Vicky Cristina Barcelona has been lauded by critics and the movie industry alike. This film was nominated for several acting Golden Globes, as well as winning the Best Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical award. I don’t get it. I really can’t state it more plainly than that. I just am always so disappointed when a movie has all this acclaim and then…nothing.

This is not to say that the film didn’t have any redeeming values. The first forty minutes were interesting enough. The picture was about the complexities of relationships and exploring the best way to approach love. Scarlett plays the whimsical and confused Cristina, while Rebecca Hall plays the practical and grounded Vicky. The characteristics that describe them also denote their approaches to the game of love. The two women are on summer break in Barcelona together for different reasons. Vicky is studying and Cristina is trying to find herself again.

When Javier Bardem enters the picture, he brings with him an honest and straight forward approach to love and sex. He invites the two women to take a weekend getaway with him and if they so happen to have sex, then great. Vicky is disgusted; Cristina’s curiosity is piqued. What happens on the trip is predictable and rote. Allen does not bring any new revelations to the table about relationships and the way that people relate to one another. There’s lots of sex, threesomes, cheating, etc… The scenery is nice and some of the interactions between the characters are nice and genuine.

One technique that does work well for the film is the use of narration. The narrator tells the story in a practical and non inflected way. This makes the movie come off as a sort of tale of romance gone awry. Penelope Cruz has been nominated for an Oscar for her work in the film and I think that she delivers a small and forceful performance. You never quite understand why her character’s marriage to Javier Bardem’s didn’t work out. Perhaps this is where the film proves itself to be sub par. Viewers are never provided any sort of insight into motivations, backgrounds, or history on these people. Eventually, this is what makes us not care what happens to these people.

Scarlett Johansson continues to show herself as an overrated actress in every sense. Many times, when a young actress makes a splash with her first couple of films (in this case: Lost in Translation and The Girl with a Pearl Earring) people jump on the chance to label her the next huge thing. Sometimes, they are right. Natalie Portman is an example that comes to mind. She continues to impress with her career choices for the most part. But Johansson is the latest case of the majority being wrong. The Island, Scoop, The Black Dahlia, and The Nanny Diaries are all examples of recent films where she has failed to deliver.

The problem could be the fact she plays the same character over and over again. Or, it could be that her talent for being sexy and pouting her lips has started to appear. I watched this film and the next week went to see He’s Just Not That Into You. And my suspicions were confirmed

Filed under: silver screen by admin