Summer in Barcelona

Rating: 6/10 (15 March 2009)

The conventional Vicky (Rebecca Hall), who is engaged of Doug (Chris Messina), travels to Barcelona for summer vacations in the house of their parent's friends Judy (Patricia Clarkson) and Mark Nash (Kevin Dunn) with her unconventional and open-minded friend Cristina (Scarlett Johansson). While in a restaurant, the divorced painter Juan Antonio Gonzalo (Javier Bardem) flirts and invites them to travel to Oviedo with him, and also to go to bed with him. The reluctant Vicky does not accept the invitation but Cristina says yes and Vicky travels with her girlfriend. Once in Oviedo, Cristina has a crisis of ulcer and Vicky goes to sightseeing with Juan Antonio; then they go to his father's house and later they go to a guitar concert. Vicky falls in love with Juan Antonio and has sex with him. However, back in Barcelona, she does not tell anything to her friend and Cristina moves to Juan Antonio's house, while Vicky marries Doug. When the unstable former wife of Juan Antonio, Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz), has an OD, the painter brings her to his house and their troubled relationship harmonizes with the presence of Cristina, living a threesome. When Cristina asks for a time to travel to Paris and rethink their relationship, Vicky feels in doubt about her sentimental love.
I had a great expectation with "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", first because I am a great fan of Woody Allen, and also because of the Oscar of Penélope Cruz. Unfortunately I found this movie overrated, pretentious and annoying, with excessive narrative in off. The performance of Penélope Cruz is great, as usual, but not to be nominated and win an Oscar. Rebecca Hall has a better and better performance in this movie and Vicky is the most credible character. I like Scarlett Johansson very much, but I believe she needs to give a break in filming with Woody Allen, since her way of speaking and gestures are repetitive, like a female alter-ego of this director. Further, the yellow hair is awful. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"