Penelope Cruz

In college Cristina produced and directed a short film; a 12 minute work on the impossibility to define love. Woody Allen alludes to this fact early on in Vicky Cristina Barcelona; a clue into the nature of his own glimpse into loves irrationality. Vicky and Cristina travel to Barcelona, during their summer away from college; best friends with radically different views on life. Vicky seeks commitment and seriousness, a life of satiability. Cristina is her polar opposite, with passionate ever changing hungers, always acting impulsively and living for the moment. By chance the pair meets a dashing Spanish artist; Juan Antonio, who invites them to spend the weekend with him on the island of Oviedo, his lustful intentions never concealed. Despite the soon to be married Vicky?s objections, they travel to Oviedo on his request. Javier Bardem brings much more to his role as Juan Antonio than charm and seduction, his soul was deeply damage by his former wife, they shared a violent crazy love, and its end left him in a state of constant flux, unable to survive alone, but injured by his past relationship. On the island of Oviedo passion and desire are given into. Cristina begins a relationship with Antonio, and Vicky returns to thoughts of her fiancé, her feelings of what she wants forever changed by one weekend in Oviedo. As Antonio and Cristina explore their love, Vicky becomes conflicted by her own heart, her feelings are irreparably altered, one night of passion consumes her every thought and begins to dissolve her feelings of settling down. María Elena, Antonio?s former wife, played with wild creativity by Penelope Cruz, attempts suicide and finds herself living with and under the care of Antonio and Cristina, A strange three way relationship forms, beginning with distrust and jealousy, adapting into a friendship and eventually affection, a strange love emerges between the three, indefinable by convention Woody Allen has made an impressive film on the eternal themes of love and lust. The interconnected affairs and odd friendships that develop are explored in captivating detail. Not a love triangle but an octagon of messy connections and raw emotion, truly insightful and passionate filmmaking, utterly engrossing from beginning to end. With a wonderful Spanish teamed soundtrack that beautifully adds texture and dashes of culture. A persistence voice over is brilliantly used throughout the film, keeping the many individuals stories in concert. A large cast of great actors and actresses; all held hostage by there emotions, conflicted and struggling to define themselves, or to redefine themselves, a love story about the nature of love itself, in all its messy chaotic nature. I absolutely adored Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a beautifully crafted emotional masterpiece; exploring love in all its messy, blissful, chaotic, and sometimes even violent details. Vicky and Cristina are profoundly changed by their summer in Barcelona, everything they thought they wanted in life is thrown into question. It may be one of the greatest films on the subject of loves classification.

Trust Woody Allen to stand out and make completely non standard movies. Cruz's role and performance is a big reason why the movie stands apart.

Not a really original idea, and the visuals are very reminiscent of The Cell, which was pretty groundbreaking visually and preceded this movie by 3 years. Although Berry is the "star" she pales in comparison to Cruz and Downey, Jr., who give great performances despite the lackluster script. OK to watch once, but pretty predictable Hollywood stuff.

I know that I was a bit perplexed on the first viewing, but after the second or third time I began to really appreciate the complexity that director Crowe uses to build the story and give small and subtle cues about the plot early on. Like or hate Tom Cruise, he is excellent as David, a petulant and shallow person whose life is changed by a sudden event. David must face the person he is and the things he's done, but what else is really going on and why does reality seem to be competing with fantasy in David's mind? Some may find this long, drawn out and boring (see the completely mixed reviews of critics and filmgoers), but if you're willing to be patient, I think it's a highly rewarding and thought provoking film. Diaz as the psycho ex from hell, Cruz as the bubbly new love and Lee as the wisecracking friend all give great performances as well and the soundtrack fits amazingly with the themes and moods of the film.