Captivating Drama Wait no, far fetched Science-Fiction

Rating: Null/10 (19 December 2001)

Vanilla Sky really had a shot at being interesting. What went so wrong; the last half-hour or so. Many comments have said this is `not for the easily entertained.' Which is funny because the last couple film roles starring Cameron Diaz or Tom Cruise, or had direction by Cameron Crowe was quite simply that, easy entertainment. Tom Cruise was at his `peak' in his most common role, big shot, and successful stud that all the chicks want. He has a fall from grace, some shabby depression, and a re-awakening by the end of the movie. Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz stole the show but with nearly identical performances of witty cute girls. Of course until Cameron Diaz drives a car off a bridge in a jealous rage. This would be the Vanilla Sky's first `twist.' Not really that enthralling. What happens next is a dry build up of a love story that starts to go somewhere till the next twist. This next twist really opens up the movie to many possibilities, realistic possibilities. Things start to go haywire, and it gets confusing but still is interesting. By the final twist I was saying out loud `what the' What could really have been something got slammed fast by that really annoying guy with the big eyes. If there is one thing I hate about movies, it is those characters that come out of nowhere and have all the answers. In Vanilla Sky's climax, the film has strayed far away from psychological drama and turned into science-fiction boo-ha. Flashbacks to what really happened are visited to help the audience figure it out, if this wasn't easy entertainment then the flashbacks would be completely unnecessary, because an audience not subdued by easy entertainment could have figured it out. Vanilla Sky was basically a huge waste of time. Better luck next time for Tom Cruise in his next typecast role.