Vicky Cristina Barcelona

When writing about Woody Allen's annual new film, it's always tempting to begin with one of three points: something about the scandal that marred his public image in the 1990s; something about the fact that he has released a film nearly every year since 1969; or something along the lines of "Woody's back!", which would seem in direct contradiction with the second point, and makes the erroneous assumption that he ever was "away".

"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is a film that needs no explanations, excuses or apologies made for it. It's a delightful film-not necessarily a laugh-out-loud comedy, but a delightful film-filmed with an eye toward the beautiful architecture and cityscapes of Barcelona.

The premise is that two visiting Americans-Vicky (Rebecca Hall, in an Oscar-worthy performance) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson, in her third appearance in an Allen film)-come to Barcelona to study and take in the local culture. The problem is, the two are complete opposites when it comes to the subject of love. Vicky believes in romantic love, and is engaged to be married. Cristina, on the other hand, lives for the moment, and believes that getting her heart broken is an essential part of finding romance. As the film's narrator tells us, "She doesn't know what she wants. Only what she doesn't want". Before long, they both find themselves in love with the same man, a charming lothario named Juan Antonio (a splendid performance by Javier Bardem), who is still very much in love with his ex-wife, the fiery, brilliant and beautiful Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz, in another Oscar-worthy performance). Character twists abound, as each character tries to work out their own relationships and must sort out their feelings before it is too late. It's a film about living for the moment, and the pursuit of love at any cost.

The film is at once romantic, funny, heartbreaking and beautiful. In a departure from Allen's usual style, the pacing here is quite fast, even in terms of the length of shots he uses. Regardless of one's opinion of Allen's work, he is virtually alone, at least in mainstream American filmmaking, as an artist who is granted more or less full creative control. We don't have to wonder what kind of film he'd made if only had the money/time/etc. Working with some truly great actors, a brilliant cinematographer, gorgeous locations, Allen creates a film that is more vibrant and full of passion than all the other American films released this year.

As is usually the case, Allen draws on inspiration from the great European filmmakers of the 50s and 60s. Here, he seems to have at least two influences, one of them a contemporary filmmaker. The setting and characters have much in common with the work of Pedro Almodovar, while the basic premise and technique have much in common with the French New Wave, especially Truffaut's "Jules and Jim".

Bardem and Cruz are the real standouts in the cast, both of them turning in incredibly passionate, vibrant performances. Cruz, in particular, lights up every scene she appears in. The biggest "surprise" performance is relative newcomer Rebecca Hall, who is probably the closest to a "Woody Allen character" in the film. Strangely, there are times when Scarlett Johnansson seems to have relatively little to do with her role, especially after the Penelope Cruz character enters the film. Johansson is a wonderful actress who has brought a much-needed energy to the films she has made with Allen. Her character here, oddly, seemed at times one-note, unlike her very dynamic performance in "Match Point".

One unusual choice here was the use of a narrator to explain every thought, character motivation, and even physical action that we see on the screen. The narrator is not a "character" in the story as in "Everyone Says I Love You", nor is he a kind of omniscient presence like the Greek chorus in "Might Aphrodite". Someone compared his reading to that of an audio-book (or the descriptive audio commentary for the blind). There is a slightly mocking tone that can be detected in a few of the lines, which leads me to believe Allen was intending the device to be used ironically, although it was never fully realized. I feel that I would need to see the film a second time before determining whether this narration is an integral part of the film's tone, or if it is completely unnecessary.

There will no doubt be the usual nitpicking criticisms that Allen "doesn't realistically depict 21st century young people...etc.", to which I say, "who cares?" I always find this criticism rather amusing, because I find Allen's characters far more close to the people I know than the cartoonish, overgrown adolescents that populate most Hollywood films. So what if Allen's characters don't talk like caricatures of drug-addled morons? The dialog in this film is far more interesting than anything likely to be heard in any other American film coming out this summer. Allen's world may not be "reality", but it is a world I'm happy to return to every year through his films.