Cruise fumbles the lead...

Rating: 6/10 (14 February 2002)

Cameron Crowe is a great director and as always he managed to maximize the sensory experience through visuals and an amazing soundtrack. But writer/director Alejandro Amenábar ("The Others") is no slouch himself and Crowe demonstrates his respect by taking the original script almost for gospel and by using many of the same shots such as the ones in the disco club and on top of the roof in the finale. In my opinion, the remake falls substantially short of the original, because of the limited development of the central character. The original was played by a very talented Spanish actor, Eduardo Noriega ("The Devil's Backbone"), who did a great job paralleling his internal change with the external one. The key underpinning of the entire movie is that the audiece believe that this rich, cocky womanizer falls fast and hard for Cruz and realizes in one night that he will never be the same. But just as quickly everything is taken from him in a cruel twist of fate and when he finally appears to have regained his lost love, the audience's heart is ripped right out of their chests when they realize that all is an illusion. But Cruise just forced it so damn badly that you never believed he really fell for this girl that night. He flashes her a smile, so he's in love? He flashed the same damn smile at Diaz though. So why does he love Cruz over Diaz? Diaz is just as attractive and she speaks English a hell of a lot better. There was no transition or juxtaposition that made the audience think "Wow, this little Spanish girl really knocked his socks off." As a result, he makes Penelope Cruz look like a poser. Not her fault at all though. Similarly, Jason Lee was supposed to be his weaker, ordinary looking, little brother buddy, but Cruise comes across as weaker of the two friends in their scenes together. Noriega just made much better choices. From the opening scene, he makes it clear that he generally disdains women. They are a trophy, similar to his money and his cars. Cruise just plays the opening scene with the same "$hit-eating grin" waving to every secretary in the office as he wanders the halls of the company that he owns like a drunken party boy and a moron. He plays his character like Adam Sandler played "Billy Madison". Despite being the lead of the movie, he seems to take no control over his conflicts.