View Trailer:

After a long and distinguished career inextricably linked to his beloved hometown, it has only been relatively recently that cinemas original neurotic New Yorker has ventured further-a- field. Unfortunately, his ‘London Period’ (comprising of Match Point, Cassandra's Dream and Scoop – still unreleased in the UK) was a crushing disappointment, a trio of terribly hackneyed pseudo thrillers that lacked the wit, depth or insight of his best work, and displayed an interminable collection of cockney clichés and stereotypes that were especially hard to swallow for British audiences. Venturing into mainland Europe for this latest offering, Woody's world tour continues with a whistle stop circuit around the beauty spots of Barcelona and zings along with panache, charm and a frothy, sexy sense of fun.

Vicky (Hall) and Cristina (Johansson), two New Yorkers on an extended summer break in Barcelona, have diametrically opposed ideas of love. Vicky is engaged, earnest and uptight, valuing commitment and stability over all, while Cristina, fresh from a long line of messy break ups, is a hopeless romantic who can't imagine deep passion without the attendant suffering. Pretty soon, the two friends are bewitched by the city’s gothic grandeur and artistic spirit and, caught up in the Catalan spell, cross paths with Juan Antonio (Bardem), a brooding Spanish painter, who tempts them away to nearby Ovideo with the most forthright of propositions: ‘We’ll eat well, drink good wine and make love.’ Infamous for a tempestuous and violent relationship with his ex-wife Maria Elena, Juan Antonio is the embodiment of Cristina’s ideal of the tortured, but passionate Latin Lothario, and exactly the kind of man Vicky would be most wary of. However, a steady stream of seduction, classical guitar and warm Spanish sun, proves too much even for Vicky to resist, and a love triangle inevitably develops. Things heat up even further when Maria Elena (Cruz) reappears, her fiery and passionate nature exploding into the films second half and arousing yet more romantic entanglements and complications.

While the location may have changed, Allen’s modus operandi is much the same. His characters are endlessly debating the rules of attraction, the head versus the heart and the clash between the bohemian and conservative lifestyle, while an omnipotent narrator moves the action along at a pleasing pace. Allen’s film is an American’s fantasy of Spain, a picture postcard travelogue, full of Gaudi architecture and earthy locals, but the stereotypes and clichés are easier to forgive as they are framed through the experience of Vicky and Cristina’s tourist’s eye.  And indeed, Barcelona looks beautiful, bathed in the warm light of late summer, providing the perfect backdrop for the light and lusty goings on. The four leads all enjoy themselves enormously - Hall brings a brittle charm to her tightly wound Vicky, while Johansson simmers sexily as the wannabe bohemian, Cristina – but it is the two Spanish stars that steal the show. Bardem’s turn as the smouldering artist stays just the right side of caricature, while Cruz turns in a riotous performance in the plum role of the unstable and impossibly sexy artist ex-wife. Her Maria Elena is hot tempered and hilarious and showcases Cruz’s appeal and energy better than anything she has done in Hollywood. The old dilemma between the safety of convention and the thrill of the impulsive but destructive free spirit has been at the heart of all of Allen’s romantic comedies and, as embodied by Maria Elena, it is clear which he is most drawn to: even when waving a gun around, she is the typical Woody Allen female – crazy but irresistible. This is no classic, but for something light, funny and fresh this frozen February, it works just fine.