A frustrating, mind-blowing film.

Rating: Null/10 (18 July 2002)

VANILLA SKY is the kind of movie where you are never sure of what you just saw. The earlier MEMENTO did a great job at forging a reality where nothing is what it seems. Director Cameron Crowe is just trying to piggy back on the success of MEMENTO and his earlier works with the American version of "Abre Los Ojos".
Tom Cruise is David Aames, a man whose life is shattered after an encounter with a deranged lover (Cameron Diaz). As the pieces of David's life begin to come together, he is drawn into a nightmare world of violence and self-discovery. The supporting cast includes Penelope Cruz, Jason Lee, Johnny Galecki, Kurt Russel and the immensely annoying Noah Taylor.

The film manages to entertain and confuse both at the same time. By making a sci-fi world almost more confusing than MEMENTO, we become one with David and get an understanding of how he must feel. By all the raving reviews that the critics gave this film, you would think that it would have gotten nominated for some Academy Awards. But, as far as I know, it didn't. VANILLA SKY is one of the most brilliant and mind-blowing films of the year, but still does not deserve all the credit that it was given. VANILLA SKY gets 3/5.