Not Nearly As Good As Open Your Eyes

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2009)

I saw Vanilla Sky when it was first released in 2001 and then again on DVD about a month ago. In reading reviews on IMDb I discovered that it was a remake of a Spanish movie, Open You Eyes, and so I ordered it from Netflix as well. Penelope Cruz is the only cast member in both versions. She plays the role of Sofia and does a masterful job. The story is almost exactly the same scene by scene and even in dialogue.
But, the ALMOST is significant.
When I saw Vanilla Sky, I thought it was pretty good. I did think that it left too much unresolved and an extra scene (which I didn't know was extra at the time), further clouded the resolution with no apparent value to the movie.
Ambiguity isn't always bad in a story, but I felt that the resolution in Open Your Eyes was exactly what was appropriate for the movie. I also felt that the scenery-chewing that Tom Cruise did in several scenes of the American version actually detracted from the feel of the story line.
There is a bar scene that is almost identical, word for word, in the two films. The only difference is the tone and body language of the main character and the bartender, which makes the Vanilla Sky version quite confrontational while in the Spanish version the scene plays as a simple faux pas on the part of the bartender that is quickly resolved. Again, I thought the confrontation was unnecessary and, I would hope, unrealistic.
In general, I think the American version suffers from inferior direction and poorer acting. Penelope Cruz is excellent in both. Cruise and Kurt Russell seem to have decided that their roles needed to big bigger and more emotional. They were wrong.
If you are really interested in film making, I suggest you watch both and see how seemingly small changes can change the "feel" of a movie. Otherwise, I recommend Open Your Eyes.