Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem

Director: Woody Allen

Screenplay: Woody Allen

Running time: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Comedy/Drama



CRITIQUE:


You’ve got to hand it to Woody Allen. Throughout the decades, there is barely a mainstream film in his directorial (or screenwriting) CV, and his oeuvre is certainly not everybody’s cup of tea – but he remains a master dissector of human relationships. That he’s probably the most European auteur of all his American leagues makes him a constant harbinger of interesting cinema. After the brilliant Match Point and the little-seen Scoop, he reunites with his modern-day Diane Keaton, Scarlett Johansson, and takes a trip to the sexy, sultry city of Barcelona where anything goes. Yes, even a ménage-a-trois. Thanks then to Allen for unexploiting the subject matter, albeit the concept of Javier Bardem as the maverick Spanish painter, Penelope Cruz as the feverish, suicidal/homicidal ex-wife, and Johansson’s free-spirited, sexually deviant Cristina all tangled up in a knotty threesome is a ravishing one; Allen barely gets them all hot and sweaty together – but rather emphasises the importance of screenplay and his characters.


Narrated by a matter-of-fact voice, it manages to be delightful and amusing, with characters’ morals constantly shifting as sands. Comparable to Keaton, Johansson is sassy but at the same time susceptible to her own weakness and indecisiveness. Rebecca Hall as the straightforward Vicky stands out. We can see a fine actress at work here when we see her eloquent American manners and ideals start to break down by Bardem’s Bohemian ideals. Then enter Bardem and Cruz, two Spanish players that gives such zest and vitality to their roles; Bardem shunting the stereotyped tortured-genius caricature and provides a warm soul to his character, and Cruz obviously had more fun playing the megalomaniacal mistress throwing tantrums. The whole portrait of complex relationships is the focus here, as much as it is set against the exotic landscape of Barcelona, as gorgeous and exquisite as its well-rounded up cast.


VERDICT:

Vicky Cristina Barcelona extracts dark comedy from the its complex, tragic canvas of relationships, and here Woody Allen is clearly having fun writing, directing and vacationing under the splendid sun of Barcelona. And so are its excellent cast.



RATING: B+