Two friends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.
Sexually adventurous Cristina and her friend Vicky, who is bright but cautious, holiday in Barcelona where they meet the celebrated and wholly seductive painter, Juan Antonio. Vicky is not about to dive into a sexual adventure being committed to her forthcoming marriage. But Cristina is immediately captivated by Juan Antonio's free spirit and his romantic allure is enhanced when she hears the delicious details of his divorce from fellow artist, the tempestuous Maria Elena.Written by
johnno.r[at]xtra.co.nz
For the scenes where Juan Antonio and Maria Elena speak to each other in Spanish, Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz were encouraged to improvise. See more »
Goofs
The 5-6 time-zone differential between Barcelona and New York, does not relate to the relatively large day/night timezone differentials shown in several scenes in the film. In some instances, the flows of the day, appear reversed from what they they would actually be. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Narrator:
Vicky and Cristina decided to spend the summer in Barcelona. Vicky was completing her master's in Catalan Identity, which she had become interested in through her great affection for the architecture of Gaudí. Cristina, who spent the last six months writing, directing, and acting in a 12-minute film which she then hated, had just broken up with yet another boyfriend and longed for a change of scenery. Everything fell into place when a distant relative of Vicky's family who lived in...
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Woody Allen gives us a slight, unassuming treatise on love. One of the title characters recently finished a 12-minute film about love, we are told early on, and it felt like that was to be a mirror of the larger story.
Lust, passion, love, desire, betrayal, pride and fulfillment are all examined from a variety of viewpoints and with a variety of outcomes.
Interestingly, though, I never felt like Allen was attached to the action in the movie or passing judgment on it: None of these approaches to love is presented as better or worse than the others, none of them has the impact of "the right way to love." Because of the detachment, some viewers might feel adrift -- as it is, I enjoy movies that just show me stuff without telling me what the author thinks is right.
As nice as it all was, I don't get the award buzz. The movie wasn't superb or terribly memorable, and everyone was good but not outstanding. These weren't unique or even all that interesting characters, and the actors gave them only the depth they deserved.
Still, if you like romance, this has some nice scenes and is a bit playful and enjoyable to watch.
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Woody Allen gives us a slight, unassuming treatise on love. One of the title characters recently finished a 12-minute film about love, we are told early on, and it felt like that was to be a mirror of the larger story.
Lust, passion, love, desire, betrayal, pride and fulfillment are all examined from a variety of viewpoints and with a variety of outcomes.
Interestingly, though, I never felt like Allen was attached to the action in the movie or passing judgment on it: None of these approaches to love is presented as better or worse than the others, none of them has the impact of "the right way to love." Because of the detachment, some viewers might feel adrift -- as it is, I enjoy movies that just show me stuff without telling me what the author thinks is right.
As nice as it all was, I don't get the award buzz. The movie wasn't superb or terribly memorable, and everyone was good but not outstanding. These weren't unique or even all that interesting characters, and the actors gave them only the depth they deserved.
Still, if you like romance, this has some nice scenes and is a bit playful and enjoyable to watch.