Vicky Christina Barcelona (Woody Allen, 2008): Spain / USA

Reviewed by Jason Sanders. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Woody Allen is known for his unique humor and his own way of going against the grain when it comes to Films. In Vicky Christina BarcelonaAllen does just that in a very romantic yet unsettling way.  In the movie, Vicky and Christina venture off to Spain for a few months and stay and a family friend’s place.  During their time there, they meet an artist, named Juan Antonio, who Christina takes an immediate attraction to.  Juan Antonio charms the two, and they become friends, and during this time, Christina becomes emotional attached to him.  What Christina did not know, was that Juan Antonio came with some baggage, by the name of Maria Elena, Juan Antonio’s ex wife.

Javier Bardem proves that he can play a suave and comical artist in this movie, that I personally feel is one of his best.  Bardem usually takes the roles of more serious characters and I found it nice to see him let loose a little.  Penelope Cruz was a perfect pair for Bardem.  It was their scenes together that made me laugh out loud, and really believe how crazy they appeared to be.  Patricia Clarkson, who plays Judy Nash, the family friend, is perfect in the role of foreshadowing another characters outcome, and plays the part very well.  

As I watched this film, I noticed how each character displays their own moral values, and all are different.  In the beginning all the morals of each character are easily seen as we are introduced to them, and during the progress of the story, we see each of them intertwine with each other.  It is at this time where I especially liked how each character contributed to the other.  whether it be in a way to grow, or a way to become grounded in their morals.

I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of character pieces because that is exactly what the story is.  It completely revolves around these people’s lives, and shows how each of us can be changed in some way by another.  This film makes you laugh, makes you feel for each character, and most of all it is a film that leaves you thinking about the deeper meaning of change and morals.  That is what I got out of this film, and if that is what Woody Allen was trying to go for, I would say he nailed it with these sets of characters.