IMDb > Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
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Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 84 | slideshow) Videos (see all 23 NEW)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) -- This is an interview with Penelope Cruz at the London Film Festival regarding Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) -- A scene titled "Juan Antonio" from the upcoming DVD release of Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) -- Woody Allen's new film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is a "love letter to love," says Academy award-winning actor Javier Bardem. The movie chronicles the summer holiday of two girlfriends in Barcelona.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) -- This is the UK theatrical trailer for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) -- This is the theatrical trailer for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, directed by Woody Allen.

Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   41,436 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 14% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Contact:

View company contact information for Vicky Cristina Barcelona on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (USA) more

Genre:

Drama | Romance more

Tagline:

Life is the ultimate work of art

Plot:

Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture. full summary | full synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 19 wins & 27 nominations more

NewsDesk:
(698 articles)

Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 10/27
 (From Cinematical. 27 October 2009, 11:32 AM, PDT)

Woody Allen names new London movie
 (From digitalspy. 27 October 2009, 6:58 AM, PDT)

User Comments:

A triumphant effort from Woody Allen more (251 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:

Midnight in Barcelona (Spain) (working title)
Woody Allen Spanish Project (USA) (working title)
more

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexuality, and smoking.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Spain | USA

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Mono)

Filming Locations:

Avilés, Asturias, Spain more

Company:

Mediapro more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

This is the fourth consecutive film where Woody Allen has filmed outside of the United States (after Match Point (2005), Scoop (2006) and Cassandra's Dream (2007)). New York does feature as a filming location in the film but it is believed Allen has tired of filming in New York, hence the existence of European locations in his recent work. more

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Oviedo is referred to as part of Catalonia with Vicky continuing her research on "Catalan culture" while she is there. In fact, Oviedo is in Asturias, not Catalonia. more

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: Vicky and Cristina decided to spend the summer in Barcelona. Vicky was completing her master's in Catalan Identity, which she had become interested in through her great affection for the architecture of Gaudí. Cristina, who spent the last six months writing...
[...]
more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Bachelor: (#13.1)" (2009) more

Soundtrack:

Asturias more


FAQ

Is there an official Web site?
When does Penelope Cruz show up?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
more
165 out of 244 people found the following comment useful.
A triumphant effort from Woody Allen, 15 August 2008
9/10
Author: AdnanZ from thecinemajournal.blogspot.com

Although this film has bizarrely been described as breezy summer entertainment by some top critics (which leads me to wonder if they saw the same movie I did, or just the first half hour), "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is the closest thing to the sort of examination of relationships that Allen became famous for in quite some time ("Anything Else" counts, I suppose, but lacks the sharpness this film has), and although it is far from as weighty as some of his dramas or even some of his comedies, this is his first really inspired script in a while, featuring a cast of detailed, well-developed characters, some razor-sharp observations on relationships, and a wicked sense of humor.

Although I never thought Woody's work this decade was particularly poor (other than "Cassandra's Dream" and although I'm in a minority "Match Point"), it has mostly been completely inconsequential and almost entirely dependent on broad characterizations and heavy plotting rather than real people and awkwardly comic situations (which has always been Allen's strong suit). A career-best performance from Scarlett Johansson, a wickedly entertaining turn from Penelope Cruz, and the absolute revelation that is Rebecca Hall form a great cast along with Javier Bardem in a role that may surprise the majority of the American public (well, for most of the movie, anyway). You can feel Allen's mark on their mannerisms, but they all seem to disappear into these characters, that's how good they are.

I'm keeping this as spoiler-free as possible, because it's really worth going into the theater not expecting anything in particular and savoring the film's often unexpected but never contrived plot twists and turns. All you should know is that Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) go to Barcelona for the summer and things get complicated when they meet a charming, mysterious, and rich painter (Javier Bardem) and he makes a rather upfront proposition to both of them. It's best if you know nothing of how Cruz' character impacts the film prior to watching it.

In relation to Allen's other work I thought it was interesting that he never attempted to analyze sex. The whole movie is in many ways about sex, and there is a lot of the expected philosophical and psychological examination of the relationships between the characters in the film, but sex itself is never analyzed as it is in much of Allen's work, and is instead treated as the impenetrable mystery it is. That said, Allen's script is extraordinarily nuanced, something that I haven't expected from his writing in a while. Sure, the characters still represent opposing romantic philosophies, but there's a spark in the writing that makes these feel like real people as opposed to mere characters. That spark, that chemistry is there throughout "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", it's there in the vibrant cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe, it's there in the performances, it's there in the shot composition, and it's there in the editing, and in pretty much anything else I haven't mentioned yet.

The first forty minutes or so of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" may be the sort of romantic comedy (very good romantic comedy, at that) that the advertising campaign seems to suggest it is, but for the rest of the film there's the sort of pessimistic optimism that colors much of Allen's work (if that makes sense, pretend you didn't read it if it didn't), and let's just say it doesn't end well for these characters. There's real complexity and intensity in this film, and all I have to say is this: Woody Allen is back, the perceptive, intelligent examiner of the human heart, that is, not what we've had for the past while. To say this is one of his best films would be ignoring the fact that through the 70's and 80's he pretty much made nothing but great films, but I can at least say that this is on par with some of his better work.

8.5/10

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Pardon me, but... Boring. Bobby009
tips for Woody jeroen-106
Who did Juan Antoniolike more? V or C? pancakeamiga
It was all for nothing! xtrue22
Lamest title ever pilgrim-18
Penelope speaks Spanish fluently!!! johnfmiller3
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