For the moment, Woody Allen has left behind his native New York and his recently adopted England to venture off into the more passionate turf of Spain's Barcelona. Just as London inspired him to some of his best work in recent years ( Match Point ), Barcelona has gotten Allen's creative energies turning to new themes. So he leaves behind the moral dilemmas he began investigating in Crimes and Misdemeanors and more recently in Match Point and Cassandra's Dream , and instead turns to more romantic notions in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (opening August 15 in select theaters including AMC Fashion Valley 18, Grossmont Center, Horton Plaza 14, Landmark's La Jolla Village, Ultrastar Mission Valley at Hazard Center, AMC Mission Valley 20 and Edwards Mira Mesa). You can listen to our discussion about Allen's latest work on the KPBS Film Club of the Air.
Max
August 28, 2008 at 04:16 AM
Entertaining even if it's a lesser Woody Allen.
The Spanish actors are very good but the tourists are light and fluffy. It seems that Woody Allen wasn't finished with the screenplay and just wanted to be done with the movie. His narrator was the tool to move the story along. I almost expect a turning of a page as a new chapter is shown on screen.
Still, his cinematographer really captured the beauty of Barcelona and the characters. Golden hues all over the place.
It's strange to see Clarkson playing the opposite of her character here in Elegy. And Cruz, the opposite of hers in that as well.
Beth Accomando from San Diego
August 28, 2008 at 06:16 PM
Hey Max,
Seems like you've been busy watching movies. Good point about Clarkson and Cruz in Elegy. This was definitely lightweight Woody.
Thanks for all the comments!
Chris
September 11, 2008 at 08:57 PM
I thought this was vintage - light only in the best Woody Allen sense of the word. The romance was entertaining and pushed right up against fantastic absurdity. The aim of the film seemed to belong to the Henry James tradition - a revealing examination of Americans abroad - with Woody's trademark quirks adding a levity Henry James doesn't. Not to get to egg-heady, but the much maligned voice over seemed a direct, arch reference to James' psychological techniques....Post 9/11 Woody has left his beloved NYC and turned his eye on the rest of the urban world, like Bob Dylan ever evolving........
