Vicky Christina Barcelona Movie Reviews

Though having been a movie buff for a long time, I hadn’t watched much of Woody Allen’s movies till recently when “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” was telecast on Zee Studio that opened my eyes to this gem of a movie and the great man behind it. It went without saying that I followed this up watching “Match Point”, “Scoop” and “Hollywood Ending”. The sheer beauty of storytelling without the frills runs through them all.

In this movie, he dissects relationships and lays bare the feelings, physical, emotional and circumstantial that affects romance. The trick is to watch it without making value judgments. Love could blossom in the most unpredictable situations and between unlikely partners. And, in the end, it could all be just so transient!

Set in a summer atBarcelona, the story traces the two months spent by two friends Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson). While Vicky is interested in Catalan culture in which she was doing her masters, Cristina looked for a change of scenery after giving up on a short film and breaking up with a boyfriend. Despite similar views on most issues, the duo had absolutely divergent views on love!

The girls bump into an artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) at an art gallery. Later at dinner he propositions them for a weekend of fun at Oviedo. Shot to precision, this is my favorite scene. As the offer is made, the two girls react differently. While Cristina finds Juan Antonio interesting, Vicky detests the idea of following him to Oviedo. But, strange as things turn out, Vicky and Juan Antonio make love eventually.

Vicky is drawn to the artist who still loves his ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz, Oscar winner for a Supporting role) who believes that only unfulfilled love can be romantic and had stabbed Juan Antonio. As the days pass, Cristina and Juan Antonio’s are in love and start living together. Vicky then gets married to Doug, her betrothed but her life has changed forever after what she’d experienced inOviedo.

Maria Elena re-enters the scene. Though having gone green over Juan Antonio initially, Cristina and Maria Elena start their own romance with Antonio joining in later. They discover that Cristina was the missing ingredient in their romance. Though the going is good, Cristina is soon over with Juan Antonio and Maria Elena and falls out. Vicky then tries to take Cristina’s place and ends up getting shot.

In the end, the girls Vicky and Cristina leaveSpain, Vicky back to Doug and Cristina back to nowhere ad the artist couple break up. All are back where they started. And you are left wiser to world cinema. Well, if you wondered why Barcelona? The city offered to support the budget if it were short there. Hence, Woody Allen’s original draft for San Francisco was changed to fitBarcelona. The result is a masterpiece.

The story, screenplay and performances are amazing. The Oscar wins and nominations say enough already. It’s a testimony to the superiority of art over high budgets. If you are in a mood for some classy cinema, I recommend this for your DVD collection.

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This is one of those movies Vicky Cristina Barcelona, that I go and

watch without any review reading or asking around how is the movie? To

my surprise I see Woody Allen as the director, I was like this would be

an interesting and complicated storyline.

Th only thing that I love in the movie are the characters. First

character Juan Antonio(played by Javier Bardem). Ina nutshell, very

commendable about his character is that he manages to bed three women,

spent time with them, get attacked by one of them, without any guilt or

malice. He uses the language as an amazing form of lost in translation

excuse to be with all of them. for all the Guys out there, Juan's

character is ultimate balance between women-sex-life-creativity.

The other characters are also good in this movie, specially the one

played by Pen%C3%A9lope_Cruz Maria Elena, she is hyperventilating and

just about either kill someone or herself for an obscure reason that

will build in her mind. There is this scene where she actually goes

through Cristina's baggage just to know, if she had any intentions of

killing her. This is of course my favorite sequence from the movie.

Cristina(played by Scarlett Johansson) is an eccentric and ready to

for an adventure even in an relationship. Then there is Vicky played by

Rebecca Hall, who thinks she knows what she wants. But then at

Barcelona where she come to spend her summer vacation with Vicky,

things go in a way, that not what they seem like.

This movie, still has its own scenic beauty of Barcelona, it has its

own ups and downs in the movie, and gets you thinking as to why would

someone want to get oneself so involved that is unable to focus on

other things. I love the end to the movie, of course you need to watch

the movie to understand the complexities that one goes through being in

multiple relationships and still manages to survive.

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A tale so full of love and it’s complexities that one cannot help but love it. *As the movie opens, Vicky and Cristina are on their way to spend their summer in Barcelona. In words of the narrator as he introduces us to these two characters “…..The two best friends had been close since college and shared the same tastes and opinions on most matters, yet when it comes to the subject of love, it would be hard to find two more dissimilar viewpoints.

*Vicky had no tolerance for pain and no lust for combat. She was grounded and realistic. Her requirements in a man were seriousness and stability. She had become engaged to Doug because he was decent and successful and understood the beauty of commitment.

Cristina, on the other hand, expected something very different out of love. She had reluctantly accepted suffering as an inevitable component of deep passion, and was resigned to putting her feelings at risk. If you asked her what it was she was gambling her emotions on to win, she would not have been able to say. She knew what she didn't want, however, and that was exactly what Vicky valued above all else.”

So Vicky and Cristina while on their trip to Barcelona run into a Spanish painter Juan Antonio who takes them for a joy ride of a weekend to a beautiful coastal city in northern Spain - Oviedo. And from here starts a series of events which compile into a warm, witty, sexy and romantic story which gets even more spicy and exciting with the entry of Juan Antonio’s ex-wife Maria Elena.

*The Woody Allen touché:

*Vicky Cristina Barcelona starts as a summer holiday movie but we have got a lot to expect in terms of intelligence and wit when it’s a Woody Allen movie. And it delivers right away. Woody Allen without wasting much time gets straight to business by starting the movie with the narrator (Christopher Evan Welch’s voice) introducing the primary characters, thus fine-tuning the viewers’ expectations from the very start.

The movie goes on to dig deeper in Allen’s favorite topics “Love / Attraction / Commitment”. And while doing so, he never strays away from the characterization. By the time the movie is at it’s peak, each character has evolved very beautifully and that’s what makes the movie even more enjoyable. For example, when the movie starts Vicky is this girl who has a perfect vision of her life ahead and Cristina is this girl who doesn’t really know what she wants. But at two different points Vicky still being the same character, gets lost in moral / romantic issues and finds herself juggling between morality and love. On the other hand, Cristina who doesn’t know what she exactly wants, finds herself taking a stand to change certain things that have shaped up in her life due to her own choices but by the end, still ends up searching for something she doesn’t want.

*The Film:

*Vicky Cristina Barcelona works on the way it deals with human relationships. I specially loved the way Juan Antonio’s and Maria Elena’s relationship has been shaped up in the script. In one of the scenes when they are having a fight, Maria Elena throws light on what exactly re-started their relationship after their breakup and what’s breaking it again. Introduction of Cristina in their lives did bring that excitement back in their lives but now that she has left, it’s back to what it was – A ruined marriage. In a way so strange, Juan Antonio and Maria Elena’s relationship is incomplete without Cristina.

Special mention should go to cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe. The golden hues of a summer in Barcelona take the movie on a different level of beauty. Specially the scene where three characters are seen cycling on a small path.

*The Players:

*Amongst the cast each actor does justice to his / her respective role.

But the best among the lot is Penelope Cruz. She is not there for majority of the movie’s run-time but the moment she strikes the screen with her fiery Maria Elena, she simply ignites the proceeding reels with her suicidal, jealous, angry Spanish wife.

Rebecca Hall plays Vicky to a big V. She almost takes us with her through her confusion between a monogamous normal life with her husband or her wild attraction for Juan Antonio.

Scarlett Johansson gives Cristina exactly what the character needs. Ms. Johansson enacts the confusion of Cristina with ease.

Javier Bardem as the cool, seducing, in your face Juan Antonio is as convincing as he can be. Here is one actor who can play a ruthless killer in No Country For Old Men and a flirtatious painter in Vicky Cristina Barcelona with equal ease. He gets so much into the skin of the character that for a while it’s hard to believe, this is the same guy.

*Just Thoughts:

Woody Allen as in many of his movies (Match Point, Annie Hall, Husbands And Wives*) has effectively conveyed “Commitment” as being a social conspiracy, to which I agree. Mr. Allen sees humans more like chemicals. He mixes two or more chemicals and then just enjoys the chemistry. Here it so happens, that the chemicals happen to be humans. And with humans, chemistry has totally different dimensions.

Moreover I loved the thought that one of the character goes by saying “….only unfulfilled love can be romantic” That’s just so simply true. Though this is never said or shown directly in the movie, it somehow did strike me, “Love is too complicated an emotion to be kept in check by rules of morality.” To sum it all up, *Vicky Cristina Barcelona is one hell of a tragicomedy.

Quotable Quotes:

Juan Antonio: Maria Elena used to say that only unfulfilled love can be romantic.

Cristina: I'll go to your room, but you'll have to seduce me.

Juan Antonio: We are meant for each other and not meant for each other. It's a contradiction.

Maria Elena: You're still searching for me in every woman.

Juan Antonio: That is not true, Maria Elena. I was in Oviedo some weeks ago with a woman who was the antithesis of you. An American, and something beautiful happened with her. So you're mistaken.

Maria Elena: You'll always seek to duplicate what we had. You know it.

Juan Antonio: Well, I'd like to invite you both to come with me to Oviedo.

Vicky: To come where?

Juan Antonio: To Oviedo. For the weekend. We leave in one hour.

Cristina: What- Where is Oviedo?

Juan Antonio: A very short flight.

Vicky: By plane?

Juan Antonio: Mmm-hmm.

Cristina: What's in Oviedo?

Juan Antonio: I go to see a sculpture, that is very inspiring to me. A very beautiful sculpture. You will love it.

Vicky: Oh, right. you're asking us to fly to Oviedo and back.

Juan Antonio: Mmmm. No, we'll spend the weekend. I mean, I'll show you around the city, and we'll eat well. We'll drink good wine. We'll make love.

Vicky: Yeah, who exactly is going to make love?

Juan Antonio: Hopefully, the three of us.

Juan Antonio: Love is so transient. Isn't it? I was in love with a most incredible woman... and then in the end... She put a knife into me.

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The movie starts with two American friends Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) going to Barcelona for the summer. They stay at Vicky's friend Judy (Patricia Clarkson) and her husband's home. On a visit to an art gallery they see Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem); Cristina is interested and enquires whether he is the artist. Judy narrates a story about how Juan Antonio and his wife had a tempestuous divorce, and the wife tried to kill him. Later at dinner in a restaurant, Vicky and Cristina see Juan Antonio with his friends. Juan Antonio notices them as well, walks over to them and his first words after introductions are "I like to invite you both to spend the weekend, we will eat well, drink good wine, we will make Love". Pat comes the reply to Vicky's question "Who exactly is going to make love" ---"Hopefully the three of us".

Viewers/Readers familiar with Woody Allen's history may be tempted to roll their eyes and mutter "There he goes again, that near pedophile". However, a witty and inspired script, excellent chemistry between actors, and imaginative direction soon overcome any misgivings. Indeed "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" marks a comeback for Allen, and is his best movie in a long time. Almost in the category of his early classics"Love and Death", "Annie Hall", "Hannah and her Sisters"; this movie continues his inimitable exploration into unfulfilled relationships.

Vicky & Cristina fly away with Juan Antonio for the weekend. The practical, level-headed & already engaged Vicky ensures the girls are in one room and he is in another. After a lot of wine, the more adventurous Cristina goes to Juan Antonio's bedroom, but suddenly gets an attack of food poisoning and has to be hospitalized. Vicky & Juan Antonio are thrown together, they do some sight-seeing and visit his father. Juan Antonio tells her about the complicated relationship with his ex-wife. At the end of a romantic evening with wine and Spanish Guitar music, she succumbs to his charms.

They all come back to Barcelona, Vicky keeps her dalliance a secret from Cristina. Over time Juan Antonio and Cristina get involved and start living together. Vicky's fiance' Doug also shows up in Barcelona, and has plans for a romantic hurried wedding. Meanwhile, Maria Elena (Juan Antonio's ex-wife) has some trouble in her life, and moves in with Juan Antonio and Cristina.

Please see this delightful movie to find out what happens next.

"Only unfulfilled love can be romantic", Maria Elena's wise words could sum up this movie. Indeed, Woody Allen has always specialized in exploring the many paths within relationships; especially relationships that initially flower but over time come asunder. This movie sheds light on some unexplored or partially explored paths such as menage' a trois (threesomes), and unfaithfulness. Controversial and delicate subjects like these could easily be mishandled by lesser directors, but Allen employing an unusually funny script keeps us highly entertained. Never do we feel that we are watching some sleazy endeavor, even the much celebrated make-out scene between Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz is tastefully enacted. He also uses a voice-over to periodically explain and embellish scenes, I personally liked it and found that it enriched the movie experience.

The acting is brilliant all around, with Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Rebecca Hall being outstanding. Cruz is a firm favorite for supporting actress Oscar; she spices up this movie with an electric performance of a slightly crazy and violent, yet perceptive and talented artist. Her character has many different shades from vulnerability to taking charge, nurturing to  breaking up a relationship, friendliness to possessive violence, understanding and exhibiting an artist's temperament; she essays all these effortlessly.

Rebecca Hall is a great discovery, she delivers an intelligent performance that begins with a crisp and sure demeanor. As the movie progresses, she marvelously displays subtle cracks in this sure-footedness and is at ease portraying hesitation, self-doubt and indecisiveness.

Scarlett Johansson has a great working relationship with Woody Allen (Scoop, Match Point), and she is very much at ease with the initial flighty and easily impressed character. Later she often has to react to Cruz taking charge, which she does competently; but this may be a reason for her effort not being on par with the other three.

After an Oscar winning performance as a scary, psychotic, hit-man in "No Country For Old Men", Javier Bardem excels as a romantic, charming, confident Spanish artist. He leaves no doubt about his star power with a performance that nonchalantly seduces the viewer. The icing on the cake is his later expression of self-doubt and insecurity, hallmarks of Woody Allen male characters.

Adding to the appeal of this movie, are the picturesque locations and the wonderful cinematography. Scenes like sailing on the serene Mediterranean, bicycling through and picnicking in the enchanting Spanish countryside, alluring Barcelona locations, background fireworks; suggest a Madison avenue hand at work. The cinematography certainly enhances the romantic appeal of the movie, and is probably worthy of an Oscar as well.

Woody Allen has a different location (Barcelona instead of New York) and a younger set of characters (Bardem instead of himself); but has not lost his unique entertaining way of telling a slightly melancholy tale.

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