I hated it almost for the first hour for its blatant disregard about how life progress from the privileged view. But the film embraces that view by portraying the madness of these relationships of these people in chaotic layers. As much the film doesn't know about reality the earnest portrayal of this certain class of people is something that usually ends up as caricatures. Here Allen uses the same characters that are used mostly as caricatures and gave them real life and emotions that is not at all justifiable characters but still humane that it creates a certain amount of empathy for them.

On vacation in Spain two American girlfriends meet a tall, dark and handsome artist who satisfies their needs in unexpected ways.A curious little romance that putters along until about the halfway mark, when the introduction of a new character adds some tension and darkness. The sensibility is middle class - safe and responsible - so nothing really dramatic is promised and the story resolves on a minor note: not too comfortable, restrained in emotion.The performances are good, particularly from the ex-wife. Locations are idyllic. Music is gorgeous. Only complaint is the odd voice-over of the narrator, which lords it over the story and is very much tell-don't-show.Overall: fairly interesting, fairly engaging.

Woody Allen is one of those directors that either we love or hate. I confess, I am the exception: I don't like nor hate, I've never had much contact with his films. This film was, probably, the first of his work I saw from beginning to end, and I liked it. It has a somewhat unrealistic but acceptable script in which two American girls get involved with the same man during a summer trip to Barcelona. Both are dissatisfied with their love life for different reasons: Vicky attaches great value to commitment but needs passion to support it; Cristina is very passionate but she cannot be in a relationship because she always feels something missing. In this duality lies the great criticism the film makes to the emptiness of American society, described as very conservative and worried with appearances. On the other side the Spanish Juan Antonio and Maria Elena, a former couple whose love is deep and destructive to the point of not being able to live without melodramatic fights. Through them, Allen seems to criticize the way of being of European society, described as being very liberal. The whole movie is a clash of mindsets of different people, representing very different civilizations and different ways of facing love.Of course, this is all based on Woody Allen's own views. I, for example, have a very different idea of ​​what Europeans and Americans are like, and I don't think they are so different. We must not forget that American society has been shaped in the image of Europe. Never has Europe seemed to me as liberal and open-minded as the film suggests, and even Latin countries (like my own) are quite conservative, partly because of religious issues, although its also true that they're becoming more liberal (maybe too much). But this only proves that these ideas are points of view, debatable and subjective. Either way, the way the characters behave is very interesting, creating situations that are very hilarious. The narrator works well and has an excellent voice. Concerning the actors, they're all big names. Bardem and Cruz, however, deserve special applause for the way they ended up standing out, starring in some of the funniest scenes. Rebecca Hall did a good job in the role of conventional Vicky, giving her special psychological depth from which she falls in love. Scarlett Johansson fulfilled her role, not surprisingly but also without disappointment. She was OK most of the time. A note of praise still for the very careful cinematography and for the choice of filming locations, who knew how to take advantage of the landscapes and tourist icons that we associate with the Catalan capital.Intelligent, beautiful, passionate, romantic, elegant... there would be several adjectives for this film. It's not enough to shut up those who hate Woody Allen but, for those like me, who are not familiar with his work, it's enough to give him more attention from now on.

"Vicky Christina Barcelona" is a film by Woody Allen about Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), who spend a summer in Barcelona where they meet an artist, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), who is attracted to both of them while still in love with his unstable ex-wife María Elena (Penélope Cruz). Allen really convinced me with the main plot, bringing in plot twists, funny, quirky and realistic dialogue. While I loved the idea of the two main characters, there was just something missing. I have to pin that on Allen's character writing, which usually is the best of the best. But the two supporting characters Juan Antonio and María Elena both had beautiful, complex characteristics written on them.Johansson and Hall's chemistry was magnificent, evene when hey were not in scenes together. There was not a second where I didn't believe they were best Friends. But when Cruz entered the picture, I was overwhelmed. Her ability to portray a character so convincing and so real, even if you don't understand a single word she says, as she only speaks Spanish in the movie is scary. Bardem and Cruz's chemistry is extraordinary, thanks to both of their truly great acting skills. The Plot is very well thought out and Allen proves his ability to write Rom-Com's once again. Overall this movie is a well written and thought out film by Woody Allen with incomparable acting by Bardem and the great Penélope Cruz.