Doug suddenly suggests to Vicky that they get married in Spain in a civil ceremony, assuring her that their blowout wedding will still take place as scheculed in the States. Juan Antonio calls Cristina back, and they begin to date. Feeling guilty, Vicky does not confess the incident to Cristina, and the two begin to grow apart, Vicky throwing herself into her research and Cristina experimenting with photography and poetry. The next day, Juan takes them back to Barcelona. After more wine over dinner and a guitar concert in a park, Vicky succumbs to Juan's charms and the two make love. During their jaunts, he tells her about his ex-wife and their passionate yet violent relationship. For the remainder of the weekend, Vicky and Juan Antonio are compelled to sight-see alone. While Vicky refuses to sleep with him, Cristina agrees, but suddenly falls ill with an ulcer and food poisoning. In Oviedo, after some sight-seeing and a good deal of wine, Juan Antonio invites both women to his bedroom. She is eventually convinced, and the pair accompany Juan Antonio to Oviedo in his friend's private plane during a storm. While Cristina accepts at once, Vicky is skeptical and refuses. He and Cristina exchange glances, and he approaches their table, asks Cristina her eye color, and abruptly invites them to accompany him to Oviedo, where they will sight-see, drink wine and, hopefully, make love. Later that night, the pair notice him across the room at a restaurant. Cristina is impressed with him at first sight, and grows intrigued when Judy and Mark tell the girls that he had a violent relationship with his ex-wife, María Elena (Penélope Cruz). At an art exhibition, they notice artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). She is just out of a relationship and wants to get over the bad time she had making a 12-minute film about love. Cristina, on the other hand, is spontaneous and unsure of what she wants in life. She is in Barcelona doing research for her masters in Catalan Identity, a project spawned by her love of the works of Gaudí and Miro, and is emotionally moved by Spanish guitar. A Narrator (voice of Christopher Evan Welch), present throughout the film, describes the two friends: Vicky is practical and mainstream in her approach to love and commitment, and is engaged to the reliable yet even-more-mainstream Doug (Chris Messina). The film is complemented by beautiful cinematography as well, set against the Barcelona picturesque landscape.Ī solid all-around edition to the Allen filmography.Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlet Johansson) visit Barcelona for the summer, staying with Vicky's relative Judy (Patricia Clarkson) and her husband Mark (Kevin Dunn). The story is lighthearted enough to not get bogged down by melodrama, but with enough substance to make it more than an Allen farcical excursion. While there is humor to be found, the film's dramatic tone takes precedence, and to good effect. All have great chemistry, and really serve to elevate the material. The cast is perfect for the story, with strong performances from all around, with Javier Bardem representing the mysterious dreamer perfectly, contrasted with Rebecca Hall's uptight character, and Johansson's free spirit. It's through this lens that the film examines themes of relationships, love, direction, life, and the perils of over-indulgent personal liberalism. Over the course of the film they become enchanted with a local painter, played by Javier Bardem. The film finds two friends, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall, on vacation to Spain. In this case, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a largely effective blend of the two, a unique film, and a yet another story about relationships from the director with a masterful talent at depicting interpersonal dynamics to film. With Allen, these attempts can be very successful, or flat. In this case, it's a strong bend toward drama. Vicky Cristina Barcelona represents one of Woody Allen's many attempts at blending comedy and drama.
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