A hypnotic, dream-like two and a half hours with a soundtrack straight from my CD collection

Rating: Null/10 (19 December 2001)

This is by far one of the most amazing films that I have ever seen. Rarely does a movie take you through such a variety of emotions. This is by no means your typical, run-of-the-mill, mainstream Hollywood movie, like you might be expecting. At first glance the typical movie-goer may notice that this film is from the director of "Jerry Maguire," and also stars Tom Cruise. But this is no sappy love story about a sports agent, this is so much more. From the advertisements, one can pick up that this film is an erotic thriller, which it is for the first 2/3rds, then it suddenly shifts gears and becomes something much more powerful. To tell anymore would detract from the overall experience of this film. The problem with most audience members is that they are not expecting this sudden shift away from the mainstream, and they do not keep an open mind about them. Admittedly this is not a movie for everyone, in fact most of the people in the theater with me hated it. I heard comments like, "I don't get it," and "After Mission Impossible 2, I expected something good out of Tom Cruise." If you are only open to mindless action like "Mission Impossible 2," or sappy Oscar friendly stories like "Jerry Maguire," then "Vanilla Sky" is not for you. However if you are looking for something a little different, then this movie comes highly recommended. This is a movie that left me with a "buzz" afterwards. It is a film for people who are dreamers, for people who like music and pop culture, for people who enjoy a smart film, and for people who are only secretly optimistic about life (in-the-closet optimists). The film making is so straight-forward, which is the genius of Cameron Crowe. From his first feature, "Say Anything..." this is obvious. He is straight-forward and has the ability to create characters that are endearing to us. Not to mention, he can incorporate music into his films like no one else (his semi auto-biographical film, "Almost Famous" gives us a good idea why)is a wonderful example of this. "Vanilla Sky" is no exception, the sounds tell the story just as strongly as the images. When R.E.M.'s "Sweetness Follows" came on I became so wrapped up in the movie that I almost forgot that I was in a theater with a couple making out beside of me. The soundtrack is like Cameron Crowe picked CD's from my collection. With artists like R.E.M., U2, Radiohead, The Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan you can't go wrong. So in conclusion, go see "Vanilla Sky" with an open mind, and be prepared to be amazed.