depth as an actor. Scarlett Johannson is always fun to watch, and makes a great Woody woman, in the Dianne Keaton, Mia Farrow mold (but less flaky and better looking). I liked the movie, but didn’t love it. I agree with the comment about the narrator’s tone. I didn’t mind having a narrator, just didn’t care for the way this one delivered. I love Woody for his little thoughts on life, and, although I liked this movie, I thought it was missing something that Woody usually gives us. This was an exercise in film making, and a fun one, but it was no Match Point, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Love and Death, Annie Hall or Manhattan. Then again, Woody puts the bar up so high….. I would definitely recommend it (it’ll probably make the 2008 top twenty or so), but it won’t be in the top five.
Great comment, MD. Our LA correspondent Brett writes in with this:
“No spoilers…. Saw it this afternoon. I liked it. It’s not a laugh-a-minute comedy or anything, but I liked the occasional humor; there’s no end of fantastic scenery, both of Spain and of the various women on display. I definitely enjoyed it more than any Woody film since Small Time Crooks about eight years ago.”
I’m the most quotable person in my entire house! Thanks for the shout-out.
At age 65, I believe I have seen every Woody Allen movie he has ever made. I saw his ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ movie this past weekend.
The movie seems to me to be a Spanish version of ‘Hannah and Her Sisters’. In both movies three women, each with their own separate problems, come together by Javier Bardem…who would have been Woody Allen 20 years ago. Once again their problems are discussed over and over again, but with more sex involved and it’s location in Spain/not NYC. By the way, as I understand it, the government of Spain subsidized the movie, and required that a certain percentage of the actors be Spanish, just like his films in London.
I realize that “Hannah”……had the fake (to Woody) totally happy ending, while this one was more vague at the end.
My take on this movie, from 1-10 is a 4.
[…] Previous: My post about Vicky Cristina Barcelona […]
[…] this year’s movie nominees can be found here. Being a big Woody Allen fan, I was glad to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona nominated for an award. You can watch the trailer for that film below this post. Of course Heath […]