The talented Mr. Crowe.

Rating: 10/10 (12 December 2001)

Man oh man. Leave it to Cameron Crowe. Last year he directed the most whimsical film which was also one of the best movies ever made, (ALMOST FAMOUS). Now he's directed one of the most thought provoking films ever made, which could also just as well be one of the best films this year, VANILLA SKY. This is a film that will have you think about what you just saw and the more you take the film apart, the more meaning there is behind the film. This isn't the same style of Cameron Crowe who directed the crowd pleasing, JERRY MAGUIRE. This is more like the nightmare of Jerry Maguire. David Aames (Tom Cruise) ownes 51% of a major magazine publishing company, that he inherited from his father. The other 49% of the company is owned and runed by the seven board members of the company, which David likes to call "the Seven Dwarfs." He is despised by the members as being another "rich kid who got daddy's business" which has David feel that he is the victim of a conspiracy. But outside of work, David is flirtatious, he is having an affair with a stunning blonde named Julie (Cameron Diaz). David feels only lust for Julie, no love. It isn't until David's best friend, Brian Shelby (Jason Lee) introduces David to Sofia Serrano (Penelope Cruz), that David begins to feel different. David is attracted to Sofia, but he feels different, he is in love with Sofia, not lust. And this leads David to realize that Sofia is changing his life, and for the first time in his life, from the flirting with Julie and the pressures at work, David feels great. Julie sees David is attracted to Sofia and is jealous, she feels that David violated her by treating her like a sex object. While David is at his peak, Julie is at her downfall, which leads to Julie crashing her car off a bridge with her and David in it. When David wakes up from his coma after several months, he is living his nightmare. He is being charged for murder, he is incarcerated, he's seeking psychatric help from Dr. Curtis McCabe (Kurt Russell), and the worst thing is that David's face has been disfigured making him from looking handsome to horrifying. David's worst nightmares are coming true, which causes David to mentally and physically try to bring his life back to the way it was. VANILLA SKY is a remake of the 1997 film OPEN YOUR EYES. I haven't seen the original version, but for Crowe's version, it's a very stylish and well made thriller. Crowe uses his skills to make VANILLA SKY similar to his previous films, with the entertaining dialogue, and excellent romantic chemistry. You would think that at first VANILLA SKY is another retelling of Crowe's previous work JERRY MAGUIRE. But then it turns into the darkest of nightmares. Being disfigured, accussed or murder, the fear of not being in love anymore, being alone, and worst of all, being depressed is the darkest of feelings that any human being could feel. Crowe makes an impressive turn at turning VANILLA SKY from a cute touch romance, to a intense and depressing thriller. The acting is brought out the strongest by it's star Tom Cruise. Unlike the flamboyance of MAGNOLIA, the anger of BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, and the confused JERRY MAGUIRE, David Aames is in a lot of pain. Cruise does a outsanding job as the man who is suffering from the car accident and realizes that things can't be the way they were. I also enjoyed the performance by Kurt Russell, who gives a strong acting performance as the doctor who is looking deep inside Cruise's character to see if he can find the answer causing David's pain. And the support from Penelope Cruz, Jason Lee, and Cameron Diaz are all also good. The romantic chemistry between Tom and Penelope is fantastic, you can see how they fell in love with each other in reality. But it's the Oscar worthy performance by Cruise that helps carry the picture. I was also strongly pleased with the music soundtrack that Crowe and wife Nancy Wilson put together for the film. I was amazed to hear the little known gem by the Monkees "Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)" being played in the movie. Like HEAD, VANILLA SKY is similar in style by taking the viewer into a trip that is unforgettable. And other songs by Paul McCartney (doing the title tune), Peter Gabriel, Stereolab, Chemical Brothers, Bob Dylan, and Spiritualized, is a fantastic soundtrack of mixing classic songs from the 60's with the similar style songs of the 21st century. Then finally there is Cameron Crowe's directing. He has the viewer keep guessing on what is going on while watching the film until the very end. It isn't until it's over that you do understand what is going on, and are still amazed by the twist. And Crowe never does make the film boring, it might be weird or confusing, but never silly or boring. Crowe also manages to take the film from one mood into another mood without any faults. VANILLA SKY is a film that won't please the Tom Cruise fans who would like to see him do more films like TOP GUN and DAYS OF THUNDER. Nope, sorry folks, that Tom Cruise has hopefully passed on, this is the Tom Cruise like EYES WIDE SHUT and MAGNOLLIA, the one who does a level texture role and not just the hero. VANILLA SKY also proves that Cameron Crowe doesn't have to do only romantic comedies to show that he's a brilliant filmmaker, he can do thrillers with a stroke of genius. For those who like film with intelligence and wit, then don't miss VANILLA SKY, one of, if not the best film of the year! ***** (out of five)