Love That Woody

Rating: 7/10 (7 July 2015)

Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter (Javier Bardem), unaware that his ex-wife (Penelope Cruz), with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.
Woody Allen presents us a story of love, romance, relationships and (to some degree) culture. Whether we are comfortable with the idea or not, the things expressed here exist: relationships beyond strict monogamy, and beyond cheating. The human emotion can know many kinds of love and many kinds of desire, and a handful are explored here (though not nearly as many as in Allen's classic film on bestiality).
If you are going to have a seductive Spanish man, clearly it must be Javier Bardem. At different times the part could have been done by Antonio Banderas or others, but at the time was there a bigger star than Bardem? Surely not.