Review of Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) by Elliott F — 16 Jun 2011

Thirty-one years since his first masterpiece, Annie Hall, it's nice to know Woody's still got some action in him. His vacation to Barcelona is a nice rejuvenation for his career, one many thought was over.

Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson play the titular characters of Vicky and Cristina, who visit Barcelona for a summer. Although they are very good friends, they are completely different: Vicky loves and seeks security, whereas Cristina doesn't really know what she wants--just what she doesn't want.

It's not until the two meet a steamy Spanish artist (Javier Bardem) that their trip heats up a bit. The film is a little moody-slash-comic romance, with at least one great performance, and one good one: Penelope Cruz, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Bardem's mentally unstable yet brilliant ex-wife, delivers the great performance, and Bardem himself delivers the good one, lighting up the warmly-tinted Barcelona with his effortless charm.

Johansson and Hall both seem very uncomfortable at times--mostly Hall--but neither of them are truly bad. At the end of the day, Vicky Cristina Barcelona isn't going to be remembered as one of Woody Allen's greatest works, but it's certainly a strong one, and is a nice reminder that he's still here and he's still got it.