It's Barcelona, it's Javier Bardem, it's....Woody Allen? Yes, the angstmeister has switched locales again with a rather typical Allen film that happens to be set in Spain this time. It appears his London period has already ended. The good news is that beautiful Barcelona perfectly suits Allen's tale of two American tourists (Scarlett Johansson as Cristina and Rebecca Hall as Vicky) who get tangled up with artist Juan Antonio (Bardem) and his crazy ex-wife Maria Elena(Penelope Cruz). The bad news is the movie is just as talky and relationship-driven as most of Allen's other movies. If those are the things you like about Woody Allen movies, dig in and enjoy. If, like me, those are the things that have always bugged you about Woody Allen movies, concentrate on the wonderful performers he's gathered for this film. Though I was bothered by the endless discussions , it's hard to be too restless when you have four fascinating actors to watch.
Best friends Vicky and Cristina arrive in Barcelona for a summer's stay with a friend (Patricia Clarkson) and her husband (Kevin Dunn). The marked differences between the friends are immediately apparent as more traditional Vicky takes calls from her fiancee back in the States while free spirit Cristina happily accepts Juan Antonio's invitation to join him for a few days of fun in the town of Oviedo. Vicky, despite initial skepticism about taking off to an unknown place with a man she's just met, is persuaded to accompany Cristina and Juan Antonio. The getaway proves to be a turning point for all involved. A tricky menage a trois of sorts develops and is later further complicated by the reappearance of Maria Elena in Juan Antonio's life following a botched suicide attempt. Cruz makes the neurotic Maria Elena a vibrant focal point as she moves in with Juan Antonio and Cristina, creating an interesting, provocative chemistry that somehow balances all three of these restless characters. Vicky, meanwhile, marries her fiancee but harbors a secret longing for the love she felt for Juan Antonio.
I found Allen's examination of conventional versus alternative relationships and commitment versus passion appealing, but the Vicky character was a bit too whiny for me to warm up to, especially when paired with her thoroughly boring fiancee (Chris Messina). There's an entertaining sophistication to the movie that allows the audience to become involved with these self obsessed people despite their many flaws. Not as much fun as MATCH POINT, not as dreadful as SCOOP, I guess VCB falls into the category of Woody Allen movies I like in spite of myself.
Things to love about this movie: Cool glimpses of Barcelona; Javier Bardem ('nuff said); Cristina's marvelous photography
Things to hate about this movie: The terribly annoying narration (it's not the words I objected to but the actual voice of the narrator); a silly scene of a stormy plane ride
Pleasant surprises: The much discussed love scene between Scarlett and Penelope is barely a blip on the radar; customary Allen character gestures and speech patterns were kept to a minimum
Unpleasant surprises: Would have liked a little more Javier (not only in the love scenes but in the film in general)
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