Woody Allen directs Vicky Christina Barcelona

I’ve had two experiences with Woody Allen movies. Either they produce unlimited adoration from me, or they just happen to be an enjoyable way to spend two hours at the cinema. Vicky Christina Barcelona has been widely praised by critics, but I found it to belong squarely in the second category.

Outside of some awkward and uninteresting voice over narration, there’s nothing particularly bad about the movie. In fact, there’s much to like. Javier Bardem demonstrates, once again, that his acting talents are widely underappreciated. His character here, an abstract artist with a possible destructive side, is about as far removed from the characters he played in No Country For Old Men or The Sea Inside. Although she arrives late to the picture, Penelope Cruz immediately commands the frame when she does, and the sparks that fly between her and Bardem are truly captivating. Even relative newcomer Rebecca Hall more than holds her own with a cast that also includes Patricia Clarkson, Scarlett Johansson, and Kevin Dunn. There’s not a bad performance to be found.

The Barcelona setting, too, is quite wonderful. The cinematography captures the beauty of the Spanish countryside and the city of Barcelona with grace, and Allen uses the location, far removed from his usual Manhattan setting, to his full advantage.

The finale, too, is a welcome change to the pat endings of Hollywood as of late. I won’t spoil it, but it leaves the characters on a rather bleak note, where most of what the characters have seemingly solved comes undone. It’s no Annie Hall, but it’s smart and highly entertaining. Perhaps the best film directed by Allen since Match Point (2005), I’d recommend it to anyone who doesn’t suffer a total aversion to Woody Allen.

Be seeing you.