Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

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.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem

Won 1 Oscar. Another 32 wins & 38 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rebecca Hall	...	Vicky
Scarlett Johansson	...	Cristina
Christopher Evan Welch	...	Narrator (voice)
Chris Messina	...	Doug
Patricia Clarkson	...	Judy
Kevin Dunn	...	Mark
Julio Perillán	...	Charles
Juan Quesada	...	Guitarist in Barcelona
Ricard Salom	...	Art Gallery Guest
Maurice Sonnenberg	...	Art Gallery Guest
Javier Bardem	...	Juan Antonio
Manel Barceló	...	Doctor
Josep Maria Domènech	...	Julio
Emilio de Benito	...	Guitarist in Asturias
Jaume Montané	...	Juan Antonio's Friend

Storyline

Sexually adventurous Cristina and her friend Vicky, who is bright but cautious, holiday in Barcelona where they meet the celebrated and wholly seductive painter, Juan Antonio. Vicky is not about to dive into a sexual adventure being committed to her forthcoming marriage. But Cristina is immediately captivated by Juan Antonio's free spirit and his romantic allure is enhanced when she hears the delicious details of his divorce from fellow artist, the tempestuous Maria Elena.

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Plot Keywords:

summer | painter | artist | sex | art | 

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Taglines:

Life is the ultimate work of art

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [United States]

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barselona, Barselona

Filming Locations:

Avilés, Asturias, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$15,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£243,684 (UK) (6 February 2009)

Gross:

£2,429,480 (UK) (13 March 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Weinstein Company, The, Mediapro, Gravier Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Mono)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the third film that Woody Allen has made with Scarlett Johansson after Match Point (2005) and Scoop (2006).

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Goofs

Speaking about Cristina's photography the narrator says that Maria convinces her to use an older camera and she would set up a darkroom for her, etc. implying it would be a film camera. It's clear she continues to use a digital camera and she does not look through the viewfinder but the LCD screen of a digital camera and the photo she just took is on the screen.

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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, directing, and acting in a 12-minute film which she then hated, had just broken up with yet another boyfriend and longed for a change of scenery. Everything fell into place when a distant relative of Vicky's family who lived in...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in 90210: To New Beginnings! (2009)

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Soundtracks

When I Was A Boy
Composed by Biel Ballester
Performed by Biel Ballester Trio with Leo Hipaucha & Graci Pedro
Courtesy of Le Q Records/Le Quecumbar London

User Reviews

An excellent Woody Allen film that comes from a smart and sexy script, delivered with beautiful filming and strong performances from all

I watched this film a few days after I had seen Allen's previous effort, Cassandra's Dream, and I must admit that I was going through a bit of a spell with him because, over the last decade I have almost had to defend his films that I have liked, while also acknowledging the man that are average or worse. However, like Spike Lee, I rarely find a film of his that isn't worth seeing – whether it is any good or not being another question. Vicky Cristina Barcelona was out in the US and the fact that I had access to a Woody Allen film suggested that it was better than some of his more recent work (a lot of which I never got the chance to see in any cinema) but I was also wary because this film was well-known for one specific thing and I figured that perhaps it was being helped by that, with the studio hoping the "A Woody Allen film" tag wouldn't put the teenage male crowd off paying to see what they came for!

I needn't have worried because it is like the man behind Cassandra's Dream and this film cannot be the same person. It is a excellent film and one that Allen's fans will love and perhaps, just perhaps, it may even be good enough to win over those that wouldn't give him the time of day far less the price of a cinema ticket. It helps that the film is firmly back on themes that Allen has done so well in the past – matters of the heart, of passion, of love, of lust, of marriage. The whole film plays in its entirety just like one of the many "discussion" scenes where the characters discuss these matters over coffee etc and it is this consistency that makes it such a joy because what we see minute to minute engages and that is pretty much what we get from the film as a whole – but not as a sum of the parts but as the whole producing the same as the parts but in a different way. This interests me and it is delivered with a colour and flamboyance that somehow never takes away from the intelligence and thoughtfulness behind the writing; I'm not sure how he did it because the narrative is so wild that it could easily have been silly, but he holds it together without it even looking difficult.

The use of a narrator concerned me at first – particularly since I had just seen Allen S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G everything out in big dialogue chunks in Cassandra's Dream but on the contrary here the narrator is used to link and mostly compliments by being droll and being a great voice (good casting job there). The cast are what will attract an audience to this film and, beyond them just being some very big names, they are all excellent. Bardem is just so effortlessly sexual and sensual that he perfectly fits Allen's writing of this passionate, creative love versus the steady and frankly dull love of Messina's Doug. Hall essentially takes the traditional Allen role but makes it work more than others trying it have done. She doesn't take the mannerisms so much as getting the character right and she is the heart of the film, thrown between passionate love and reliable love. No question which Cruz represents and she does it really, really well. Out of sight for the majority of the film she strikes like a thunder storm, totally wild and full of fire – but not to the point where she is unattractive or not tempting, which would have taken away from what she was trying to be. Johansson is easily the least of these talented names but even she does well; I won't say brilliant but she was good. Again, Welch was a good choice for narrator and I always enjoy Clarkson even if she has limited times to shine here.

Allen's direction is really good in regards the actors but of equal note is how he and Spanish cinematographer Aguirresarobe have delivered Barcelona to the viewer. The city contributed towards the making of the film and on the evidence of this it will be money well spent. The city looks beautiful, with great landscapes, plenty of colour to match the passion and a real sense that this is a place where art, passion and inspired sex is all around. Beyond being just wallpaper, this is of course a key part of the film's world and it is another part of the reason that this hooked me so easily.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona will likely be gushed over in the same way that any recent Woody Allen that isn't rubbish is hailed as a "return to form" etc. On this occasion though, such praise is not a knee-jerk but fully deserved. The film is intelligent, passionate, comic, free-flowing and enjoyably light. It looks the part and the cast take the natural, smart script and make the absolute most of it. I guess if you dislike Woody Allen then none of this will matter but to those that even have a liking for his better work, this film will hit the spot. It has been a while since I have had the words "excellent" and "Woody Allen film" together in the same sentence, but this is an excellent Woody Allen film.