Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, and Javier Bardem star in Woody Allen’s latest comedic take on love and lust. Two best friends – Vicky and Cristina (Johansson) plan to spend a summer in Barcelona studying the culture. Early into their stay they are approached by a Spanish painter - Juan Antonio (Bardem), who offers or I should say suggests that they go on a trip with him and partake in….um…cough “extracurricular activities” together. Cristina is immediately drawn to his passion and is more willing to accept the offer than her friend. However, in due time both girls separately fall prey to his enthusiasm for love. The situation then gets turned on its head when Juan Antonio’s crazy ex-lover (Cruz) shows up. In typical Allen fashion all of the characters are refined, sophisticated, and into the arts. Allen’s strong suit is his sharp writing and his ability to get his characters into outlandish situations and this film is full of those moments. The film is equipped with a narrator from start to finish. Although he has some funny lines, I felt Allen could have done much more with this element. The ending of the movie was also a little bit of a let down for me as I did not feel satisfied with any of the characters’ evolutions. This is probably the best comedy Allen has penned in 15 years, but it is still far short of his greater works.

Ry's Rating: B -

If this movie had parents they would be: Wild Things & Melinda and Melinda

With a runtime of 96 minutes

This film is rated PG-13

Bullets of Interest

• This is the 39th film directed by Woody Allen
• It is the 3rd time he has worked with Johansson
• 1st Woody Allen movie to take place in Spain