Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Life is the ultimate work of art

Plot:

Two girlfriends 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.

Plot Keywords:

Summer | Painter | Ex Wife | Artist | Marriage

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 19 wins & 28 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Rebecca Hall	...	Vicky
Scarlett Johansson	...	Cristina
Chris Messina	...	Doug
Patricia Clarkson	...	Judy Nash
Christopher Evan Welch	...	Narrator (voice)
Kevin Dunn	...	Mark Nash
Julio Perillán	...	Charles
Juan Quesada	...	Guitarist in Barcelona
Richard Salom	...	Art Gallery Guest #1
Maurice Sonnenberg	...	Art Gallery Guest #2
Javier Bardem	...	Juan Antonio Gonzalo
Manel Barceló	...	Doctor
Josep Maria Domènech	...	Julio Josep
Emilio de Benito	...	Guitarist in Asturias
Jaume Montané	...	Juan Antonio's Friend #1

Also Known As:

Midnight in Barcelona (Spain) (working title)
Woody Allen Spanish Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexuality, and smoking.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Spain | USA

Language:

English | Catalan | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Mono)

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44252) | Finland:K-11 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:7 | Australia:M | Hong Kong:IIB | Brazil:12 | Ireland:15A | New Zealand:M | South Africa:13LS | UK:12A | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Netherlands:6 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15 | Iceland:L | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Avilés, Asturias, Spain

Company:

Mediapro

Trivia:

The movie features several books about sexuality : the novel Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (when Vicky tries to sleep and Cristina writes poetry in the kitchen) and The Sexual Life of Catherine M. by Catherine Millet (read by Cristina later in the movie).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Cristina wakes up in the middle of the night, she makes herself some coffee. The coffee maker she's seen using is a very large Bialetti Moka Express, or a copy thereof. These seldom operate correctly for less than the maximum amount of coffee, which in this particular instance would be about thirty double espressos. It goes without saying that this is a truly insane amount of coffee for any one person.

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...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "90210: To New Beginnings! (#2.1)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Entre Dos Aguas

Entanglements Woody Style

Barcelona is recognizable enough and exotic enough to frame the latest complication from Woody Allen. Allen himself claims to care very little about films. He doesn't consider them the center of his life. Strange, because I do, Woody Allen without his films is...well I don't know who or what he is. Here he ventures again outside New York in a shape and form that reminded me a little bit of Jacques Rivette. Scarlet Johansson and Rebecca Hall, as the blond and the brunette of the title, make a great pair of opposites or seemingly so. Javier Bardem is the artist that comes to ruffle their world and the spectacular Penelope Cruz (getting better and better with every movie) is the hysterical side of the artist's past. We spend a great deal of time sitting at tables eating and drinking while a voice over guide us through their physical and emotional journey. I was delighted, entertained ever aroused. Woody Allen keeps surprising and he's got it whether he cares about it or not.