VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA  

By: Mario Bautista

Serious Film aficionados are lucky in that most of the films nominated in the Oscars are now being shown in our theaters, so they shouldn't miss the rare opportunity of watching them on the big screen. One them is "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and this is cause for rejoicing for those who look up to Woody Allen as a topnotch filmmaker since most of his last films were not at all shown here, like "Matchpoint" and "Cassandra's Dream."

At first, we thought "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is the full name of one woman. It turns out that the movie is about two friends, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johannson) and the summer they spent in sunny Barcelona, Spain. Vicky, a brunette, is the one who gets an invitation from her relatives there. She is a bit uptight and goes to Barcelona mainly to do research for her architectural thesis about Catalan culture. Cristina, a blonde, is a short filmmaker and more fun-loving.

While attending an art exhibit in Barcelona, the two friends meet a charismatic painter, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), who allegedly tried to kill his wife. Later in a cafe, he approaches their table and invites them to fly with him to the town of Oviedo for the weekend where he intends to bed them both. Cristina is adventurous and willing to go but Vicky is turned off by his being too fresh. Vicky is more strait-laced and about to be married to her boyfriend Doug (Chris Messina) in New York. Although she's against the idea, she still goes with them to be Cristina's chaperone. But Cristina gets sick while they are there and it's Vicky who goes sightseeing with Juan Antonio and ends up going to bed with him.

They return to Barcelona and Vicky is disconcerted by her dalliance with Juan Antonio. She gets a call from Doug who says they should get married in Spain. She sees her relative, Judy (Patricia Clarkson), kissing a man who's not her husband. Judy warns her that she might also end up like her who's not happily married.

Cristina moves in with Juan Antonio and they're doing fine until someone calls him up to tell him his ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz), tried to kill herself. With no place where she can stay, Maria Elena moves back in Juan Antonio's house and Cristina personally witnesses their fiery fights. They later become a threesome, with the very talented Maria Elena encouraging Cristina to explore her talent in photography.

The movie is another one of writer-director Woody Allen's personal explorations about the vagaries and intricacies of love and relationships. One thing that turns us off in the movie is the monotonous voice-over narration by a know it all narrator who only underlines what's already obvious and can be very intrusive without offering that much insight. Doesn't Allen know that movies are meant to show visually, not just tell verbally? The movie is obviously meant to be a comedy, no wonder it won the best film in the musical or comedy category of the recent Golden Globe Awards. But it's not really that funny. All you'll get are some chuckles here and there as many of the jokes don't work in a laugh out loud manner. In hindsight, we think what Allen is trying to impart is that love is seldom permanent since hearts can be fickle and minds are changeable. What one loves or desires at one moment may no longer be so in the next year or so. This is the perfect movie for those who do not believe in commitment and fidelity.

But the acting is good. Rebecca (who's a British playing the role of an American) is terrific as a woman so sure of herself until Bardem throws her off balance. Scarlett has worked a number of times with Allen and is now very comfortable with him so she gives a very relaxed and natural portrayal of Cristina. But they'r easily eclipsed by Penelope Cruz (who's nominated as best supporting actress in the Oscar for her acting here) as the spunky spitfire who even seduces Scarlett in the darkroom. Her volatile portrayal makes you realize why Juan married her then divorced her as they are like oil and water that just won't mix. After his Oscar-winning role as the creepy psychotic killer in "No Country for Old Men", Bardem shows here how versatile is in playing the role of the irresistibly charming artist.

The other character in the movie is the city of Barcelona itself. It's obvious Allen has falled in love with it and photographs it beautifully, loving the architecture of Antonio Gaudi. He also gets to use a nice upbeat Spanish title song for the opening and the ending of the movie.