A Great Film to Open Your Mind

Rating: Null/10 (11 May 2002)

In an age when the only movies considered great are those that open number one, make a couple of hundred million, and the rest are failures, it's great to see a great director and one of the most popular stars in the world come together to make a film that appeals to those whose minds haven't been completely warped by MTV and Tom Green.
Vanilla Sky is a great film. In our post-9/11 world, I could see how a film about a rich, vain playboy could be overlooked, especially one that forces you to think. Perhaps this is a movie that should have been released in late '99 or 2000, before Wall Street crashed. But the facts remain that this is not a film you are likely to entirely get on one viewing. It is a thinking man's film. It forces you to follow the story to understand the characters. You know, the way movies used to be made before style replaced substance.
I'm not saying this is a perfect film. I understand certain things were going to have to be changed upon adapting this film from its Spanish origins. It's only my opinion, but I thought Jason Lee was miscast (compare Lee's best friend character with the best friend character in the original movie, Abre Los Ojos). And I think that Life Extension was spruced up a little too much, particularly "Tech Support."
This is one of those movies you can't really classify. It's different, but not "David Lynch-different." You have to go in open minded. But if you do, I think you'll have a great viewing experience. Rating - ***1/2