But They Sure Know How to Use It

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
directed by Woody Allen
rating: 3 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix

Rebecca Hall’s black-and-white photo shoot in the July issue of Italian Vogue is page after page of a pretty actress with absolutely nothing to convey – a good example of what VCB could have been without the more-than-willing participation of Spain’s own Bogart and Bacall, Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. Thematically, it’s nice that Allen seems to side with the more adventurous of his two American songbirds (Hall willingly retreats into her own vacant timidity, but with every indication of some residual unhappiness), although, again, perhaps the artistic ménage-a-trois only seems like the obvious choice to us, given its progenitors’ irresistible appeal. When people recommend a movie strictly for one performance, it’s usually someone antagonistic (Ralph Fiennes), dreary (Christian Bale), or so far over the top that it couldn’t be anyone but Laurence Olivier. Not so here, where Javier’s warmth says everything that Allen’s setting (the residences of Barcelona’s wealthiest, dullest expatriates) never could, and considerably more than the screenplay or director deserve.