Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: August 15, 2008

7.0	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 274 Ratings

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User Reviews

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ChrisCAug 20, 2008

The first hour is solid while the last hour is absolutely dreadful. The relationships start out somewhat believable but quickly turn to B-movie crap.

2 of 2 users found this helpful

CarlS.Aug 31, 2008

A movie about PASSION; yet apart from Penelope Cruz this film is devoid of it - everyone is sleepwalking. Woody Allen is too neurotic to embrace feelings as free-spirited as passion, so him making a film about it is like a fish discussing A movie about PASSION; yet apart from Penelope Cruz this film is devoid of it - everyone is sleepwalking. Woody Allen is too neurotic to embrace feelings as free-spirited as passion, so him making a film about it is like a fish discussing life outside the bowl.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

csw12Apr 8, 2013

Vicky Cristina Barcelona seems to be a movie that had no direction, with writers that were just as lost as the characters were. Instead of having a narrator say the story, it should have been told through the screen.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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nossspoerotee.Nov 2, 2008

Nice movie with great acting and beautiful cinematography. A beautiful love mosaic.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

[Anonymous]Aug 24, 2008

Well done satire of the American daydream

0 of 1 users found this helpful

Trev29Mar 31, 2012

This was a strange movie. Not quite sure why Penelope won the Oscar. Didn't think she was anything that stuck out. Not really that funny and kind of dull. No big deal.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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ChadS.Aug 17, 2008

On their return trip back to Barcelona after vacationing in a small Italian town, Cristina(Scarlett Johannson) apologizes with frenetic profusion to her conspiring plane mates, for being protracted all-weekend long in a flophouse bed with a On their return trip back to Barcelona after vacationing in a small Italian town, Cristina(Scarlett Johannson) apologizes with frenetic profusion to her conspiring plane mates, for being protracted all-weekend long in a flophouse bed with a case of food poisoning. Unstudied and without her customary self-awareness, this is Crisitna uncensored; she says things without running it through her Henry-Miller informed filter. In other words, she sounds like an uncultured American. This in-flight tell is a harbinger of Cristina's epiphany that her free-spirit ethos better remain a theory, rather than be put into practice. She isn't cut out to be the Anais Nin-type who can share Juan(Javier Bardem) with Maria Elena(Penelope Cruz), like how the Cuban-French author apportioned a part of the "Tropic of Cancer" author's heart with his wife June. Her friend Vicky(Rebecca Hall), on the other hand, the feminist whom Juan offends with his indecent proposal for a "menage a trois" with herself and Cristina, denies the attraction and magnetic pull of the painter's sexual aura, because she's been fully indoctrinated by an ideology that's supposed to function like an amulet against the evils of subjugation. Even an intellectual such as Vicky enjoys being treated like a piece of meat, something to be drooled over before the ravishing. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is marred somewhat by its Hugh Hefner-like sensibility, in which the filmmaker is like the Playboy mogul who puts out special issues like "The Girls of Mensa" and "The Girls of the Ivy League", alongside "The Girls of Hooters" and "The Girls of Wal-Mart" to reduce smart women by obfuscating their best assets. Vicky, it can be said, is the cover girl for "The Girls of Catalan Scholarship".… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

smijatovDec 22, 2010

This is not the best of films, that is for sure. Honestly, the most redeeming part of the film are Javier Bardem and especially Penelope Cruz. Penelope gave such an extraordinary performance, which basically carries the film - though she onlyThis is not the best of films, that is for sure. Honestly, the most redeeming part of the film are Javier Bardem and especially Penelope Cruz. Penelope gave such an extraordinary performance, which basically carries the film - though she only shows up the second half of the film. Otherwise, the film is rather pretentious and reminds me of "Sideways" a bit... just a pretentious, 'European' version of "Sideways". Still, definitely worth watching for Penelope and the nice scenery of Spain.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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CalRMar 4, 2012

If someone asked if whether I enjoyed Vicky Christina Barcelona I honestly would not be able to answer. For as much as the feature demonstrates Woody Allen's obsession with neurotic characters within a unique and original setting the outcomeIf someone asked if whether I enjoyed Vicky Christina Barcelona I honestly would not be able to answer. For as much as the feature demonstrates Woody Allen's obsession with neurotic characters within a unique and original setting the outcome of the venture is sure to leave the viewer more exhausted than satisfied. Trademark directing aside, the films premise is strong and original, but the narration too often than not overrides the plot and what we do see becomes a mere snapshot: just like one of Christina's photographs. The acting is certainly great however, and Penelope Cruz rightfully deserves the acclaim she got for portraying a paranoid, delusional Spanish artist. However the character arcs are painfully non-existent leaving the audience thinking whether the features mixture of arthouse and mainstream works at all. Overall, the consistent name-dropping of the title, among other flaws levels this out at a 5 which is a shame because underneath the overstylised visuals there is a great film in here somewhere.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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SpangleJul 29, 2016

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a film that thinks so little of its audience, it has a narrator that explains every character action and motivation to you, in order for you to be able to understand its high brow philosophizing on love and itsVicky Cristina Barcelona is a film that thinks so little of its audience, it has a narrator that explains every character action and motivation to you, in order for you to be able to understand its high brow philosophizing on love and its unattainable nature. Set in Europe, the film has a real stuffy feel and though it attempts to showcase the pretentiousness of its characters at times, the film itself winds up having this air of self-importance. Unfunny and lacking any sense of charm, the film has awful character development for a Woody Allen film, largely due to the horrendous decision to rely so much on a narrator. The result of the narrator is a truly stunted story that turns the film into a vignette of loosely connected scenes that somehow advance some sort of plot that the audience could care less about, due to the film's unwillingness to let us in. A misfire from Woody Allen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is evidence that he needs to focus more on actual comedies instead of stuffy attempts at European romantic drama art films.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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shadow-catNov 29, 2014

This wasn't a terrible movie; Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are in it so at worse I thought it would be an average movie, which it was. I think that it was a little boring and predictable. I thought Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall wereThis wasn't a terrible movie; Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are in it so at worse I thought it would be an average movie, which it was. I think that it was a little boring and predictable. I thought Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall were very replaceable (and maybe if they were the movie would have been better). The characters were quite lacklustre except the Spanish character who were supposed to be 'spicy' which is a word that I hate when it comes to describing people. It was a relatively forgettable movie that was overrated with boring dialogue, slightly stereotypical characters and I'm just not the biggest fan of Woody Allen.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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eva3si0nApr 1, 2020

A simple and frivolous series from Woody Allen. Nothing original, the film is clearly counted on a female audience. By the middle of the film you already start to miss and yawn, but the good appears 4 active character Maria-Helena. She doesnA simple and frivolous series from Woody Allen. Nothing original, the film is clearly counted on a female audience. By the middle of the film you already start to miss and yawn, but the good appears 4 active character Maria-Helena. She doesn 't get bored, though she has the strength to watch the film. In general, the film ends in fact on nothing, which is even more longing.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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FilipeNetoAug 23, 2018

Woody Allen is one of those directors that either we love or hate. I confess, I am the exception: I don't like nor hate, I've never had much contact with his films. This film was, probably, the first of his work I saw from beginning to end,Woody Allen is one of those directors that either we love or hate. I confess, I am the exception: I don't like nor hate, I've never had much contact with his films. This film was, probably, the first of his work I saw from beginning to end, and I liked it. It has a somewhat unrealistic but acceptable script in which two American girls get involved with the same man during a summer trip to Barcelona. Both are dissatisfied with their love life for different reasons: Vicky attaches great value to commitment but needs passion to support it; Cristina is very passionate but she cannot be in a relationship because she always feels something missing. In this duality lies the great criticism the film makes to the emptiness of American society, described as very conservative and worried with appearances. On the other side the Spanish Juan Antonio and Maria Elena, a former couple whose love is deep and destructive to the point of not being able to live without melodramatic fights. Through them, Allen seems to criticize the way of being of European society, described as being very liberal. The whole movie is a clash of mindsets of different people, representing very different civilizations and different ways of facing love.

Of course, this is all based on Woody Allen's own views. I, for example, have a very different idea of what Europeans and Americans are like, and I don't think they are so different. We must not forget that American society has been shaped in the image of Europe. Never has Europe seemed to me as liberal and open-minded as the film suggests, and even Latin countries (like my own) are quite conservative, partly because of religious issues, although its also true that they're becoming more liberal (maybe too much). But this only proves that these ideas are points of view, debatable and subjective. Either way, the way the characters behave is very interesting, creating situations that are very hilarious. The narrator works well and has an excellent voice. Concerning the actors, they're all big names. Bardem and Cruz, however, deserve special applause for the way they ended up standing out, starring in some of the funniest scenes. Rebecca Hall did a good job in the role of conventional Vicky, giving her special psychological depth from which she falls in love. Scarlett Johansson fulfilled her role, not surprisingly but also without disappointment. She was OK most of the time. A note of praise still for the very careful cinematography and for the choice of filming locations, who knew how to take advantage of the landscapes and tourist icons that we associate with the Catalan capital.

Intelligent, beautiful, passionate, romantic, elegant... there would be several adjectives for this film. It's not enough to shut up those who hate Woody Allen but, for those like me, who are not familiar with his work, it's enough to give him more attention from now on.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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