Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)--4/5

Only Woody Allen has the guts to answer the age-old question, “Will our relationship improve if we both sleep with Scarlett Johansson?” For Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) and Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz), Scarlett—I mean, Cristina—love is the only thing keeping them from killing each other.

According to my Netflix ratings, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is the second best Woody Allen movie, after “Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Not bad for a director in his fifth decade of filmmaking. And for one who is so recently derided.

England and now Spain have awakened a fresh, freewheeling sensibility in Allen. Thanks to a counterbalancing narration, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” moves at a brisk tempo, punctuated by longer conversation scenes. The actions packed into this ninety minute film would push a less-rigorous director toward the two-and-a-half hour mark.

In an amusing cameo, Woody Allen mainstay New York City itself is seen in the background as the domain of Vicky’s fiancé and other unexciting squares. Barcelona is a relative bohemia to the American visitors, crawling with nouveaux riches and sexy artists.

One such artist, abstract painter Juan Antonio Gonzalo (Javier Bardem), boldly approaches Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina’s table one night with a surprising request. They are invited to travel to Oviedo to “eat well, drink wine, and make love.” In this sequence lurk his competing urges towards logic and romance.

This prelude gives way to the tumultuous, yet somehow reasonable, actions of the rest of the film. Thought-provoking ideas of adultery, sexuality, art, and culture pop from the screen. Juan Antonio’s precarious balancing of his demons reveals a complex, hyper-realistic character. To all the actors’ credit, even the most hysterical scenes—like one involving a gun—have an organic charm.

Scarlett Johansson has a role perfectly suited to her talents; it doesn’t involve too much heavy lifting. She even holds her own (ha ha, literally) against acting champs Bardem and Penélope Cruz.

Like many summer stories, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” winds down the whirlwind with a sense of melancholy and shared experience. What did you do on your summer vacation?


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