Vicky Cristina Barcelona Opens Friday

This Friday, Woody Allen’s latest comedy, the oddly named Vicky Cristina Barcelona starring Academy-award winner Javier Bardem (love typing that out!) and his Academy award nominated girlfriend Penélope Cruz is opening in theaters. I attended a press screening a few weeks ago not really knowing what to expect. I don’t hate Woody Allen but he’s either hit or miss for me. Anyway, the idea of Javier Bardem on screen seemed too good to pass, especially after enduring his awful looks in No Country For Old Men. So is this movie worth your hard earned money? Check out the  trailer, Pe, and more after the jump.

To start things off you’ll get introduced to Vicky (Rebecca Hall, whose performance is understated in most press reviews) and her best friend Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) who have just arrived in Barcelona for the summer. Their ideas of love are very different from each other, Vicky being the conservative, uptight chica and Cristina fulfilling the role of token wild child. It is because of her that they head to Oviedo in a small plane with Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem, look freaking hot as a painter. Bonus fun fact: he’s a failed painter in real life, so fulfilling  dream here.). I don’t want to ruin it all with a summary for you, but what happens next it’s predictable until Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz) shows up to shake things up between them all. Lots of people have told me that they are sick of Penélope, but in this movie she steals every scene from Johansson, who’s usually one of my favorites, but here she cannot keep up. Maria Elena is a crazy artist who seems to inspire everyone around her, but can’t get a hold of herself and every time she freaks out it’s hilarious and borderline frightening.

If you’re just curious to see Javier and Penélope make out, and have lost hope on a leaked sex tape (perverts!), then this movie is your only option. Their chemistry cannot be denied and I must admit I would have liked to see them together more, especially when she taunts him in Spanish. Jot, jot, jot. Soundtrack wise I really loved the Paco de Lucía tunes, but it could have been edgier.