a strange and fascinating movie

Rating: Null/10 (12 June 2002)

VANILLA SKY is one of the most strange and bizarrely-fascinating movies I've seen in quite some time. Normally I would just turn such a movie off and not bother finishing it, but as strange as this film was, I just couldn't look away. Something about it kept pulling me in further and further until I was as utterly confused and frustrated as Tom Cruise's David Aames as he tried to figure out just what the hell was going on.
I've never really thought much of Tom Cruise as an "actor," but more as an "entertainer." But here he delivers an exceptional performance that is, quite possibly, his best. He's a man who suddenly has his whole life turn into a bizarre, surreal world where nothing makes sense and everything is constantly changing. The way he handles the transition from easy-going to boiling-with-frustration is great, and we, the audience, buy the transition because we sort of go through it for ourselves as well.
The film has its share of surreal images and "art house movie" moments, something I usually don't go for, but there was just something about this film that made it all work. The revelation at the end wasn't close to what I was beginning to suspect it was, and I won't give it away here. Even now, just a few hours after watching it, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what happened at the end.
Co-stars Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz, while completely untalented, don't distract too much from the film, but (especially in Cruz's case) there are plenty of moments when you realize how more effective the parts could've been with talented actresses in the roles. Kurt Russell is good (as always) as the psychiatrist who wants to help Cruise figure things out and determine if he is responsible for the murder he's being charged with.
It's not a film I would watch over and over again, and it could have been a little shorter (a couple scenes went on a little too long), but overall it was a satisfying movie that will have you confused, frustrated, and amazed until the very end.