Believe it or not this is my first ever Woody Allen film. I hear from so many people that his best years are behind him, but apparently this film is a return to form.
This is also the first movie I have seen of Javier Bardem, who plays the ‘hunk’ guy perfectly. His character was cool and very laid back, though it kept bugging me that his head was way too big for his body.
The film also stars Scarlotte Johansson, someone who has the rare quality of possessing a perfect face and body but can also act. She plays the free-spirited woman (basically she likes to sleep around), whilst her travelling friend is played by Rebecca Hall, an English actress who puts on a perfect American accent. She also has a slightly American chin.
Then of course there is Penelope Cruz, and wow can she act. To be completely honest I’ve never understood what all the fuss was about looks-wise, don’t get me wrong she looks good, very good, but not amazingly good. Its just a matter of taste I guess. However she played her role perfectly and I hope to see more of her films.
Overall it wasn’t a bad film and its worth a rent. You could tell Woody was enjoying himself on location, with plenty of scenic shots of Barcelona and Oviedo, and the Spanish guitar soundtrack set the mood perfectly. But despite keeping my interest the whole way it was the ending that left me feeling just a tad empty. During the course of the film you’d see these 4 character’s lives tangle up with eachother, as each moment passed their lives were getting even more complicated. But by the end of the film everybody was back to square one. No harm done to anybody.
Also the narrator kind of got in the way of things. Unless Morgon Freeman is narrating I don’t really want anybody telling me whats going on.
The whole movie is just a holiday fling, everything that happened in Spain stayed in Spain, and that was that. I was looking forward to seeing what would happen to the characters, particulally with Rebecca Hall after cheating on her fiance, but nothing happened and by the ending credits it was me who was left feeling cheated.