Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Somewhere within the storm of hype surrounding that Penelope Cruz/Scarlett Johansson kiss is the intelligent, romantic film that Woody Allen had planned to make. Luckily for viewers, whether they’re there for a light Spanish romance, or to enjoy the wit of Allen’s insultingly accurate character portraits, Vicky Cristina Barcelona will deliver in spades. Many will be swept along in the wake of the passionate but hopelessly idealistic and discontented Cristina (Johansson), while some will fall hard into the gulf between romance and responsibility, as does Vicky (Rebecca Hall). The quintessential Spanish lover, played by Javier Bardem, and his alternately seductive and destructive estranged wife (Cruz) round out a rich and constantly unfurling piece of cinema.
