Review of Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) by Alexander D — 13 Jan 2012

What boosts VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA from being a sappy, shoddy romance is the tour de force performance from Penà (C)lope Cruz. Cruz portrays Maria Elena, a ruthless, suicidal shrew. Though only supporting to the plot, when she delivers her role, we are instantly attetive to her loud, implausible character.

Furthermore, she ends the film on one of the most cinematically shocking, unpredictable, and eventually hysterical notes since...I'm having trouble finishing that sentence. With Cruz acting in her Oscar-winning role, it's easy to forget the comic icon who is directing.

As a recent fan of writer-director Woody Allen, I expected something better than this. I had heard that BARCELONA was a romantic comedy, and I had also heard it was a romantic drama. Although two or three scenes were massively hilarious, this did not have enough scattered humor to call a comedy.

This film certainly would have been at least ten times better as a pure romcom; outside of the genre, Allen seems to lack his fabulous chutzpah. If you happen to be curious about this film, or you are a fan of Penà (C)lope Cruz, go ahead; otherwise, I'd recommend skipping it.

You will run the risk of Woody-philia, as this is not his usual effort.