Vapid Fantasy

Rating: 5/10 (23 February 2012)

Anyone who's seen 'Notting Hill' or 'Amelie' will be familiar with the type of film that offers a view of a city dreamed of in a tourist guide, without much resemblance to reality. 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' does the same for the Catalan city, with the added proviso that it's not even made by a local, but by Woody Allen. So it's a view that uses Barcelona (and its stereotypes) as a backdrop while concentrating on two very American characters, and completely uninterested in, say, the difference between Catalonia and Spain (which is a fairly essential thing in Barcelona) or indeed any other hint of authenticity. Allen is of course famous for making films about people obsessing over their sex lives, but in this film, where everyone is (without exception) rich, beautiful, talented and essentially unemployed, it's a good job that they do - they certainly don't have any real concerns to engage them. This film was celebrated as a return to form by its veteran director, and it has a certain style, but it has absolutely nothing to say about life as lived by real people in Barcelona, or elsewhere.