This is the part where I act like an authority on entertainment, and criticize the work of professionals who are, without exception, more successful than I in the industry in which we both work. Some people would say this is proof I have "balls", or "chutzpah" in Jewspeak. Others would say it's proof I'm a "douchebag". To catch up on any old reviews, you can find the link on the right hand side of the page, or just click here.
Woody Allen has long been obsessed with death, so it’s a bit surprising that it took him until now to make a truly, and honestly sexual film in ’Vicky Cristina Barcelona’. It’s not forced, it’s not creepy, it’s just real. And real sexy.
Maybe it’s an easier task, to properly sexify a film when you have the kind of talent -- and I do mean talent -- Allen has to work with here. Scarlett Johnasson and Penelope Cruz rank among the sexiest women working in film today, so having them in sex scenes with a man is compelling, and having them in a sex scene with each other is downright miraculous. But it’s relative unknown Rebecca Hall who steals the film -- both in term of acting, and sex appeal.
Hall plays Vicky, an uptight young woman engaged to Doug, an uptight young man. She wouldn’t look so sexually repressed if she weren’t paired with best friend, Cristina (Johansson), a voluptuous sexpot (does Johansson ever play anything else?). The two nubile young ladies travel to Barcelona for a summer adventure.
And lest you think there’s nothing out there for the (non-lesbian) women, Javier Bardem plays Juan Antonio, a Spanish artist with animal magnetism and arrogance to spare. He sweeps both women off their feet to various degrees. Cristina is after him right away -- befitting her unpretentious hedonism and thirst for life’s experiences. Vicky is slower to admit her feelings -- befitting her repressed sexuality and cautious demeanor.
Throwing another wrench into the works is Maria Elena (Cruz), Juan Antonio’s fiery artist ex-wife, who we learn early on has attacked him with a knife. They hate each other, but motivate and inspire each other’s art. The fire and ice relationship between them is one of the highlights of the film due to Bardem and Cruz’s fine performances. Bardem is always this good, so it's no surprise to see him nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. But Cruz snagged a Golden Globe nomination herself -- for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role -- because this role suits her particularly well. Watching them together, I couldn’t help but be reminded of painful, dysfunctional relationships in my past -- as well the passion which caused them to last as long as they did. It's a vivid portrayal.
Speaking of Bardem, it’s great to see more manly central male figures in Allen’s work, rather than Allen himself, or one of the many thinly-veiled versions of him he's used for years. Bardem's Juan Antonio couldn’t be more different -- bold, decisive, unfettered by neuroses. There is an uptight neurotic man in the film, Doug, who represents the polar opposite of Juan Antonio. Doug is safe and logical, Juan Antonio is dangerous and emotional. It’s battle for Vicky’s heart, waged between rational mind and raging id.
Vicky prefers safe and real -- or thinks she does -- then reaches out unconsciously for excitement. Cristina openly pursues excitement, then backs away when it’s not real enough. These women represent all women -- all people, really -- constantly deciding exactly where that risk/reward meter is in most balance with what’s in our soul. And how much that meter can swing one way or the other when you're young.
Johnasson is great playing a familiar role, but Hall is a revelation -- simultaneously sexy and prudish, like the librarian from your dreams. She's already gotten a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress, and if she's doesn't recieve more acclaim and larger roles in the future I’d be very surprised -- and disappointed.
This isn't a perfect movie by any means. While this is Allen’s best work in quite awhile -- much fresher and more vibrant -- he's not re-inventing the wheel here. 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' is another Allen film featuring overlapping storylines involving sexual indiscretions, and never rises above the usual Allen navel-gazing He even employs a narrator to keep us updated on each characters innermost thoughts and feelings. But I love this combination he mixed up, and hope this is a sign of new direction rather than a hit among misses.
Using the age-old Hollywood scale of judgment -- HIGHLY RECOMMEND/RECOMMEND/CONSIDER/PASS (circle one) -- I rate 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona':
RECOMMEND
Next up: 'Doubt'
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