Vicky Cristina Barcelona

JP Liz V1

I finally gone round to seeing this and it is crap, how the hell did Cruz win an Oscar for it

It definitely isnt the work of a genius as several critics are making it out to be. I'd even say its Woody Allen's worse film.

johnny_ultimate

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

I'd even say its Woody Allen's worse film.

Oh no, the abomination that is Cassandra's Dream deserves that honour.

I liked Vicky Christina Barcelona, although looking back I'm not entirely sure why. It has the same problem as all recent Woody Allen films - pretentious, unbelivable, tongue-tying dialogue. People do not talk like this! They do not go around using the words 'made love' all the time.

There is something appealing about this though. I think it may be down to the breezy, playful tone. Or it may be the fantastic cast of ludicrously attractive people (Rebecca Hall ftw). Penelope Cruz is very good in it, as usual, a good mix of seductive and insane.

Like Whatever Works (which I only liked because of Larry David) it is a deeply flawed film that I for some reason enjoyed. I can't quite tell you why.

Hank_Jones

I also thought that it was crap.
Allen indulges himself far to much in his writing, as if he thinks he is exalted in comparison to everyone else and that anything he spews out is gold.
On the positive side for the film though, it's aimed at an American audience so we shouldn't really take too much notice with regards the terrible story.

Handsome Bob

Bleeding terrible, a film with two unlikeable leading ladies (in their roles) and just a film I found to be very hollow. The only good thing about it is Cruz's character.

paddyismaddy

the weak link for me was scar jo she was terrible in the film

arsenallegend

paddyismaddy wrote: »

the weak link for me was scar jo she was terrible in the film

she's lived on lost in translation for too long (i never taught she was great in that either and i don't see what woody see's in her)


The critic's are waiting for Woody Allen to return to Annie hall type of form and anything thats good or decent its overhyped like this film.

Ann22

I was engrossed in it but not sure why.

MickShamrock

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Oh no, the abomination that is Cassandra's Dream deserves that honour.

+1. I barely managed half an hour of that, but it was more than enough!

the_monkey

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

I finally gone round to seeing this and it is crap, how the hell did Cruz win an Oscar for it

It definitely isnt the work of a genius as several critics are making it out to be. I'd even say its Woody Allen's worse film.

Exactly , absolute garbage !

Typical Americans view of Barcelona, you go to a bar - "oh look there is
such and such a famous painter, and over there is some famous writer,
and jesus ! is that Pep Guardiola that just walked in !!"

and every flat/house has a view of the sea, the sagrada familia, Camp Nou, Moinjuic etc .....

**** OFF!!



/RANT

Kiith

I thought this looked pretty crap on release, but i recently fell in love with Rebecca Hall, so i might have to watch it now

rovert

JP Liz watching and ranking Woodie Allen brings me such joy.

I liked the film for the suggestive fluff that it was.

latenia

the_monkey wrote: »

Typical Americans view of Barcelona, you go to a bar - "oh look there is
such and such a famous painter, and over there is some famous writer,
and jesus ! is that Pep Guardiola that just walked in !!"

and every flat/house has a view of the sea, the sagrada familia, Camp Nou, Moinjuic etc .....

There's a reason for that:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6922536.stm

Barcelona's city hall is providing one million euros (£673,200) and the Catalan Regional Government half a million - 10% of the film's budget.

Barcelona's mayor, Jordi Hereu, said: "It's a huge advertisement for the city that will be seen all over the world."

The film plays like a tourist advert because that's largely what it is.

delbertgrady

Argh! I love Woody Allen, but Vicky Cristina Barcelona actually gives every Woody-hater fuel for the fire to say: "Look! It’s just more of the same!"
Instead of tiresome, rich Americans in New York, we have tiresome, rich Americans in Barcelona, with a lovely villa, and bohemian friends, swanning around discussing art and poetry and sculpture, drinking wine and being very sophisticated and "making love", all the while struggling with their inner Woody Allen.
This is all very well if there's a decent script to hang it all on, but there isn't, and there are no decent laughs. It’s not like he’s lost his muse, because Scoop and Whatever Works both have a high joke ratio, so it’s clearly just Woody on autopilot.

My biggest grievance is that we are told at the outset that Vicky and Cristina are going to Spain for the months of July and August, yet throughout the film, we are told by an omnipresent, unnecessary and tiresome narrator that certain things went on for "a few weeks", or that "over the next few weeks" such and such did such and such a thing. How many periods of "a few weeks" can you fit into two months?
On a more specific note, when Javier Bardem's character takes a late night phone call and has to leave, the helpful narrator says that "Juan Antonio crept from the house in the dead of night..." WTF? You don't say! Unbelievable!
Rebecca Hall is definitely the best thing in it, nailing an American accent and being the only character for whom I could elicit any real sympathy.
Overall though, it's a sloppy, would-be Eric Rohmer homage, and it fails on practically every level.

Now, where's my DVD of Love and Death...?