Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #453 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-06-22
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Synopsis
From watching the trailer for VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, one might never have guessed that it was actually an offering from prolific auteur Woody Allen. There's no New York, no sight of Allen, and his trademark wit was nowhere to be seen. But this film--with its talented cast, sharp dialogue, and excellent use of gorgeous locations--marks Allen's best comic work since 1994's BULLETS OVER BROADWAY. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) are American best friends who have the luck of spending several summer months in the Spanish city of the title. Though the pair is inseparable, they clash over love: Vicky is engaged to the trustworthy Doug (Chris Messina), while Cristina is forever in search of new experiences and passions. When a fiery Spanish painter named Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) proposes that the three fly off to Oviedo for the weekend with the goal of making love, the women are divided, but they both eventually agree to the trip. After unexpected events in Oviedo, they return to Barcelona where Juan Antonio's obsessive ex-wife (Penelope Cruz) enters the picture.


As the rule-bound Vicky, Hall--who has been largely unknown to American audiences before this film--gives a wonderfully witty performance that keeps pace with her more famous co-stars. Those who have only seen Bardem in his Oscar-winning role as the cold killer in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN will be surprised by his sexy turn in VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. Though it's often women who steam up the screen, Bardem seduces Vicky, Cristina, and the audience with such abandon that it's tough for everyone involved not to emerge a little bit smitten. Johansson, Allen's new-millennium muse, is the director's mouthpiece--she's consistently funny and more than a little neurotic, and you can hear Allen's voice in her performance.

Customer Reviews

Hilarious, witty and a strong cast
I think sometimes people stop watching Allen's movies as films in their own right, as they would other movies. By that I mean they immediately try to analyse scene by scene to try to spot critical acclaim or failure. If you watch this film without Allen-critique goggles in the way you would pretty much any other film, you might find its roots in European film making, of the likes of Almodovar. If this had been filmed in Spanish or French or Italian with English subtitles, the "world cinema" lovers might have hailed it as a masterpiece of hilarity and high wit.

That aside, as a film in its own right, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will watch it again and come back to it over the years. The strong cast is an added bonus, and the Oscar for Cruz was thoroughly deserved. As for Javier Bardem - his range is amazing, having been basically the psychotic central character in "No Country For Old Men", to then transform into this romantic and seductive character in Allen's film, is a testament to his unlimited abilities as an actor. Brilliant.

On the subject of the voice over - it's neither annoying nor adding anything, but it is what it is - part of the movie and as long as you don't try to over-analyse that too, then it's not a problem.

Watch it, enjoy it, and you will find yourself with a smile on your face.

Hugely entertaining
I went to see this film at the cinema due to the favourable reviews it had received in newspapers. I applaud Woody Allen for making a film that sparkled with wit and was directed with panache, with well defined charcters, and a fresh and lively twist in it's telling. The newspaper reviews were right. I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful and engaging film and that's why I'll be ordering it on DVD. I simply have no understanding for the less favourable reviews placed here for this film.

this is a great film
i just can't believe the other review. this is a very lush, beautiful, slow paced film by woody allen with a very european feel to it. the idea to make this film in barcelona was just great, as it's one of the most gorgeous cities on earth. it's not a film for everyone, as some may wrongly see it as "boring". i have to say those people just don't know how to appreciate a film like this and i would advise them to leave the job of reviewing to others and go watch an action movie or something. this is one of the best films of the year and penelope is fantastic in it.