Review of Vanilla Sky (2001) by Alexander Z — 11 Sep 2011
The problem with Vanilla Sky is that it gives off too much of a throwaway romantic comedy vibe in the first 30 minutes before doing a complete 180. Plus, Cameron Diaz is just horribly written and miscast, ruining most every scene she's in.
She plays her character like an obvious psycho, rather than the cold and calculated character in the original. Tom Cruise as well, who I've always liked as an actor, simply does not seem to know what he's doing emotionally half the time.
He knows how to act, but he simply does not hit all the right expressive points. The soundtrack also has its own problems. I disliked Abre Los Ojos' score for being too harsh and cheap, while I dislike Vanilla Sky's soundtrack for not reflecting the thoughtfulness of the plot, using a lot of poppy rock to make it light and fluffy.
Again, much like the original, the end scene is still amazingly powerful, but it just isn't enough to overcome the shortcomings of the direction, acting, and music.
This review of Vanilla Sky (2001) was written by Alexander Z on 11 Sep 2011.
Vanilla Sky has generally received positive reviews.
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