By snoadmin
I didn’t know what to expect in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” The movie starts out with a narrator presenting the two main characters and their backgrounds. Vicky is a recently engaged woman who believes in a stable “sure thing” relationship, while Christina (Scarlett Johansson) is a free-thinker who has a history of being promiscuous with troubled artists. Together they embark on a summer vacation together in Barcelona.
With a slow opening, the pace starts to pick up when Vicky and Cristina are out for dinner and encounter a sexually-charged man named Juan (Javier Bardem), a well known artist in the Barcelona art scene. He presumptuously invites them to go away with him for the weekend in hopes that they will sleep with him. Vicky, the logical thinker thinks he’s lost his mind but Christina is instantly taken by his open minded and free- spirited nature.
Juan and Cristina hit it off right away but Vicky is very distrusting of him from the start. But one night of random passion with Juan leaves Vicky confused about what she wants in life and if she really wants to marry the man she thought she was in love with. Meanwhile, Christina, unaware of Vicky and Juan’s fling, decides to make a move on Juan to see where the relationship is headed.
Things start to get really exciting when Juan’s former lover Marie Elena (Penelope Cruz), a brilliant artist with a slightly psychopathic personality, comes back into Juan’s life after trying to commit suicide. Marie isn’t thrilled with Juan’s new love interest, Christina, but soon begins to fall in love with her herself, leading to a three-way relationship between them ─ an exciting love affair that Vicky almost envies.
Marie and Juan have a troubled past relationship that is filled with both anger and love. Though the two love each other and understand each other more than anyone else, at the same time they can’t stand being around each other. There is a constant re-occurring theme throughout this film of people who think they know what they want but realize it’s not what they wanted or whether they should take a risk and try something new.
The woman who Vicky and Cristina are staying with in Barcelona tries to enable a relationship between Vicky and Juan, when Vicky reveals that her fling with Juan caused her to fall in love with him. Vicky’s consistent curiosity leads her to an almost fatal realization. Meanwhile, Cristina begins to ponder if this life is the one she’s been looking for all this time.
Johansson, perhaps the most recognized actress in this film, gave a lack-luster performance. It almost felt like this was the first movie she had ever done. On the other hand, Cruz stole the show. Her performance was funny, entertaining and intriguing. Her character was the most multi-dimensional, probably due to the fact that she was a wacky, borderline schizophrenic personality.
Although the story is very unique and twisted, it has a somewhat realistic feel to it. It’s the vacation of a lifetime that the average person could never dream of occurring. This is no “sit on the beach and drink wine” story, even though a lot of wine drinking takes place throughout the movie. The events in this film are unpredictable and keep you entertained and interested throughout the film. Also, the Spanish music and sights of Barcelona make you feel as though you are there. It’s a trip to Spain through a film screen.
Our View- Penelope Cruz stole the show with her dynamic role and latin flavor.
Summary- “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is a sexy, intriguing love-triangle story set in the beautiful landscapes of Spain.
