Welcome back Woody, weve missed you.

Rating: 8/10 (20 February 2009)

If I were to tell you that Woody Allen, director of the exceptional Annie Hall, were back on top form you would most likely not believe me. Understandable of course considering he hasn't made a good movie for several years, funnily enough the truth is that he is indeed back on sparkling form with "Vicky Christina Barcelona" his attempt at a romantic comedy showing off a beautifully ensemble cast including Javier Bardem, Scarlet Johansen and Penelope Cruz and while the premise may feels worn out and ultimately dull there this unusual chemistry between the three just mentioned that works as a huge advantage in favour of this movie. Even at the dullest point the movie remains a charm if simply for its colourful characterisation.
One thing that stands out like a sore thumb is how wonderful Penelope Cruz is. Ultimately she's a brutally tormented characters unable to deal with her own ghosts and looks nothing but unstable for 90% of the movie. Honestly said, it's an Oscar calibre performance hitting all the right notes allowing her audience to see the pain she's experiencing.Woody Allen's romantic drama Vicky Cristina Barcelona stars Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson as best friends Vicky and Cristina. As the movie opens, the pair of twentysomethings travel to Barcelona so that Vicky can work on her post-graduate degree. The two meet the charming artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), who offers to take them on a vacation and make love to them. Vicky, being a happily engaged young woman, refuses, but Cristina is eager for this life experience. A love triangle begins to coalesce, and things grow more complicated when Juan Antonio's passionate, unstable ex, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz), arrives to stay after a suicide attempt.
Ultimately, in exploring this distended romantic triangle, Allen never comes down on the side of either the dull stability of marriage or the unpredictability of the boho threesome, but his position remains clear. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is another in his persuasive arguments that love, for all the complexities and pain it throws up, is still worth chasing. And along with art, perhaps the only thing worth chasing. The performances of Bardem, Cruz, Johansson and Hall are delightfully inventive, with Cruz in particular relishing the tempestuous nature of Maria Elena and her tantrums.
Vicky Christina may not be much in the long run but as it stand its a fun enjoyable fell-good romance movie with spectacular cinematography, sumptuous acting and a director that, for now, remains a one to watch. Allen has crafted a wry and thoughtful film about the peculiar stirrings of the heart, which is certainly his most accomplished piece of work since Match Point, and his funniest in the eight years since Small Time Crooks.
Verdict: Believe the hype, Woody's back and better than ever with Vicky Christina Barcelona. While the territory is familiar, the terrain is new: Allen shoots his title city with an eye for its art and architecture and while undoubtedly forgettable, you'll have a blast watching it. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is so engaging so much of the time that it feels like a modest rejuvenation: evidence that a summer in Spain can do wonders for a writer-director who may not have outlived his prime. For my overall rating i give Vicky Christina Barcelona 4/5.