Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona: Woody Allen has got his mojo back

Rating: 7/10 (24 September 2009)

Before watching this movie, I was expecting an odd sex comedy. But actually, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is lot more interesting than that. Woody Allen has directed and written not only a love story, but he has captured the soul of Spain in a way I seen few American directors been able to do. Of course, not all the performances are great. I was never a big fan of Scarlett Johannsen and her performance as Cristina did little to change that fact. Rebecca Hall gave a better performance as Vicky who seems (in the beginning) to be attached to this idea of a stable and normal life, but who then is attracted to the wild passionate life that Catalonia has to offer her. But really the performances that make this film work, which really represent the heart of this movie, come from Javiar Bardem as Juan Antonio Gonzalo and Penelope Cruz as his ex-wife Maria Elena. They give the most passionate, fiery performances of this film. Then add these great performances the wonderful Spanish architecture, the atmosphere which is electric, the classical guitar music, and the often hilarious dialogue, and what you end up with is a film that comes close to being a gem. The ending is also suitable, if not quite unexpected.
7.5/10