Vicky Cristina Barcelona Review

I thought I wouldn't much like Vicky Christina Barcelona but it was better than I expected. Written and directed by Woody Allen, Vicky Christina Barcelona has some dialog with the rhythms you expect of Woody Allen, but its light and frothy treatment shies away from the darker films Allen has made lately. Consider Vicky Christina Barcelona to be a light and breezy romantic comedy.

Two young American women, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Christina (Scarlett Johansson), are best friends spending the summer in Barcelona, when they are both simultaneously propositioned by Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). Juan Antonio is a smolderingly good-looking artist who just divorced his wife, and the rumor is that it was a volatile relationship. He's also probably at least 10 years older than either Vicky or Christina, but he's so suave and attractive that both are willing to drop everything and travel with Juan Antonio in a small airplane to another city.

Will Juan Antonio bed both Vicky and Christina? Vicky is the sensible one but she is as gobsmaked with Juan Antonio's charms as Christina is. Let's just say that my observation is that no American woman is immune from a smooth-talking good-looking foreigner, and these two are easy pickings for Juan Antonio.

One of them strikes up a steady relationship with Juan Antonio, then his ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) shows up asking for help. Maria Elena is volatile and demanding, but somehow the three of them living together are stable and even loving. However, idylic summers can't last forever.

I enjoyed Vicky Christina Barcelona. The movie was light and fun, with more than a few chuckles. If you think that all relationships demand deep commitment, this is not the right film for you. After all, Juan Antonio beds three women during the course of the film and lives (and presumably sleeps) with two of them simultaneously. Also, there are tender scenes between two women, including kissing, so keep that in mind. That said, the language is fairly mild and there's no nudity -- the film is probably fine for 14-year-olds and up.

There is no strong social statement in Vicky Christina Barcelona, no point that Woody Allen is trying to make. It takes a non-judgemental approach to sexual relationships, so you will be disappointed if you expect to see casual sex punished in any way. One of the two American women has some guilt afterward but the other walks away without a second thought.

I recommend Vicky Christina Barcelona, and give it 3.5 stars, rounding up to four.