Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) Rank 5 Reviews

efilmcritic.com (Peter Sobczynski)

While it may not quite belong in the top ranks alongside such avowed masterpieces as "Manhattan" or "The Purple Rose of Cairo," it is the first one of his comedies in quite a while to at least deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as those titles. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at efilmcritic.com (Peter Sobczynski)

NewsBlaze (Kam Williams)

A thought-provoking cautionary tale juxtaposing blind adherence to American Puritanical values against some more open-minded alternative ways of relating. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at NewsBlaze (Kam Williams)

Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)

With Vicky Cristina Barcelona the 72 year-old Allen comes ever closer to Ozu's territory, finding a kind of serenity in the acceptance of life's inevitable disappointments. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)

Jam! Movies (Bruce Kirkland)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen's giddy romantic comedy, is the funniest film he has made since 1995's Mighty Aphrodite. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Jam! Movies (Bruce Kirkland)

Detroit News (Tom Long)

Rich, complex, funny, erotic, compassionate and thoughtful, Vicky Cristina Barcelona may be the most fully realized film Woody Allen has made in two decades. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Detroit News (Tom Long)

Can Magazine (Fred Topel)

Just the title suggests how profound the movie is. If he'd called it Vicky and Cristina Go to Barcelona, that's obvious and basic. Just using the key words says, 'Here's what we're dealing with, now you figure out the proper grammer.' ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Can Magazine (Fred Topel)

Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)

Wonderfully scenic, exuberantly romantic. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)

Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)

[Allen's] most entertaining picture since Bullets Over Broadway or maybe Sweet and Lowdown. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)

Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)

While the territory is familiar, the terrain is new: Allen shoots his title city with an eye for its art and architecture. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)

Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)

If Woody Allen's heart still belongs to New York City, he's had a thrilling, invigorating fling with northeastern Spain. The proof is "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," a vicarious holiday in the beautiful Catalonian city. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)

Associated Press (Christy Lemire)

It's a romantic comedy, yes, in the writer-director's great tradition of absurdity and longing. It's an easy European romp, though it's surely superior to Allen's recent trilogy of London-based movies, "Match Point," "Scoop" and "Cassandra's Dream." But ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Associated Press (Christy Lemire)

Newsday (Rafer Guzman)

Allen explores his favorite themes: infidelity, chemistry, love and happiness. (Patricia Clarkson plays a small but important role as a dissatisfied older woman.) With his light touch and a keen eye - and they're getting lighter and keener - Allen has ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Newsday (Rafer Guzman)

Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)

Woody Allen's breezy comic fable is his most effortless and insightful in years - and nothing short of a love letter to love itself, in all its maddening glory. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)

Houston Community Newspapers (Gary Brown)

This time Woody seems to be back on the beam. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Houston Community Newspapers (Gary Brown)

Movie Retriever (Brian Tallerico)

One of the most enjoyable and best films of the year. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Movie Retriever (Brian Tallerico)

Denver Post (Lisa Kennedy)

After Vicky Cristina Barcelona, you may feel you've learned something about the world. How lasting those epiphanies are depends on your constitution. But you don't have to go native to enjoy the trip. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Denver Post (Lisa Kennedy)

USA Today (Claudia Puig)

As exhilarating, captivating and enjoyable as a summer romance in an exotic city. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at USA Today (Claudia Puig)

New York Post (Lou Lumenick)

[Allen's] funniest movie in years and arguably his sexiest. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)

tonymedley.com (Tony Medley)

How could one not admire a script that has one of the characters talk about her friend's 'turgid categorical imperative' without blinking an eye? ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at tonymedley.com (Tony Medley)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)

Allen is not interested in doing much more than glancing off some intriguing ideas, such as the common tragedy of the would-be artist who recognizes his mediocrity. But he's old enough to recognize that he doesn't need to be profound, just entertaining. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)

LarsenOnFilm (Josh Larsen)

Sex is usually an intellectual endeavor for Woody Allen, but this cast forces him - and us - to get out of our heads. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at LarsenOnFilm (Josh Larsen)

WJFK-FM (CBS Radio) (Kevin McCarthy)

The genius behind Woody Allen is clearly seen in this film, which contains a very simple story line but it is riddled with clever dialogue and a unique narration. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at WJFK-FM (CBS Radio) (Kevin McCarthy)

EricDSnider.com (Eric D. Snider)

The film is ultimately about the many different permutations that successful relationships can have: monogamous, polygamous, polyamorous, faithful, unfaithful, kinky, and vanilla. Who's to say that one is better than the other as long as everyone ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at EricDSnider.com (Eric D. Snider)

Spirituality and Practice (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)

Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona has a breezy and light-hearted feel to it that is aided by the beauty of Barcelona and the brisk narration about the American girls' European adventure. The writer and director challenges us to ponder four very ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Spirituality and Practice (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)

Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus (Bryant Frazer)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a film with a pretty big heart, and it feels for the compromises people make in response to the looming terror that is the enormity of the rest of their lives. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus (Bryant Frazer)

HollywoodChicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

While legendary filmmaker Woody Allen can't always be equated with sheer genius and is more accurately described as a hit-or-miss proposition, this sorely undermarketed film serves as unquestionable retribution for his recently questionable work. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at HollywoodChicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)

A smart, satisfying movie. Once again, Allen removes himself from Manhattan, and finds his muse in Europe. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)

Globe and Mail (Rick Groen)

A lightweight musing on love's infinite variety, not especially comic, and certainly not tragic, but breezing along somewhere in the meditative middle. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Globe and Mail (Rick Groen)

L.A. Weekly (Scott Foundas)

Allen has crafted a wry and thoughtful film about the peculiar stirrings of the heart, which is certainly his most accomplished piece of work since Match Point, and his funniest in the eight years since Small Time Crooks. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at L.A. Weekly (Scott Foundas)

One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)

Has a Mediterranean glow that gives the tale of passion and creativity a fundamentally warm quality that will surprise many viewers. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)

LivePDX (Kimberly Gadette)

When these lightweight lovers ramble through their individual midsummer night's dreams, knowing only what they don't want--well, we just can't care all that much. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at LivePDX (Kimberly Gadette)

Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)

Allen's laziness is startling, even in so mechanical a filmmaker. He uses a monotonous narrator to tell us what the characters think and do, though he then shows them performing the actions that have just been described. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)

Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)

There's something intriguing going on here. It's a movie about the sacrifices that people make to be happy. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)

Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)

Who knew a Spanish accent could make Woody's familiar neurotic dialogue sound fresh? ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)

EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)

A valentine to Spain's noted city, Allen's romantic comedy isn't very deep but it's his most entertaining and commercial work since Bullets Over Broadway, a showcase for the talents of Bardem and his three femmes, Johansson, Hall and Penelope Cruz. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)

Toronto Star (Peter Howell)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a comedy, a good one, and also one of Allen's best-ever meditations on the many entanglements of love. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Toronto Star (Peter Howell)

MTV (Kurt Loder)

The picture has a romantic glow that recalls the Woody Allen of old and, of course, it's quite funny. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at MTV (Kurt Loder)

Los Angeles Daily News (Glenn Whipp)

Penelope Cruz kick-starts Woody's latest, turning it into a dizzy, daffy treatise on the place of passion in art and love. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Glenn Whipp)

Oregonian (Shawn Levy)

The sort of film Eric Rohmer might make if he were ever in a chipper mood: sincere, delicately funny, a little staid, a little precious, and more interested in the ebb and flow of the heart than in the dubious rewards of sensational narrative twists. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Oregonian (Shawn Levy)

Reeling Reviews (Robin Clifford)

The cast is terrific, from Cruz's agitated spitfire to Bardem's more introspective artist (watch the gentle way he coaxes Vicky into self realization's by questioning her answers to his questions). Hall is wonderful as the centered woman thrown off ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Reeling Reviews (Robin Clifford)

Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips)

When it's over, and the two Americans at the heart of the story depart Barcelona in overlapping states of confusion, you're left with a tinge of melancholy that feels not plot-driven, not engineered, but like a slice of reasonably complicated life. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips)

Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)

It's literally difficult to believe that the person who made this picturesque, clueless, oddly misanthropic picture also made Annie Hall and Crimes and Misdemeanors. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)

St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))

A romantic drama that I liked even though I had no investment in any of the characters. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))

ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)

Another intriguing take on affairs of the heart from the master of the artform with some solid performances, most notably from Javier Bardem and Rebecca Hall. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)

Premiere Magazine (Eric Kohn)

The subsequent plot offers little in the way of inspiration, but plenty in the way of amusement. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Premiere Magazine (Eric Kohn)

BrianOrndorf.com (Brian Orndorf)

Retains expected performance momentum, and positively sells the hell out of a lusty Spanish vacation. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at BrianOrndorf.com (Brian Orndorf)

TIME Magazine (Richard Corliss)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is so engaging so much of the time that it feels like a modest rejuvenation: evidence that a summer in Spain can do wonders for a writer-director who may not have outlived his prime. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at TIME Magazine (Richard Corliss)

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

He is a little like Eric Rohmer here. The actors are attractive, the city is magnificent, the love scenes don't get all sweaty, and everybody finishes the summer a little wiser and with a lifetime of memories. What more could you ask? ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Illinois Times (Charles Koplinski)

An engaging examination of human nature. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Illinois Times (Charles Koplinski)

ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)

The movie compulsively hits fast-forward every time Woody interrupts the action with voice-over narration from an extraneous male narrator, but is nonetheless an improvement by degrees over his last film "Cassandra's Dream." ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)

Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)

For a romance in which nobody seems to end up getting what they want, it's deceptively satisfying, and leaves you with a sense of hope, however false. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)

Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)

Woody Allen's latest is a pure relationship-fest, but the audience can't help but be transfixed ( a little threatened?) by Bardem's stare. A thoroughbred cast and crew makes a very watchable romantic tryst, but no classic. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)

Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

Mostly what you need to know about VCB is this: Cristina is Woody. Vicky is Mia. They have the same conversations we've heard a million times before in Allen's movies. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

Cinematical (James Rocchi)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona isn't one of Allen's finest films, but there's something warm and charming and (one might even dare say) optimistic about it, as if Allen found the change in venue as exciting and challenging as his characters do. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Cinematical (James Rocchi)

FilmJerk.com (Edward Havens)

A pleasant enough diversion with some great performances and beautiful cinematography to just make it worth recommending. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at FilmJerk.com (Edward Havens)

ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

There was hope in 2005 that Woody Allen had re-discovered his groove with the release of Match Point. Since then, however, he has slipped back into the sinkhole of mediocrity that kept him from greatness throughout most of the '90s and '00s. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Austin Chronicle (Kimberly Jones)

Something is terribly amiss when the American actors sound like English is their second language. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Austin Chronicle (Kimberly Jones)

Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)

this is one of the more interesting things Allen has done of late. Tonally, it definitely feels more European than anything he's made â�� even more than some of his other, recent European film ventures. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)

Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)

A recurring sentiment is that romance is only possible in a love that hasn't been fulfilled. That may be true when you're talking about people, but not of Allen's best films, which never lose their thrill. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)

Boxoffice Magazine (Richard Mowe)

Woody Allen can be rather hit or miss these days, but his latest excursion to Barcelona produces a winner with spicy romantic entanglements and sparkling performances. The vibrant Catalan capital appears to have energized Allen after his London sojourn. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (Richard Mowe)

filmcritic.com (Chris Cabin)

Vicky shows Allen deflecting his chapter-and-verse filmmaking for better and worse and, in a career that was already cemented as legendary by the early '90s, that counts for something. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at filmcritic.com (Chris Cabin)

Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)

The movie stumbles over itself while bringing fresh life to a number of issues. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)

TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)

The best thing about Vicky Cristina Barcelona is that it acknowledges the maddening complexity of desire. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)

TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)

"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" doesn't cover much fresh territory in the Woody Allen canon, and the ending, as truthful as it may be, doesn't add up to a lot in the long run. The pleasure comes, then, from spending time with well-written adult characters who ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)

Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) (Gina Carbone)

Isn't up to Allen's old school or new school standards. But it's pretty. And it shows, again, if you let Penelope Cruz speak Spanish instead of forcing her through English, her presence will darn near suck the film right out of the camera. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) (Gina Carbone)

Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)

Perhaps the greatest compliment to be paid to Vicki Cristina Barcelona is that it serves as a spot-on emblem of Allen's own life philosophy: cling to the transient pleasures, as you're bound to be let down in the end. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)

Fresno Bee (Donald Munro)

A well-crafted and prickly platform for Allen to muse on the vagaries and complications of love. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Fresno Bee (Donald Munro)

Dallas Morning News (Tom Maurstad)

A movie brimming with beautiful people and beautiful scenery; there's a contagious enthusiasm as this movie whirs through the sights and sounds of Barcelona. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Dallas Morning News (Tom Maurstad)

Wall Street Journal (Joanne Kaufman)

A bittersweet meditation on art and passion and on love in its many guises. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Wall Street Journal (Joanne Kaufman)

Times [UK] (Wendy Ide)

Allen can�t be losing his touch entirely if he can still persuade three of the hottest people on the planet to make out for our viewing pleasure. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Times [UK] (Wendy Ide)

Onion AV Club (Scott Tobias)

Through it all, Vicky Cristina Barcelona remains unaccountably romantic, a confirmation that love, elusive and painful as it can be, is still worth pursuing. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Onion AV Club (Scott Tobias)

Film School Rejects (Kevin Carr)

While the action takes place almost exclusively in Spain, the script is still a highlight of neurotic New Yorkers who babble on about nothing and everything. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Film School Rejects (Kevin Carr)

PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)

Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) is the figure least obviously dictated by the Woody Allen template. And for that, you are eternally grateful. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)

Chicago Reader (J. R. Jones)

Watching Allen fart out a story when he has no characters is always painful. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Chicago Reader (J. R. Jones)

WaffleMovies.com (Willie Waffle)

Get rid of the Vicky, and it might be passable. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at WaffleMovies.com (Willie Waffle)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)

a neatly balanced tale of a carefully balanced menage a trois among people with unbalanced libidos, fluctuating interests and roving eyes. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)

About.com (Marcy Dermansky)

If you like watching privileged beautiful people flitting from expensive homes to fancy restaurants to dazzling tourist attractions to plush hotel rooms and gala gallery openings, you're likely to find something to enjoy in this movie. I was hoping for a ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at About.com (Marcy Dermansky)

Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)

The fact that this isn't as bad as some of Woody Allen's other films from the last decade doesn't mean this film about two young American women summering in Spain is worth seeing. The cast and setting are beautiful, but the characters are vapid. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)

Christianity Today (Jeffrey Overstreet)

Woody Allen's work should be taking him deeper into complex and revealing stories about the heart. Instead, he's becoming more preoccupied with the lurid and the lewd. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Christianity Today (Jeffrey Overstreet)

PopMatters (Bill Gibron)

F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that â��the rich are different than you or meâ��, and if by dissimilar he meant boorish, obnoxious, and self-absorbed, he couldnâ��t have been more right - especially when it comes to their motion picture counterparts. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at PopMatters (Bill Gibron)

Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)

Woody Allen has turned out his share of duds...Vicky Cristina Barcelona is one of his dudliest. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)

Arizona Republic (Richard Nilsen)

It all begins to feel veddy, veddy pretentious and a very, very long way from the Brooklyn or Manhattan that he actually understands. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Arizona Republic (Richard Nilsen)

Slant Magazine (Ed Gonzalez)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is basically the most arrogant film of the year, an occasion for Allen to feign interest in challenging heteronormic ideals when all he's doing is advancing a simplified view of female sexual agency. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at Slant Magazine (Ed Gonzalez)

ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Donald J. Levit)

Much of this film is blatantly told to us, narrated by a toneless male voice that obviates the need for actors to show thoughts and feelings. ...read the complete Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie review at ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Donald J. Levit)

Critic Reviews

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) Rank 5 Reviews

User Reviews

User Comments

RANKINGS: