Vicky Cristina Barcelona - a film by Woody Allen

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the fourth of Allen's films after he moved his creative pursuits to Europe.
What started with 2005's "Match Point", and had a good follow-up with "Scoop" seemed to turn sour with last year's "Cassandra's Dream". "Vicky..." sees Allen back on form, matching the filmic quality of "Match Point", and adding the trademark Woody Allen touch, which was (for better) missed in the nervous and moody Match Point.

Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) travel to Barcelona for the summer. Vicky wants to work on her thesis on Catalan culture while Cristina wants to have have a holiday in Europe.
Vicky is engaged and is pretty sure about what she wants in life and love, while Cristina is still unsure in which direction she is going, and not afraid to have adventures. The two enjoy Barcelona in it's Gaudi-beauty (as does the viewer) and they meet Juan Antonio, a seductive painter, played expertly by Javier Bardem. He ends up dating Cristina (though he also sleeps with Vicky), and she moves in with him. All goes well until his ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz), from whom he separated after a violent marriage, turns up.
Meanwhile, Vicky is unhappy with her relationship and keeps thinking back to the night she spent with Juan Antonio.
So here we are, a classic Woody Allen situation. Just from the description, this sounds like a tragedy, but as Allen adds his touch, mainly through a snappy and witty narration, all this drama becomes bitter-sweet, even humorous.
Comparing this to Match Point, it quickly becomes clear why those two are the better of his European films: he does not describe the cities the stories are set in from a local point of view as he did when his films were set in New York; he puts outsiders in these cities. In this case, the two tourists Vicky and Cristina. This puts enough distance between the plot and the city's atmosphere; it would be impossible for Allen to show the mood and character of a city like Barcelona if he never lived there, and he elegantly bypasses that problem.
Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz make this movie, and the talks of her being nominated for an Oscar are deserved. When both of them are on the screen, there is a real tension and energy that can be felt, and they play with a ferocious sparkle that really embodies the Spanish way of life.
As with Match Point, the settings are beautifully shot, and one can not help but fall in love with Barcelona. Shot in beautiful golden colours, the city feels and looks like a charming summer breeze. And the masterfully selected soundtrack sets the right tone for the whole film.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a film that combines beautiful cinematography with a very entertaining story, despite (or because) of the plot not really going anywhere. A beautiful soundtrack, clever dialogue and a fast, witty narration add up to one of the best films of the first half of this year.