Vanilla Sky vs. Abre Los Ojos

Rating: Null/10 (2 January 2002)

This is more of a comparative essay than review. I've now seen this film and its predecessor (Abre Los Ojos) in that order, and I might be in the minority, but I have to say that Crowe has made the superior film. What evolves in both movies seems to call for a more ambiguous plot, filled with, dare I say it (and this is the best I can describe it) gobbletygook. The Spanish film seems much more straightforward, and is a very entertaining film in its own right, but I feel like Alejandro Amenabar skimmed over plot points that made Vanilla Sky much more effective. The chemistry between Cruise and Cruz was much more apparent than what we see in the same scenes between Cruz and the male lead in Open Your Eyes. And Crowe gives much more attention to Cameron Diaz' psychotic character than Amenabar does with the 'other woman' in his film, and what would posess her to stalk this man and attempt to kill him along with her. And in Open Your Eyes, we learn next to nothing about this man's career, and if Amenabar was trying to show it, the character's image and what would posess him to have a brief sexual encounter (but the scene in which the male lead and Cruz illustrate one another would say that's not what the director was going for). I just think Crowe has made his characters much more human, even though Vanilla Sky is often the much more frustrating film. Granted, this is Amenabar's sophomore effort, and certainly didn't have nearly the budget to work with. I'd be curious to know whether he wanted to make a longer film ('Sky' exceeds Open Your Eyes' running time by a good 25 minutes or so). But please judge for yourself. They're both good films - Vanilla Sky may be a great one. Cameron Crowe is one of the best filmmakers of our generation and it's too bad not enough people see it (box office returns clearly cost Almost Famous the attention and some of the awards it deserved). Cameron Diaz deserves a best supporting actress nomination.