one watcher's perspective...

Rating: 10/10 (11 February 2002)

... it was with a sense of anticipation that i settled in to my seat to see Vanilla Sky. whilst appreciating Cameron Crowe's earlier films for the watchable enterprises that they have been, i had never found myself as being particularly emotionally drawn to them; previous dialogue had a tendency for mawkish sentimentality (almost famous), and occasional over repetition ( jerry macguire). also, in many of his films, the director has a tendency to become bogged down in the semi-autobiographical nature of his works - note the fawning self-appreciation of his younger self in almost famous, or the ridiculous amount of time that kate hudson spends enigmatically staring into the camera!!
it was with a pleasant sense of surprise then, that i found vanilla sky to be one of the most emotionally affecting films that i have seen for a long time. the director manages to accurately convey on screen a real sense of tom cruise and penelope cruz actually falling in love. this is not done with undue sentimentalisation, but through heavy focus on music and its nostalgic qualities, as well as standing back from the viewer, rather than ramming sentiment down their throat. performances are excellent throughout, even from cruise, who manages to downplay his role effectively for the most part. diaz, on the other hand, looks as good as ever on screen (i.e. unbelievably beautiful!!), and puts in a good performance to boot. cruz is warmer and more beguiling than i had anticipated, and as mentioned, her and cruise fall in love extremely convincingly (and we all know why that is)!!
the soundtrack is another absolute highlight of the film and conveys its emotional highs and lows brilliantly. icelandic band sigur ros are the undisputed highlights, and if their song at the films denoument doesn't fill your eyes with tears, then you really need a new record collection.

this film WILL affect you unless you have never known what it is like to fall in love, in which case, i suggest you trade in your heart of stone for another one. ask cameron crowe to give you a hand.