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Woody Allen's work has traveled on an interesting path of peaks and valleys and though he's turned out some rather thought provoking films in recent years, it was starting to feel like he was repeating himself. His greatest strength will always be his writing and with his latest 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona', he's not only crafted a compelling story, but dimensional characters who speak from their minds as well as their hearts. This is Allen's most engaging work in years and while watching the film and paying close attention to the dialogue you can tell he must have had quite a fun time writing it.

Allen has traded London--the setting of his last three films--for the sunny and romantic city of Barcelona to tell his tale of American girl Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and her best friend Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), who decide to vacation one summer at the villa of a family friend (Patricia Clarkson). While Cristina, the survivor of many failed romances, continues to search for what her life is lacking (even if she doesn't know what that is), Vicky, the more intellectual and cautious of the two thinks she's found all she's looking for. She's engaged to a New York corporate lawyer and has her entire future mapped out. We know all of this because Allen has provided us with a narrator in the form of actor Christopher Evan Welch. At first Welch's narration proves to be a tad distracting until it becomes apparent that he exists not to just fill in the gaps of the backstory, but keep the pacing tight, taking us from one key story point to another.

The clear vision Vicky has of her future is thrown out of focus when she and Cristina meet Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), a painter who not only leads a bohemian existence, but carries complete confidence along with it. Cristina first spots the artist at an exhibition and when the two ladies are having dinner that night the lothario spots them in a restaurant and immediately introduces himself, inviting them to spend the weekend with him. Juan Antonio's carefree lifestyle comes across in his attitude and when he speaks that “life is short, dull and full of pain", his suggestion of a weekend of sex appalls Vicky, but intrigues Cristina who agrees to accompany him on the excursion. Vicky reluctantly joins them to keep her friend out of trouble and though it appears that Cristina may be the easier conquest, it is Vicky who actual shares a one-night-stand with Juan Antonio.

To her surprise, Vicky has her foundations rocked by the experience. She not only questions her judgment, but is now unsure that a life in a Westchester home with a fiancee obsessed with numbers and golf is what she wants. Understanding her conflict, Juan Antonio (to Vicky's chagrin) sets his sights again on Cristina who is actually a better match for him. Though she is happy to step aside, Vicky can't shake her feelings despite the arrival of her fiance who wants to quickly elope. Rebecca Hall, a British actress and daughter of director Peter Hall (familiar as Christian Bale's tortured wife in 'The Prestige') may represent the neurotic and rational nature of Allen himself, while Johansson is the more sensual fantasy woman he's always desired. Her passionate relationship with Juan Antonio is going quite smoothly until the third side of this love triangle reveals itself as his ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz).

Before both women became involved with Juan Antonio, they heard rumors of a wife that tried to stab him, but never imagined her to be a spitfire of such emotional intensity as Maria Elena. When Juan Antonio responds to a frantic call in the middle of the night, he returns to the bed he shares with Cristina to tell her that his ex may be staying with them for several months as the result of a suicide attempt. Cristina feels completely out of her element living with two people who seem to know each other so well, but can never be together, while Maria Elena, filled with emotional rage is naturally suspicious of the blonde staying with her former husband.

Both Juan Antonio and Maria Elena inspire and complement each other with their philosophies and artistic styles, yet as he puts it "there was always one element that was missing". Though she initially feels like the fifth wheel, the bond between her lover and his ex-wife not only inspires Cristina's latent artistic abilities (in this case photography) but proves that her presence may in fact be that missing element, thus beginning a rather interesting relationship between the trio.

Allen isn't just interested in exploring the joys of new relationships, but the pains that accompany them as well. Despite the perfect fit of Maria Elena, Juan Antonio and Cristina's "arrangement", its obvious that one side of this triangle will develop those familiar feelings of doubt and the desire for something more. Then there is Vicky, who has had her entire outlook on life and her future turned upside down by one secret night with a man now in a relationship with her best friend and his ex-wife. Her fiance no longer excites her and even a prospective love interest at school can see her mind is in a completely different place. She finds a kindred spirit in Judy (Clarkson) who upon learning of Vicky's indiscretion warns her to not make the same mistakes that she did even if that means hurting someone you thought you cared for.

Though Allen provides his characters with rich and passionate dialogue, it is his fine cast that bring meaning to his words. Bardem brings as much conviction to his role as he did in his Oscar winning performance in 'No Country for Old Men." His outlook on life, on living in the moment and basically convincing women to sleep with him could have come across as rather foolish and flat from an actor lacking his confidence. Allen also seems to have wisely figured that Cruz conveys greater passion with her Spanish language skills than English and builds a running joke involving that around her character. Her funniest scenes invlove her anger conveyed in Spanish, often with no sub-titles because its more important what she feels than what she says. Cruz has evolved quite nicely from a sex kitten to an actress of great dramatic intensity as well as humor which in this case concerns Maria Elena's violent tendencies. At twenty-three Johansson is the most sensual of the group and she is at a stage in her life where her beauty can actually be called upon as an acting tool. For my money, the most memorable performance belongs to Hall, who while not a physical stunner like Johansson, actually projects a greater beauty through her intelligence and stature. She's able to easily traverse various states of emotions; glowing with confidence one moment and irrationality the next. Her task is far more difficult than the other actors because her character is the one most affected by the story's events.

Allen also made a wise choice in choosing Barcelona as a backdrop for his story. This tale simply could not have been told in New York or even London; with inspiring and romantic locations and vistas, particularly an old amusement park where Vicky and Juan Antonio try to make sense of their relationship. This is a film that will no doubt be a mainstream success for its story and its performances and though there are many unexpected twists and turns within the relationships in the film, (the picture also isn't dark as Allen's previous efforts) those who have ever been in love will understand that's what life's about.

via latinoreview.com