A great cast gets the best out of Allen.

Rating: 8/10 (26 March 2010)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a movie of beautiful parts that never quite solidify into an equally pleasing whole. It doesn't have a "plot", but instead it focuses on the relationships of a few people over a summer in Spain. The narrative focus switches between three main characters as they all seemingly go through changes, only to end essentially where they began.
Every actor and actress was cast perfectly. Javier Bardem is beyond charming, and really it's more accurate to say that he embodies the role of Juan Antonio instead of acts it out. Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, and Scarlett Johansson are all so hypnotically beautiful that it's easy to overlook the fact that each of them gives some of the most outstanding performances of their careers. And I can't talk about beauty without mentioning the picturesque scenery of Spain. I wanted to visit there before, but now I think I'd rather travel there than any other place in the world. The theme song, "Barcelona", was the cherry on top of it all. Each time I heard it during the film, I just had to crack a bit of a smile.
The main theme of Vicky Cristina Barcelona is how different kinds of people look for and respond to different kinds of love and relationships. Each person who watches it will probably relate differently to the actions and thoughts of the main characters, because they all represent the various human perspectives of love. They all seem so refreshingly authentic, in an urbane way. There was very little romantic idealization going on (to my relief).
Vicky Cristina reminds me a bit of Closer, even though its motif lies in the completely opposite direction. Ultimately there's no resolution, no progress in the lives of the characters. It feels like the viewer simply lived among the characters and viewed their lives for a few months, and then left again. Of course, every movie doesn't have to have a tidy ending to be good, but in this case it's a double-edge sword. The ending was so abrupt that I was left wanting to know more. How (if at all) were the characters changed by their summer? Is it unfair for me to wish for a Vicky Cristina Barcelona...Part 2?