Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Sam's Rating: 4/5

Written and Directed by: Woody Allen
Cast:
Penelope Cruz as María Elena
Scarlett Johansson  as Cristina
Javier Bardem  as Juan Antonio Gonzalo
Rebecca Hall as Vicky

Review:

In love with Maria Elena! She is the Rebecca of Alfred Hitchcock's tales that one hoped to encounter just once throughout the movie but were backed away with sudden revealing of Maxim that he didn't love her actually for she was a menace. I never bought that part of the story. I always thought, it was impossible even for Alfred at that time to embody that soul into some woman he knew from that era..so in order to not feed the audience with utter disappointment on discovering an overrated version of Rebecca, he twisted the tale. I can't deny that the audience wasn't disappointed for it was hoping for a flashback as a chance to be acquainted with the graceful beauty but that disappointment was a minor failure Hitchcock had to face in order to still let the beautiful concept rolling. One cannot be the master of all trades, as I would say for Alfred Hitchcock. As to the inquisitive me, who had been looking ever since for the answer to the question, who was Rebecca, and who couldn't find through the eyes of the master of psychological thriller found through

those of the wonderful master of the romantic comedy joyrides, Woody Allen (yes cutie, you did it right)! Maria Elena was exactly what Antonio had claimed and much more! How would you describe a woman as your inspiration? How would you buy a story that someone inspired you in an art so passionate yet dangerous even before breaking up with you when they'd lead you to being a lonely sad poet with only grief and anger in the chaotic heart to express? How two people can be made for each other at the same time not at all? Watch this to know how! With Maria Elena being the fiery restless electron coupled with ever pacifist and charming Antonio, the lovely and shy Christina, an easy going filling neutron, was indeed the missing ingredient of the fiery unorthodox love story of Maria and Antonio!

Vicky was an accident and the story is not really about her. She would just annoy you. She got in Barcelona with set principles in her life and a fiance in NY. Charmed by Antonio, she broke the rules just once, however, she did absolutely nothing about it. Kept crying and being led by her ever intrusive and enthusiastic fiance, Dough. She kept hoping for a miracle to make her not be with Dough, the man she wasn't in love with so she could be with Antonio whom she couldn't plan a future with. All she got was a small injury in her hand but since it was a result of one of the psychotic rages of Maria Elena, this time with a bullet, she decided it was a wake up call to leave the perilous world where she didn't belong and that was Barcelona and accept the safe and foolproof one back in USA with Dough. !