The actor/director pair justify the ticket price

Rating: Null/10 (16 April 2002)

Cameron Crowe began his working life sensationally, as a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine at the tender age of 16. His films to date have all been worthy of merit but also suffered from a childish sentimental overload. Ironically with his last film, Almost Famous, a sentimental semi true portrait of Crowe's early reporting days, the director threatened to grow up, creating an enjoying offering of rock and roll life style. Now it seems with his latest film Vanilla Sky, Crowe has finally become a man. A remake of the thriller by Alejandro AmenÃ¡bar, it concerns David Aames (Tom Cruise), a wealthy 30-year-old who has inherited daddy's magazine empire. He spends his days speeding around the streets of New York in a Ford Mustang and his nights cavorting with the sexy but slightly disturbing Julie Gianni played excellently by Cameron Diaz. Aames's yuppie life is turned upside down when he meets the engaging Sofia (Penelope Cruz). His life then takes a much more dramatic turn when he is involved in a car crash. That's the coherent part of the film. The plot then dives into surrealism head on, as Aames can't define what's real and what is a dream, as the remainder of the film is told through flashback. Visually, the film makes much of the premise of a dream world with short parts of events flashed up on screen with Aames in various situations, and the seeds of curiosity grow. Cruise is exceptionally good as the tortured and confused Aames and is helped by a tremendous supporting cast. The English actor Timothy Spall is under-used in a loyal butler type role and the now seldom seen Kurt Russell also proves his worth as a caring psychologist. And then there's Penelope Cruz. She plays her part well, is beautiful and she speaks with a quirky pseudo-Spanish accent. That's it. The film does have several shortcomings. Crowe's obsession with Cruise yes, that's Cruise not the beautiful female Cruz, is slightly worrying. As with the actor/director pair's previous film, Jerry Maguire, Cruise and his shiny white teeth appear in almost every frame of the film. Every other scene is a one-minute pop video, gelling music and visuals to an exhausting extent and suggesting this film is targeted solely at the MTV generation. However due to a strong cast, a grown-up director and Cameron Diaz's legs, Vanilla Sky offers food for thought and certainly justifies the ticket price.