Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

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.

Plot Keywords:

Barcelona | Painter | Summer | Ex Wife | Marriage

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 19 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Rebecca Hall	...	Vicky
Scarlett Johansson	...	Cristina
Javier Bardem	...	Juan Antonio Gonzalo
Penélope Cruz	...	Maria Elena
Christopher Evan Welch	...	Narrator
Chris Messina	...	Doug
Patricia Clarkson	...	Judy Nash
Kevin Dunn	...	Mark Nash
Julio Perillán	...	Charles
Juan Quesada	...	Guitarist in Barcelona
Richard Salom	...	Art Gallery Guest #1
Manel Barceló	...	Doctor
Josep Maria Domènech	...	Julio Josep
Emilio de Benito	...	Guitarist in Asturias
Maurice Sonnenberg	...	Art Gallery Guest #2

Also Known As:

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

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Spain | USA

Language:

English | Catalan | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Mono)

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44252) | Finland:K-11 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:7 | Australia:M | Hong Kong:IIB | Brazil:12 | Ireland:15A | New Zealand:M | South Africa:13LS | UK:12A | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Netherlands:6 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Avilés, Asturias, Spain

Company:

Mediapro

Trivia:

"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" was based on a screenplay Woody Allen originally wrote years earlier, which was set in San Francisco. Since his deal for this film specified that it must be shot in Spain, Allen looked for a story from his files that could be rewritten for a Spanish setting, took his old San Francisco-set script and rewrote it to take place in Barcelona.

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.

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...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Barcelona

Sadly Disappointing

This film left me scratching my head. As so many others have pointed out in these posts, the characters, without exception, are self-indulgent, spoiled, unlikeable hedonists who occupy their own tiny, self-absorbed worlds. While art, romance and relationships are intended (I suppose) to be examined and appreciated, the film succeeds only in trivializing and ridiculing anything of real value and merit.

The film lacks any stamp of Allen's typical wit and humor. In fact, I'm hesitant even to call it a comedy since it would be cruel to laugh at people so vacuous and pathetic. Sadly, the script gives the normally stellar cast precious little from which to create believable characters -- the result being a hodgepodge of clichés and stereotypes. Mind you, glamorous and beautiful ones at that.