Vicky Cristina Barcelona Posted 22 August 2008 in Screening log 2008 US Dir Woody Allen Cast Scarlett Johannson, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, Patricia Clarkson IMDb

A pleasant surprise, more like old-school Woody than anything he’s done in ten years, in the same vein as his best wry irony pieces. Light and lovable throughout, ending up somewhere deeply depressing and true. Still kind of hopelessly awkward & weak in places, resorting to a tired joke or trite observation here, marred by overplayed Woodyish acting there. Woody’s been fortunate to work with some actors who take his writing and make it sound like it’s coming from both an authentic human being and the pen of Woody Allen all at once (Dianne Wiest, Judy Davis, Alan Alda). Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall do not have that knack, so many scenes end up playing as flat pastiche. Then Penelope Cruz shows up and blows Scarlett out of the water in what must be her best (half-) English-speaking performance. And I enjoyed the fact that half of what Allen’s making fun of in the two girls is me, or anyway who I was a couple years ago. A good time; not his best work, but an Allen film through and through.

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