Not a 10 but Worth Your Time!

Rating: 7/10 (16 August 2008)

I'm hoping my vote of 7 will counterbalance the excess of 10 votes from the Airhead Brigade --- those who render this site useless by scoring each and every movie (good or bad) with a 10.
This film is a real fun 90 minutes which offers comedy, drama, and sightseeing and raises some interesting questions. Such as: Vicki or Christina? The obvious answer is BOTH; and Javier Bardem is in full agreement even if his ex-wife Penelope Cruz is not.
Rebecca Grey as Vicki is an absolute knockout as the reserved and quiet one. Her stunning face and long slim body -- she looks so squeezable in her wardrobe of loose-fitting casuals -- Christina is no match for her. Scarlett Johanssen has let herself go -- pound-wise. A few excess pounds add puffiness to her face and flab to her arms and legs. A good 12 pound trim might bring her back to her status as "the actress most men want sex with" but for now she's outclassed by both Vicki and by Penelope Cruz.
As to performances: You could not ask for better than those given by the 4 principal players. The standout is Javier Bardem having recovered from his just-plain-silly (and Oscar winning) role as the air-gun killer in the Coen Brothers' super silly "No Country for Old Men." Usually an actor playing a guy with 3 beautiful women at one time fails to be convincing; but not here. This guy is perfect. Penelope Cruz is reliably overpraised in reviews. She's good here, but praise ought be restrained to reflect reality.
The lesbian scene was the one negative. It was brief, stupid, and false as a $3 bill.
There are so few movies in 2008 for adults aged 12 or older. Cut this one an inch of slack for very minor faults and you've got a winner.
PS: We saw this at Washington DC's fine and historic AVALON Theater, a single screen house built in 1924. A fine place to see a movie -- without the tacky atmosphere of the multiplex.