Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Pros: Barcelona, Oveido, Penélope Cruz, Rebecca Hall
Cons: clichés piled on clichés about Americans in Latin cultures

I admire the persistence of the 74-year-old Woody Allen in making movies he wants to make. I am more dubious about the number of times some critics have proclaimed a "return to top form" for him. His first film shot in England, "Match Point" (2005), was, ...

Pros: Penelope Cruz.  Spain.  Nice architecture, scenery, music.
Cons: Thin plot, forced dialogue, predictable, slow.

My title is a weak play on words.  Vicky Cristina Barcelona features Javier Bardem (the bad guy from No Country For Old Men).  Because this film is basically a chick-flick, it is unlikely old men (or young) are going to get much ...

Pros: Cruz and Bardem are great
Cons: Borefest

I’ve always been hesitant about Woody Allen movies, but have enjoyed his recent changes in direction with Match Point and Cassandra’s Dream. Painted as a romantic comedy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is not the type of Allen movie I’d ...

Pros: Scarlett, Penelope and Barcelona are beautiful.
Cons: For a film about passion, this film lacks it.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona seemed like a sure fire hit.  Take two stunning actresses, Scarlette Johansson and Penelope Cruz. Take a popular Spanish actor Javier Bardem.  Put them in a beautiful location, Barcelona, Spain.  Let Woody Allen ...

Pros: Penelope Cruz is this film.  The scenery and cast are gorgeous.
Cons: The plot is dull and uninspired.  The use of narration is terrible, terrible, terrible.

I have a tendency to give Woody Allen too much leeway when it comes to his more recent films.  I recognize this.  People want to jump all over the Woody of the last fifteen years, with all his Scoops and Anything Elses and ...

Pros: Read review
Cons: Read review

Written and directed by Woody Allen, Vicki Cristina Barcelona chronicles the love lives and dalliances of two American woman, Vicki (Rebecca Hall), and Christina (Scarlett Johansson) who are on summer vacation in Barcelona Spain.  ...

Pros: Many very nice performances.  Many good, solid laughs.
Cons: Superficial.  The Spanish location is only partially successful in hiding Allen's filmmaking "mannerisms."

FULL DISCLOSURE:  I wrote this review back when the film first came out.  I recognize it thus seems as though Allen hasn't made any movies SINCE this one.  But rather than re-write it all, I hope you'll indulge me.It's been ...

Pros: Attractive actors and scenery
Cons: Pointless plot, lack of chemistry between actors.

I am really surprised that such a dull movie would have garnered as much critical acclaim as this one did.  I suppose if a director is as venerated as Woody Allen, people will give him praise they would not bestow upon a younger, lesser-known ...

Pros: acting
Cons: story

So I am now working my way through films that were nominated for Oscars or who won Oscars this year (2008), but were not part of the best picture category.  Vicky Cristina Barcelona won an Oscar for supporting actress (Penelope Cruz).  ...

Pros: Cinematography, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem
Cons: Unfocused storytelling with little point

1) Woody Allen has lost all objectivity when it comes to Scarlett Johansson.  In the book "Conversations with Wilder" Cameron Crowe asks director Billy Wilder a question about falling in love with his leading ladies.  Wilder says something to ...

Pros: Terrific writing and acting, great cinematography of a beautiful city.
Cons: Voiceover

Woody Allen’s latest to DVD, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, is undoubtedly one of his best films in many years. Here, he’s assembled a cast of fine actors, given them a series of interesting relationship situations, and dropped them into the heart ...