Crowe takes us on an awesome and chilling ride

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2001)

I loved Vanilla Sky. I loved the idea of Vanilla Sky. But it's a hard movie to sit through.
Cameron throws you right into the film...with no warning that it's even the film that's about to start. (See the film and you will know exactly what I mean.)
The intention of this movie was to mess with your mind...I just know it.
VS ain't for everyone. It's something along the lines of "Sixth Sense". There are clues as to what's real and what's not, and unfortunately Cameron doesn't pull it off as well as M. Night did in "Sixth Sense. For me though it worked well enough.
For anyone who has ever wished they could live someone elses life, this movie is for you. It's subtle in it's message but the movie addresses that very thing. How would you change your life...rewrite your life...if you could.
The music was awesome. And the Times Square scene everyone's been talking about... I found it quite chilling and disturbing. Tom Cruise gives one of his best performances ever.
There is good chemistry between Tom and Penelope. I adored her in this movie. She's funny and charming and counter's the flaws we see in David instantly.
The acting was great...the cast was well chosen for this movie...but like any Cameron Crowe movie, the main reason I went to see this film was because it is a Cameron Crowe film. I worried that it might not have turned out like a Cameron Crowe film because it was based on someone else's movie. But this movie has all the required elements of a good Crowe flick. It's got humor and the love story is sweet and the idea that it's the little things...the in-between-times that people cherish...plays well in this movie. It ultimately comes off as if Cameron dreamed up this whole ride all by himself.
The only thing NON-Cameron about the movie was it's dark feel. But isn't that kind of like the whole sweet and sour thing. How can you ever really appreciate the light if you don't experience a little darkness?
See this movie twice before judging it. Some movies were not meant to be seen in one sitting and digested quickly. This one leaves you thinking (about the consequences of the choices we make in life and love and is casual sex really casual...and how pop culture really does affect our day to day lives) and it leaves you guessing.
Again, this movie isn't for everyone. You have to be willing to get on the ride to enjoy the ride. And to enjoy the ride, you have to like that kind of ride. It's kind of like getting on the roller coaster when you are really more of a tilt-o-whirl kind of person. If you don't like this kind of ride, the ride might just make you puke...so to speak.