Product: Head in the Clouds (2004)
Rating: 3.0
Not Bad, not excellent
Unlike some other reviewers, I actually found chemistry among these three characters. I do not think, however, that the typical American audience is used to a film like this. It is a period piece, set against the backdrop of pre-World War II, which shows the blossoming relationships between a self absorbed socialite (Theron), an Irish brooder (Townsend), and a Spanish idealist (Cruz). They form an unlikely trio in which Gilda the socialite is the centerpiece.This movie has lots of potential, and it's not the acting that ruins it. In fact I thought the acting was A+. The story spent too much time focusing on the trivial and not enough time focusing on the richness that was the era. I didn't mind the length of the film (2 hours plus), but it could have been filled more with character development and less with extraneous scenes and people. I would have cared more for the lead characters if I was given more information about them.Still, I watched, partly because I wanted to see what Charlize Theron would do after her fantastic work in Monster, and partly because I had never seen Stuart Townsend in anything before. His performance was very genuine and appealing I thought. It's too bad the film didn't quite live up to its potential.