I am not a veteran Woody Allen watcher so I won’t be able to draw elaborate comparisons to his earlier work compared to his most recent films. I have seen a handful of Allen films and realize I still have a long way to go in completely digesting the man’s filmography, but I can tell you Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a film I absolutely loved and I even appreciate the completely out-of-place narration that seems to dominate the early moments of the film and tapers off toward the end. Filled with fantastic dialogue that brought me back to one of my all-time favorites, Before Sunset, and the picturesque stroll through Barcelona I can’t even begin to tell you how much I appreciate this movie.
From the opening credit sequence, Allen, like Kubrick, gets the credits out of the way over a black screen and I only mention this because something struck me as interesting at the beginning and even more interesting at the end. Vicky Cristina is Allen’s 43rd time in the director’s chair. What’s fascinating about this is that since directing What’s Up, Tiger Lilly? in 1966 he has written, on top of directed, those 43 films. Even though I am not a Woody Allen connoisseur it doesn’t take a genius to realize this is an impossible task and when you see a movie such as Vicky Cristina Barcelona with such crisp and realistic dialogue it makes you appreciate it that much more.
Centered on the summer vacation of two American girls by the names of Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), the film centers on their exploits in Barcelona, Spain. Vicky is engaged to be married while Cristina is coming off a break-up and still looking for Mr. Right, a man she isn’t quite sure of what he is, but one she is sure of who he isn’t. The two engage in a spur-of-the-moment weekend with local painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) and what happens that weekend guides the rest of the story.
Between Bardem, Johansson and Hall there is really no one stand out, all three are fantastic in their own right, each playing a unique character from the other. Bardem is his typical self, however his monotone approach and style of acting seems to elevate his character in this case, bringing Juan Antonio an additional air of confidence above and beyond what the script calls for. Johansson seems to continually mature and the role seems to almost have been written for her, so much to the point that it is hard to find any fault or hitch in her performance.
Hall is basically an unknown to me having played Christian Bale’s wife in The Prestige, but nothing of note outside of that. However, her slightly neurotic and by-the-book character gave her a lot of room to act as Vicky begins to question the path in life she has chosen. Hall proves to be up to the task when delivering a series of Allen’s lines and none better than when she and Cristina first meet Juan Antonio. She oozes confidence and concern at the same time with a hint of wonderment as well.
The performance that throws the whole thing off balance is Penelope Cruz playing Juan Antonio’s ex-wife Maria Elena. Juan Antonio and Maria Elena, despite being divorced, still love one another but Juan Antonio refers to a missing ingredient that has the two at one another’s throat when they try and live together. Maria proves to be a highly volatile character and it is a role that fits Cruz so much more than so many of the American films she has starred in. With Vicky Cristina Barcelona the film is more tailored to Cruz’s talents as she doesn’t have to focus so much on speaking English and can worry more about playing her role, and she does so perfectly.
This film is a balancing act executed brilliantly. There are many aspects of this film that could have gone tragically awry at any moment, but every turn services the story and the use of the initially odd voice over is quickly realized as a way to forward the story without any mundane scenes. Allen realizes the time is better spent giving us the more juicy moments of the story.
I may not be a Woody Allen veteran, but I can tell you Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a film I want and will own. I will watch it as a companion piece to Before Sunset as a romantic dialogue driven drama that feels just as real as it does fantastical. Sure, this is a glimpse into a world with many pieces of “perfect”, but it never deceives itself into believing perfection is easily attained or ever will be.
A
