Appealing rumination on romance from Woody Allen.

Rating: 7/10 (4 August 2019)

Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) are two sexy young American tourists taking a summer holiday in Spain. They are both drawn (reluctantly, at first, for Vicky) to a lusty, soulful Spanish painter named Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). Things threaten to get even more sticky when Juan Antonios' ex-wife Maria Elena (Oscar-winning Penelope Cruz), an unstable artist, re-enters the picture.
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is a pretty good depiction of different approaches to love, romance, and affairs, as well as functioning as a fantastic travelogue. Obviously, it would be hard to knock any film with so much aesthetic value and attractive women as this picture has going for it. Writer / director Woody Allen makes sure to keep characters and situations reasonably realistic, giving his story a good foundation. Of course, it does get a real shot in the arm in the second half with Cruz' entrance into the picture. Her fiery performance is quite intoxicating.
But the whole cast is fine. Juan Antonio may be a passionate sort of guy, but he also has no desire to be a home-wrecker given that Vicky is already engaged to another man (Chris Messina). Patricia Clarkson and Kevin Dunn round out a main cast in this yarn of people struggling to find their version of happiness.
Accompanied by a lovely musical soundtrack, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" may not be on the same level as Allen's weightiest works, but it's far from being mere fluff. It's actually a pretty intelligent script backed up by very attractive settings.
This viewers' only annoyance was with the ever-present, and largely unnecessary, voice-over narration.
Seven out of 10.