Cam Reviews "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Woody Allen makes movies. He has written and directed 40+ feature length films. That's a lot. He has experience. It seems he is very focussed on character driven dialogue in his films. The conversations always seem natural and at length. Scenes will extend several minutes with just conversation between characters. And more often than not, it is the essence of these conversations that make his films. Real conversations, real arguments, really interesting.

I've always been a fan of great dialogue in movies, maybe because I feel that it is an area of my life that I wish I was better in. Conversing, confidently, with aplomb, is enviable. Few writers and directors truly tackle fantastic challenging dialogue in the films that I've seen. It requires a great deal of faith on behalf of the director/writer that the actor can pull it off and make the audience believe, in the character, in the situation.

Maybe some of the scenarios in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" aren't the most likely to occur in most of our lives, but a lot of them are. I found several instances portrayed to be exactly what relationships are like, why we get into certain situations, and why we remain in them past their expiry date.

For humour, scenery, love, and heartbreak, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" touches on a few beautiful but difficult human experiences. It's entertaining, skillful, and engaging. If I had to make a romantic comedy, this would be it. It helps to have two of the most beautiful leading ladies available in one film, as well as one of the top two actors living today (Javier Bardem, Daniel Day Lewis being the other). This was the second time we watched this film, and it's lost none of it's luster.