A: Two American girls, best-friends Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), go to Barcelona for the summer, where they are seduced by and fall for the same Latin Lover (Javier Bardem).
Q: Who’s in the movie?
A: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn, Chris Messina, Christopher Evan Welch, Pablo Schreiber, Zak Orth, Carrie Preston
Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?
A:
Go! With the Dollar so low, and the Euro so high, this may be the only affordable way to visit Spain anymore. But economics notwithstanding, the film also has going for it that it's a passionate exploration of how relationships are ultimately nothing more-- or less-- than a choose your own adventure story.Q: Will this movie make me laugh?
A: Woody's still got a few tricks up his sleeve.
Q: Will this movie make me cry?
A: No, but it could get your sexy juices flowing.
Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?
A: Penelope Cruz, Penelope Cruz, everyone's talking about Penelope Cruz. I spent the first half of the movie wondering if she was even in this film... But boy was she ever! Without seeing any of the other performances to come, I'm going to go big, and put in my prediction now: she will win (yes, I said "win") the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
Q: How is the Acting?
A: Rebecca Hall is incredible in the "Woody Allen role," which leads me to wonder, does he give them stuttering, hemming, and hawing lessons on set? Or do they just instinctively know that when you work with Woody Allen, every word should come from your most neurotic place?
Also, after only having seen him play a psychopath, an invalid, and a gay revolutionary, I was surprised to see how much sexiness and charisma Javier Bardem was able to bring to what may be the closest he's yet come to playing an average guy. Okay, so a Spanish master of seduction isn't that average-- but still, compared to his previous roles, this is just a regular guy. And he still comes off like an acting genius.
Q: How is the Directing?
A: I've always thought of Woody Allen as a simple director, who doesn't do much more than the bare minimum to tell the story. After all, he's known for letting his scripts do the talking. But in this film, his camera is dynamic, constantly moving, and often at a faster pace than I would associate with his work. For once, his directing actually stands out, and it turns out, he's quite talented.
Q: How is the story/script?
A: Woody Allen has written and directed a movie a year for as long as I can remember, so sometimes the quality gets compromised in the rush. That is not the case with Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
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