It’s determinedly silly, and possibly wishful-thinking, in essence. After what we’ve seen from Allen from Match Point onwards, its sheer entertainment value is a minor miracle.
Comment
02/05/09
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
82
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:185
Fresh:151
Rotten:34
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: A beguiling tragicomedy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona charms with beautiful views of the Spanish city and a marvelously well-matched cast.
Rated: 12A [See Full Rating]
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:06-02-2009
Synopsis: Two young Americans spend a summer in Spain and meet a flamboyant artist (Javier Bardem) and his beautiful but insane ex-wife (Penelope Cruz). Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is straight-laced and about to... [More]
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem
Director: Woody Allen
Reviews for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Cruz’s best role yet. Scarlett and Penelope end up snogging in a photographic dark room. Which just about tips VCB up to four hats.
02/06/09
Allen’s last couple of movies have been far from vintage offerings but Vicky Cristina Barcelona is pure pleasure and finds him back on form. It is smart, sunny, frisky and extremely funny.
02/10/09
Some judicious editing could have cut a cracking hour-long film out of the final product, but as things stand Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a decent flick blessed with great performances and a corking set up.
02/05/09
This time, the words really should be believed: a massive return to form for Woody Allen. No lie. At this rate, we might even forgive him for Cassandra’s Dream.
02/12/09
For all its meditations on romantic disappointments, this is a slight, sunny film. Anyone in need of some superior escapism should see it straightaway.
02/12/09
The script is witty and playful, the casting just right.
02/05/09
Top CriticA sun-speckled slice of froth that’s very watchable, although it reveals little new about the mysteries of the human heart. It may be Allen’s best film in years – just don’t expect Annie Hall.
02/06/09
Within Allen’s recent output, Vicky Cristina is the highlight. See it for beautiful locales, an ambivalent look at human relationships and a clutch of great performances, especially from Cruz.
02/05/09
Top CriticWoody Allen’s spoof of the Don Juan myth Vicky Christina Barcelona is his best film this century.
02/05/09
Top CriticNo doubt about it, Allen’s latest throwaway rom-com is utterly silly, forgettable and predictable. It’s also his most purely entertaining film in years.
02/06/09
¡Arriba! Woody Allen's Spanish fiesta is his best film of the millennium and his funniest since 1994's Bullets Over Broadway.
02/05/09
Top CriticWoody Allen is back in top form with this sparkling comedydrama. Its highlight is a fabulously funny and passionate performance by Cruz.
02/05/09
Brilliantly written, beautifully shot and frequently hilarious, this is Woody Allen's best film in a long, long time, thanks to delightful performances from Hall, Johansson, Bardem and Cruz.
02/05/09
After a three-film stopover in the UK which reaped generally unsatisfying results, Woody Allen seems to have recovered some lightness of touch and sparkle in Spain.
10/18/08
By the time Cruz appears, Vicky Cristina Barcelona has delivered on those initial good omens: it's Allen's best film in at least a decade.
02/10/09
The erotic roundelays are so witty – Marivaux with sex – that I am now afraid to see a future Allen film. It will either be bad, returning us to the natural order of things, or good like this, demanding a rethink of the universe.
02/05/09
Slight, disposable but entertaining. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is an awful lot better than anything in his thankfully short "British" period.
02/06/09
Top CriticWoody Allen's new film, announced as a romantic comedy, is far superior to the disastrous Match Point and Cassandra's Dream but much inferior to his best work.
02/12/09
Even with his weaker movies, Woody Allen is more astute than about 80 percent of filmmakers out there.
11/04/08
Latest News for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
January 27, 2009:
Milk Among GLAAD Nominees 
"Milk" has been a favorite on the awards circuit this year, and its hot streak has been extended courtesy of the GLAAD Media Awards, where it will compete in the Outstanding... More...
January 23, 2009:
Possibly distinguished solely for the first PG-13 lesbian smooching on screen ever, the film should be a trite, pleasing guy confection.
More...
January 19, 2009:
Actors And Crew Magazine: Possibly distinguished solely for the first PG-13 lesbian smooching on screen ever, the film should be a trite, pleasing guy confection.
More...
January 08, 2009:
Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice Winners
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest achievements in 2008 filmmaking. A list of nominees follows below, with winners in bold: More...
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