The title of Woody Allen's latest film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" sounds like the name of a character but is actually a list of the main characters in the story.
In "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," two young American women, Vicky and Cristina, spend a summer of romantic, sexual adventure in the art-filled city of Barcelona, Spain.
Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) and Vicky (Rebecca Hall) are visiting Barcelona for the summer, staying with Vicky's ex-pat American relative, Judy (Patricia Clarkson) and her husband Mark (Kevin Dunn).
Vicky and Cristina are close friends who share many similar views, but they are very different people. Down-to-earth, practical and serious-minded Vicky is engaged to Doug (Chris Messina), whose job kept him from joining her on the trip.
Cristina is drifting through life, still unsure what she wants to do after college. Unlike steady Vicky, Christina is an impulsive person with a taste for sexual adventure.
Despite their very different natures, they find themselves drawn into romantic entanglements with the same hot-blooded Spaniard.
After a chance meeting at an art gallery, both women take an impromptu trip to an art-filled village with a seductive, charismatic painter named Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem).
To stir the pot more, the Spanish artist is recently divorced from his unstable, fiery, abusive artist wife Maria-Elena (Penelope Cruz), who tried to kill him with a knife.
Despite their violent history, Juan Antonio is still entangled with his ex-wife. Flirtations, shifting sexual liaisons and romantic chaos ensue among some spectacular settings.
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is an amusing and cerebral comedy, rather than the sexy romp its plot summary might suggest. There is more talk about sexual trysts than steamy scenes, but everything happens with an ironic tone and a dry wit that lifts it above bedroom farce.
The romantic city of Barcelona is as much a character as Vicky and Cristina in director/writer Woody Allen's film. The photography is very nice and the use of Barcelona's wonderful modern art architectural gems, particularly the work of Antonio Gaudi, is superb.
The soaring spires, the melting gargoyle shapes, cave formation-like pillars and weirdly undulating roofs of Gaudi's buildings evoke both modern art and organic forms far ahead of their 19th century contemporaries.
There are beautiful shots of the lush glory of this wonderful city as the characters stroll through archways, chat on rooftops, or drive along curving roads with lovely vistas.
The music is Spanish-flavored, modern and jazz-influenced. In fact, the views of Barcelona and the delightful soundtrack are perhaps the most enjoyable parts of the film.
While Barcelona is visually stunning and world-class art is around every corner, the characters live in a kind of surreal bubble, oddly isolated from any real-world concerns.
As usual, Woody Allen both wrote and directed the film, and it stars his latest favorite leading actress Scarlett Johansson. The dialog and the characters of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" seems lifted directly out of one of Allen's earlier movies, specifically "Manhattan."
The film features a running voiceover that wears thin over time, and the resolution leaves its too-comfortable people only a little uncomfortable.
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is funny and entertaining enough but in no way marks a return to great filmmaking on the part of Allen. The story, in the end, leaves one shrugging.
As in earlier Woody Allen films, the characters chat about their analysts, visit art galleries and discuss culture and gossip in a sophisticated way, as if Allen simply transported a New York story to a new location.
There is little real substance, and any commentary on the human heart or human condition at which the story occasionally hints is largely missing.
Given the quality of the cast, it is little surprise that the acting is better than the lightweight film itself. The great Spanish actor Javier Bardem shines as the artist, assertive and seductive but more tenderhearted and caring than he at first seems.
Rebecca Hall as Vicky easily outshines Scarlett Johansson in her role as Cristina. Johansson's performance seems rather wooden, despite the wild nature of her character.
Patricia Clarkson is effective as the sincere if misguided Judy, trying to save Vicky from repeating her own mistakes. Not surprisingly, Penelope Cruz steals every scene as the crazy Maria-Elena, and the scenes between her and fellow Spaniard Bardem are among the best of the film.
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is a mildly amusing but dryly witty, sophisticated romantic comedy, better than some of Allen's recent films but not quite a return to his great filmmaking past.
While it is better than the recent "Cassandra's Dream," and offerings like "Scoop" and "Curse Of The Jade Scorpion," it does not reach the level of his best recent films, "Match Point" and "Sweet and Lowdown."
The legendary director, who seems to be floundering, might want to reconsider revisiting his New York roots. This film is worth a look for the serious Woody Allen fan, but it is like light beach reading: amusing if you do not expect too much.
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