Whatever Works

You don't have to be a Woody Allen fan to enjoy this movie, but it will help. You don't have to know that Mr. Allen wrote and directed this very dark comedy, but from the opening lines it is obvious. Who else dares break the 4th wall so often, or does it so well?

Larry David does an amazing job of playing a classic character Woody Allen would have played years ago. David should get an award for the best Allen impression without really trying.

Evan Rachel Wood does yet another wonderful job playing a role which adds to her collection of range and credibility. Brava Ms. Wood. More please?

The supporting cast is well-turned and fantastic in their own right. Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley Jr. plays the funniest bible belt couple I've seen in years. Perfect casting along with the others who drift in and out of the story.

But is this really a story? Or is it an extended mathematical proof shown in dialogue form? In the end everyone gets exactly what they really want instead of what they think they want. Brilliant.

Watch this movie with someone who is repressing something deep.

Vicky Christina Barcelona

This movie is about crazy people. You may feel free to define crazy any way you like and it will still probably apply. There is a good deal of comparison here as to who is crazier. Is it the Yuppie couple who want the house in the burbs with a pool and tennis court? Or is it the free-spirit American tourist who claims to want the opposite? Perhaps its the suicidal artist who is jealous of her ex-husband and tries to kill him frequently. Is it the American ex-patriots living in Barcelona or the local guy who paints and loves and lives his life?

You decide.

I think the least crazy person in this film is the painter, and then maybe his father. Everyone else is pretty much delusional, pretending to be, or wishing they were, someone, or something else. Only the painter and his father are exactly who they want and totally honest.

Woody Allen is still a genius.

Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson are two very confused American tourists who go to Barcelona. They meet other confused people, but they both fall in love with the same guy. The painter.

Javier Bardem is the painter. Remember this is the same guy who played the creepy killer in "No Country for Old Men". Bravo Mr. Bardem. This is great work.

Watch this movie with someone who will see past the stereotypes into the deeper meaning of restless souls.