The difficulty of defining love

Rating: 8/10 (27 March 2010)

This is only the third film by Woody that I catch(the others being Annie Hall, which I loved, and Manhattan, that I enjoyed), but I've heard that some of his more recent work is unimpressive when compared to the older; having not been exposed to the ones people speak ill of, I maintain that this is him doing well. Granted, it is perhaps not hilarious... I think it's really the kind of comedy that garners chuckles, and it certainly isn't trying too hard with any of the jokes(I didn't feel like I was constantly supposed to be laughing), and this is definitely clever. And no, this is not *the* most romantic movie he's given us. That doesn't mean it's bad. What this is, however, is a smart, open-minded and not judgmental piece about love that doesn't, as many would on account of the material, stoop to the lowest common denominator(with that said, the sensuality of the stars isn't exactly lost on the camera operators). The stars all shine. This is only the second time I watch something with Hall(The Prestige), and she really does perfectly in portraying a young woman who wants to be rational and pragmatic in all areas. Johansson is stunning as the adventurous Christina. Cruz is always a pleasure, especially in her mother tongue, and her role as the unstable artist is marvelous. Bardem I've seen in Mar adentra(and Collateral, though I do not recall him in that), a picture I cannot praise enough, and he is spot-on as the charming and direct painter Juan Antonio. The fact that not a single one of them is flat or one-note is a real credit to the script(that's a nice amount of development in 90 minutes), as is the realistic relationships between the credible characters. There is a lot of sexuality(if no nudity, and much is implied or mainly dealt with through dialog), a little violence/intensity and infrequent strong language(several of the words are in Spanish and subtitled) in this. It is not for children. The DVD comes with three trailers. I recommend this to fans of the genres, Allen and/or those attracted to the concept of it. 8/10