Filipe Neto Woody Allen is one of those directors that either we love or hate. I confess, I am the exception: I don't like nor hate, I've never had much contact with his films. This film was, probably, the first of his work I saw from beginning to end, and I liked it. It has a somewhat unrealistic but acceptable script in which two American girls get involved with the same man during a summer trip to Barcelona. Both are dissatisfied with their love life for different reasons: Vicky attaches great value to commitment but needs passion to support it; Cristina is very passionate but she cannot be in a relationship because she always feels something missing. In this duality lies the great criticism the film makes to the emptiness of American society, described as very conservative and worried with appearances. On the other side the Spanish Juan Antonio and Maria Elena, a former couple whose love is deep and destructive to the point of not being able to live without melodramatic fights. Through them, Allen seems to criticize the way of being of European society, described as being very liberal. The whole movie is a clash of mindsets of different people, representing very different civilizations and different ways of facing love.Of course, this is all based on Woody Allen's own views. I, for example, have a very different idea of ​​what Europeans and Americans are like, and I don't think they are so different. We must not forget that American society has been shaped in the image of Europe. Never has Europe seemed to me as liberal and open-minded as the film suggests, and even Latin countries (like my own) are quite conservative, partly because of religious issues, although its also true that they're becoming more liberal (maybe too much). But this only proves that these ideas are points of view, debatable and subjective. Either way, the way the characters behave is very interesting, creating situations that are very hilarious. The narrator works well and has an excellent voice. Concerning the actors, they're all big names. Bardem and Cruz, however, deserve special applause for the way they ended up standing out, starring in some of the funniest scenes. Rebecca Hall did a good job in the role of conventional Vicky, giving her special psychological depth from which she falls in love. Scarlett Johansson fulfilled her role, not surprisingly but also without disappointment. She was OK most of the time. A note of praise still for the very careful cinematography and for the choice of filming locations, who knew how to take advantage of the landscapes and tourist icons that we associate with the Catalan capital.Intelligent, beautiful, passionate, romantic, elegant... there would be several adjectives for this film. It's not enough to shut up those who hate Woody Allen but, for those like me, who are not familiar with his work, it's enough to give him more attention from now on.

tstudstrup Do not believe the 7 stars this movie gets. I'm guessing this is enjoyed by Americans that are too lazy for subtitles and they accept this politically correct lame attempt at copying Pedro Almodovar. The reason I compare the two directors is because this movie takes place almost entirely in Spain, it has Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz in it. And the plot could have been fun had the master Almodovar directed it. Let's pretend that this was actually made by Almodovar. No annoying narrator. The two American girls would have went with Javier on his friends plane without Hall judging him and turning him down. They would have had sex in a passionate threesome and the girls would have shown their tits (or in Rebecca Halls case, lack of tits) and Javier would have sucked on them. Penelope would have shown up and one of the girls (Hall) would have ended up dead. And the others would have buried her and maybe gotten away with it. There would have been lots of Spanish dishes with references to sex. The characters would have acted immorally. Sex and lust and desire would have been what have driven the story forward. And it would have been fun to watch. In Allens movie the so called sex-scenes are reduced to kissing, one time in slo-mo (what the hell Allen??) And after the sex which is always skipped the women cover up their tits from the man they just had sex with. Oh and apparently in Spain artists are rich and successful. As one of Javiers artist friends own a small plane. And of course Javier can fly it and lives in a very nice villa and he has a sportscar. It's ridiculous. And don't even get me started on the fact that Scarletts character just accepts it when Javier brings home ihis psychotic ex girlfriend who tried to kill him. A normal girl would have packed her bags and left. But not only does Scarlett stay. The three of them eventually becomes lovers until Scarlett gets restless for no reason at all, except that that is how her character is suppose to be and leaves them. So Hall can come back into the Picture with Javier.Come on, Allen, that's just poor writing. It's also bigot and racist the way Spanish people are portrayed as irresponsible passionate people who only care about sex and never about the consequenses. Yes that is also how they behave in Almodóvars movies, but its in a bizare yuniviverse and it's pure comedy. This movie however tries to come off as a serious drama. Where the uptight Americans in the movie are the ones acting like people should be acting. The fact that Javier and Cruzes characters have that love/hate relationship, Means that they will never be happy. According to Allen. But at least they have passion and are alive, unlike the boring Americans. What made it possible for me to suffer through this snooze fest, is the stunning Johannson and absolutely beautiful Cruz. The chemistry between Javier and Johansson and between Javier and Cruz is amazing and very real. Hall, however, is too tall, flat chested, boring and annoying and the kind of woman I would slap around as she's judgmental bitch from the get-go of the movie. Her character was not needed and had she not been in in the movie, it would have been more fun. Also the fact that Hall and Johansson are best friends as they're complete opposites, is not believable. Also they're clearly at different stages in their life and Hall seems to be 10 years older than Scarlett. Avoid this and watch Jamon Jamon instead by Almodovar. And also with Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, only with passionate sex scenes, Spanish food, horny people behaving irresponsibly and lots of fun.

Fallen Eye Two things I wasn't aware of coming into this film; 1. That Penelope Cruz won an Oscar for her role and 2. That this movie was directed by Woody Allen. These are also important factors I wasn't aware of, while rating the movie in its entirety. The reason that matters, at least for me is that, the lack of that knowledge purged all bias and left only, pure and honest opinion.I'm not a Woody Allen fan at all, and I rated this film 6/10 not knowing it was directed by him, which showed me that yeah, I'm actually, not all that fond of Woody Allen's films.However, as for Penelope Cruz, I found her incredibly stunning in this movie. She embodied the character almost as if it were her own experiences. Without knowing she won an Oscar for this role, I find it now, as no surprise that she did.Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson played their parts wonderfully also.I did find the film a bit predictable perhaps, though some parts, Woody took a path I didn't expect, perhaps because I didn't quite agree with it; like Vicky seemingly feeling no remorse for what she did, but felt ambivalence rather. Also, if it weren't for Penelope's performance, this film would've lost me some 40 minutes in, even with Scarlett.All in all, it was an interesting take on love and relationships... And at points, one couldn't help but envy Juan Antonio; the man had a good thing going, but on a serious note, Maria Elena gave the relationship a substance not known to man. 6/10.

fowler-16 Not all of Woody Allen's later films must be major creations. VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA is another bright gem that makes up in atmosphere and insight what it may lack in scale. He rubs away the surface fibs of modern comfort to reveal the secret lives so many conceal. There are no attempts to solve the discontents that emerge, just an amused and pleasant tolerance of human foibles--accompanied by the sort of light ridicule and acceptance of offbeat lifestyles one expects from a veteran comedian. Along the way we are treated to some refined cinematic work. The casting is perfect. The balance between action and voice-over is just right. The brilliant guitar accompaniment offers an effective blend of popular and classical pieces. As for the direction, I especially appreciated the camera imagery. We have all seen hundreds of different ways to stage and frame kisses, but only Woody Allen would think to mask the first kiss between Juan Antonio and Vicky. It is a moment we have anticipated, and we wondered how it would look. Who else would have thought to hide it from us by having his head block their lips?--and then allow the camera to slowly move around his ear for the reveal? Brilliant.