Reviewed by Steven Kiernan
Stars Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Chris Messina,
Christopher Evan Welch, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn, Julio Perillán | Written by Woody Allen
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £17,99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 92 minutes | Directed by Woody Allen
For most of his career, Woody Allen didn’t make "films", he made "Woody Allen films". New York backdrop? Check. Scene in shrink’s office? Check. Neurotic stuttering humour? Check. Allen stuttering through his neurosis at New York shrink’s office in mild breakdown over relationship with far-too-young girlfriend played by It Girl of the moment? Check, check and check.
Almost every year since the late 1960s, Allen’s tried and tested formula struck gold, right through the '70s, '80s and '90s. But the noughties weren’t good for Hollywood’s Alpha Jew. After a string of unfavourable receptions, it seemed he was destined to a twilight retirement, albeit one justly deserved after so memorable a body of work.
Then the New York wunderkind found Europe and fell in love, in much the same manner as Vicky Cristina Barcelona’s two leading ladies on their Spanish break. Thankfully there’s no Allen on the cast list, though "happily" engaged Vicky (Hall) is his proxy: anal, neurotic, repressed. Joining her on the European jaunt is best friend Cristina (Johansson), Vicky’s opposite: sensuous, unbridled, impulsive (and an Allen muse if ever there was one). Caught in the sexual crosshairs of swarthy artist Juan Antonio (Bardem), the two embark on a comedy of romantic errors. With the arrival of Juan Antonio’s passionate but unhinged artist ex, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz), the Catalonian spark ignites a searing heat.
In a way, the wranglings of this love triangle-cum-tetrahedron is pure Allen, however, the film itself is anything but. Gone are the immensely enjoyable tics and twitches of his earlier outings. Here is the restrained hand of a mature filmmaker, whose deft way with actors is matched by a flawless cast, Cruz’s Maria Elena being a standout turn. The filmmaker, now in his '70s, seems more confident than ever in his artistic voice, but the only loss is that Vicky Cristina Barcelona’s Spanish accent lacks the polarising neurotic whine that is so distinctly Woody Allen.
EXTRAS Nothing but the theatrical trailer.