| Written by John Shea,
on 09-06-2001 08:00
|
Published in : Reviews, Movies |
This is a movie that is very difficult to review for discussing its plot in any degree of depth will in effect ruin the possibility of the viewer enjoying the film. So suffice to say that little will be mentioned here about the story. It will be necessary to speak of the less tangible features of the film to give you an idea of whether you want to see it or not.
 The movie is a remake of the Spanish film Open Your Eyes which was directed by Alejandro Amenabar and starred Penelope Cruz, who reprises her role here. Writer/director Cameron Crowe takes a rather dramatic step away from the pop culture influenced material that has dominated his earlier films like Say Anything, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous. Tom Cruise has the lead role, reuniting him with Crowe for the first time since they created a bit of magic together with Jerry Maguire.
What can be said of the plot? Well... Cruise stars as David Aames. He is the heir to a publishing empire created by his late father. Following the death of his parents at the hands of a drunk driver, David takes the reins of this giant company with the grudging support of a board hand picked by his father. He is a playboy who dates freely and commands a palatial apartment that looks like the world's largest collection of electronic toys for the wealthy. David is spending considerable time with his good friend Julie (Cameron Diaz) that goes several steps past the bounds of normal friendship. This leads Julie to fall hard for David but he does not feel the same way. She turns wildly jealous when he meets the lovely Sophia (Penelope Cruz) at his party and spends the night flirting with her. The next morning she meets David exiting Sophia's apartment and invites him for a ride to talk. Julie is clearly disturbed and obsessed and things rapidly head downhill. Literally so as she drives the car off a bridge, killing herself and horribly disfiguring David.
It sounds pretty simple but this movie has a way of shifting on you and pulling the rug out from under your feet every time it starts to make sense. There is a logic here but you will need to put on your thinking cap to find it. This is not a movie for those who want mindless entertainment. If you enjoyed trying to sort out films like Mulholland Drive or Memento then this one is right up your alley. The film has a thoroughly confusing timeline that should have most everyone scratching their heads right up until the end.
The end is my largest problem with the film. It's not that I found it confusing or implausible, quite the contrary. What I don't like is that a film that worked so hard to keep the viewer off balance for much of the running time, suddenly changes gears and gives us a highly detailed explanation. I would have greatly preferred a more ambiguous ending that gives us the clues to sort it all out for ourselves without actually spelling it out. It would have fit the tone of the film better.
Acting is across the board excellent. Tom Cruise does a very nice job playing a role that might seem a bit eerily similar to his own life. That might not sound like a challenge but when you see the impediments thrown in his way you should be more impressed. Penelope Cruz is, as always, charming. Unfortunately her part doesn't allow her to be much more than that. Cameron Diaz is a supreme scene stealer. I actually found her character to be more than a little creepy and disturbing. Jason Lee is great as always. It makes me wonder when he's going to get some more substantial leading roles. Finally I liked Kurt Russell's work quite a bit too. It's nice to see him finding a role that lets him segue away from the action oriented roles he is better known for. He's getting too old for those parts so it's good to see him finding and excelling in something different.
Possibly the best thing about this movie though is that it will leave audiences greatly divided. Some will love it and some will hate it, leaving very few on the fence. That virtually guarantees debate and discussion. Movies that do that are frequently my favorites as it really brings about some passionate discussion. It makes the movie more involving and more personal. The big blockbusters can be fun to watch but all too often we forget them ten minutes after seeing them. With a movie like Vanilla Sky, the only certainty is that it will not be forgotten.
- John Shea
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