Vicky Cristina Barcelona Critics Consensus: A beguiling tragicomedy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona charms with (2008) beautiful views of the Spanish city and a marvelously well-matched cast.
Audience Score 74% liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5 User Ratings: 103,294 View All Theaters & Showtimes
Movie Info
Theatrical release poster (Wikipedia) Vicky and Cristina, these two young Americans spend a summer in Spain and TOMATOMETER meet a flamboyant artist and his beautiful but insane ex-wife. Vicky is straight-laced All Critics and about to be married. Cristina is a sexually adventurous free spirit. When they all become amorously entangled, both comedic and harrowing results ensue.
81% PG-13 (for mature thematic material Rating: involving sexuality, and smoking) Average Rating: 6.9/10 Reviews Counted: 197 Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy Directed Fresh: 160 Woody Allen Rotten: 37 By: Written Woody Allen By: In Top Critics May 17, 2008 Wide Theaters: On DVD: Jan 27, 2009
Box $23.2M 87% Office: Average Rating: 7.2/10 Runtime: 1 hr. 36 min. Reviews Counted: 45 The Weinstein Co. - Official Site Fresh: 39 Rotten: 6 [www.rottentomatoes.com]
Judy says has suffered a violent relationship with his ex-wife. Later, he brazenly Vicky Cristina Barcelona approaches the two women to invite them to [from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia] join him right away for the weekend in the city of Oviedo, in a small plane he flies Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a 2008 himself, for sight-seeing, fine eating and romantic comedy-drama film written and drinking, and hopefully, love-making. directed by Woody Allen. The plot centers Cristina is won over by the offer almost at on two American women, Vicky (Rebecca once, but Vicky is unimpressed and Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), who reluctant; she however eventually decides to spend a summer in Barcelona where they accompany her friend anyway, mainly to meet an artist, Juan Antonio (Javier watch over her. Bardem), who is attracted to both of them while still enamored of his mentally and At the end of their first day, Vicky refuses to emotionally unstable ex-wife María Elena join Juan Antonio in his hotel room, citing (Penélope Cruz). The film was shot in Spain her fidelity to Doug, but Cristina accepts his in Barcelona, Avilés and Oviedo, and was invitation immediately. Before the love- Allen's fourth consecutive film shot outside making starts, Cristina suddenly falls ill with of the United States. digestive complaints, and is put to bed, with food poisoning. Vicky and Juan Antonio The film premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film proceed to spend the weekend together Festival, then received a rolling worldwide alone while they wait for Cristina to general release that started on August 15, recuperate. Vicky gradually changes her 2008, in the U.S., and continued in various opinion of Juan Antonio as he tells her about countries until its June 2009 release in his tumultuous relationship with his former Japan. The film was nominated for wife, María Elena (Penélope Cruz). Vicky four Golden Globe Awards, including accompanies him to visit his father, an old nominations for Bardem, Hall and Cruz for poet, and then becomes deeply moved by a Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Spanish guitar performance later that Supporting Actress, respectively, and won evening. She finally succumbs to Juan the award for Best Motion Picture – Musical Antonio's advances as they walk through a or Comedy. Cruz won both the Academy grove of trees in the dark. The next day, with Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actress in Cristina recovered, the three of them fly a Supporting Role. Altogether, the film won back to Barcelona. 25 out of 56 nominations. Feeling guilty, Vicky does not mention the incident to Cristina, and the two begin to Plot grow apart. Vicky starts throwing herself into Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett her studies while Cristina and Juan Antonio Johansson) visit Barcelona for the summer, take up a relationship. Cristina then moves staying with Vicky's distant relative Judy in with Juan Antonio and begins to discover (Patricia Clarkson) and her husband Mark more about his past. After learning that (Kevin Dunn). While the two are great María Elena attempted to kill herself, Juan friends, Vicky is practical and traditional in Antonio brings her to his home, where her approach to love and commitment and is Cristina already lives. After some defiance, engaged to the reliable Doug (Chris the two women grow fond of each other. Messina), whereas Cristina imagines herself Cristina realizes that the ex-spouses are still to be a nonconformist, spontaneous but in love, and María Elena suggests that unsure of what she wants from life or love. Cristina may be the element that can give balance and stability to their relationship. All At an art exhibition, Cristina is intrigued by artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), who three become romantically involved with one • Pablo Schreiber as Ben another. • Carrie Preston as Sally In the meantime, Vicky is joined in Spain by • Zak Orth as Adam an enthusiastic Doug and the two get • Julio Perillán as Charles married. When Cristina describes her new • Christopher Evan Welch as Narrator life with Juan Antonio to Vicky, Vicky The Spanish actor Joan Pera, who dubbed becomes secretly jealous, and after a few Allen's voice in his previous films, makes a other awkward moments, she realizes she is cameo appearance.[5] unsatisfied in her married life and is still attracted to Juan Antonio. Learning that Judy is similarly unhappy in her marriage, Production she confides to her, and Judy, who sees her In 2007, controversy arose younger self in Vicky, decides to bring Juan in Catalonia (Spain) because the film was Antonio and Vicky together. Meanwhile, partially funded with public money: Cristina becomes restless and at some point Barcelona's city hall provided one decides to leave Juan Antonio and María million euro and the Generalitat de Elena; without her, their relationship quickly Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) half a falls apart again. million, or ten percent of the film's budget. As the summer winds to a close, Judy This was the third time Johansson and Allen arranges for Juan Antonio and Vicky to meet worked together, following Match at a party. Juan Antonio begs Vicky to meet Point and Scoop. This film also marked the him again privately before leaving Spain, second time Johansson and Hall worked which she finally accepts, lying to Doug in together, the first time being in The Prestige. the process. At his home, Juan Antonio seduces and wins Vicky over again, but they The movie featured several paintings by the are interrupted by María Elena who bursts in Catalan artist Agustí Puig. Puig was even with a gun, firing wildly as Juan Antonio tries commissioned to create a painting for the to calm her. Vicky gets shot in the hand in movie, the result being La Protectora II, the process, and leaves, shouting they are though it was not used on set. insane and she could never live like this. The film was shot on location in Barcelona She confesses the entire story to Cristina, (Park Güell, Sagrada Família, Casa Milà) who never realized how Vicky felt about and Oviedo. Juan Antonio, and wishes she could have helped her. Doug, Vicky and Cristina return Critical reception to America; Doug never learns what truly happened, Vicky goes back to her married Box office life, and Cristina is back where she started, As of July 2009, the film grossed $96 million unsure of what she wants. worldwide; in relation to its $15 million budget, it is one of Allen's most profitable Cast films. Reviews • Javier Bardem as Juan Antonio Gonzalo Vicky Cristina Barcelona garnered the best reviews Allen received since his Oscar- Scarlett Johansson as Cristina • nominated 2005 film Match Point (also Rebecca Hall as Vicky • starring Johansson), particularly for Cruz's • Penélope Cruz as María Elena performance, earning a rating of 81% • Chris Messina as Doug on Rotten Tomatoes. • Patricia Clarkson as Judy Nash • Kevin Dunn as Mark Nash Scott Tobias wrote in the Onion AV • 7th – Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Club that it was "a witty and ambiguous Street Journal movie that's simultaneously intoxicating and • 7th – Keith Phipps, The A.V. Club suffused with sadness and doubt". Richard • 7th – Kyle Smith, New York Post Roeper suggested that Cruz should receive • 7th – Steve Rea, The Philadelphia an Academy Award nomination for her Inquirer role. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco • 8th – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle praised the film as "the work of a Chronicle confident and mature artist", referring to • 9th – Carrie Rickey, The Allen. Manohla Dargis of The New York Philadelphia Inquirer Times wrote "Although Vicky Cristina trips 10th – Michael Sragow, The along winningly, carried by the beauty of its • Baltimore Sun locations and stars — and all the gauzy romanticism those enchanted places and people imply — it reverberates with Awards and nominations implacable melancholy, a sense of The film won the Golden Globe Award for loss." Richard Corliss ended his review of Best Motion Picture – Musical or the film with "The movie has neither the Comedy. Woody Allen won his sardonic heft of Max Ophüls's La Ronde nor first Independent Spirit Award for Best the emotional precision of Ingmar Screenplay and was nominated for Bergman's Smiles of a Summer Night, two the Writers Guild of America Award for Best films that also dance the change- Original Screenplay. partners gavotte. But Vicky Cristina Barcelona is so engaging so much of the Penélope Cruz won the Best Supporting time that it feels like a modest rejuvenation: Actress award from numerous organizations evidence that a summer in Spain can do including: the Academy of Motion Picture wonders for a writer-director who may not Arts and Sciences, the British Academy of have outlived his prime." S. Williams Film and Television Arts, the Independent of Momzone magazine singled out Spirit Awards, the Boston Society of Film Johansson's performance for praise, writing, Critics, the Goya Awards, the Kansas City "Johansson's acting is syrup: fluid and Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film sweet." Ian Freer of Empire gave the film 4 Critics Association, the National Board of out of 5, and wrote "within Allen's recent Review, the New York Film Critics Circle, output, Vicky Cristina is a highlight. See it for and the Southeastern Film Critics beautiful locales, an ambivalent look at Association. human relationships and a clutch of great performances, especially from Cruz." Top ten lists
The film appeared on many critics' top-ten lists of the best films of 2008.
• 5th – David Denby, The New Yorker • 5th – Ray Bennett, The Hollywood Reporter • 5th – Robert Mondello, NPR