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Vanilla Sky Customer Reviews (61 - 63 of 96 Reviews)

Not the finest of Cruise or Crowe
I think the main problem with "Vanilla Sky" is that it is such a departure from director Cameron Crowe's previous films. While past projects like Say Anything, Singles, and Almost Famous were quirky films about relationships, this movie is mind-boggling and, at times, boring.

Tom Cruise plays wealthy executive David, whose life is changed when he decides to romance lovely Sofia (Penelope Cruz) and ignore his possessive girlfriend Julie (Cameron Diaz). Julie crashes her car with David in it, killing herself and disfiguring his face. While David struggles against his unsightly appearance and the possibility of murder charges, the plot slowly builds into a confusing blur between reality and fantasy, incorporating a strange kind of death technology.

Throughout most of the movie, I was not entirely sure what was going on. I didn't know who was alive or who was dead. I DID know that I was not really interested in the story. Some reviewers made an excellent point recently about the John Travolta film Basic: they said it had SO many twists and turns that it lost its steam. I believe the same thing could be said about Vanilla Sky. It's really a shame too, because I think there was a powerful message about beauty and happiness that gets lost amidst the weirdness.

These kind of suspense dramas don't seem to match with Cameron Crowe. I expect this kind of film from someone like David Fincher or Christopher Nolan, but I prefer Crowe when he's writing and directing deep, humanist pictures about love and coming-of-age. I guess I have to applaud him for taking a chance on something different, but the film itself could have been much better.

The performances aren't bad, which saves the movie from being a total loss. Penelope Cruz really stands out; she's the perfect charming woman to sweep Cruise's David off his feet. (Coincidence??) Mr. Cruise is average, flashing his winning smile just enough for us to believe he can emcompass what it's like to be a rich, good-looking publishing exec. Let's just say playing a handsome man that women love to stalk is not a big departure from Cruise's actual persona. Diaz lends enough craziness to be a prettier version of Glenn Close's famous Fatal Attraction psycho. I don't feel that this is as big a breakout role for her as many critics thought. (For that role, see Being John Malkovich.) Finally, Jason Lee plays Brian, the underappreciated and underrated best friend of David. He isn't allowed much opportunity to develop his character, which annoys me a bit. I guess it's still taking Hollywood time to accept him in dramatic roles.

Conclusion: perhaps the original "Abre Los Ojos" should have been left alone. Nine times out of ten, remakes just don't stack up to the originals. This film just didn't work for me.

Not a movie, but an adventure.
People with short attention spans or who can't enjoy deeper levels of humanity won't enjoy this movie. Vanilla Sky really brings to life an experience rather than just a story. There is not a better woven romantic story in the history of film. Throughout this movie there are clever lines between the characters and very vivid elements that are bestowed thanks to Crowe style direction. Cameron Diaz is brilliant with her character Julie...and Penelope Cruz is charming enough and carries off the clever perfection she is meant to be. Tom Cruise, besides looking lovely as ever in most of his scenes, has great chemistry with both Diaz and Cruz...and his struggles throughout the movie to figure out what the hell is going on are imminently endearing. Your mind is incessantly trying to solve the mystery of the story...and they definitely give you enough information to work with...and it literally feels like a speedy coaster as you're moving toward the ultimate result of the film. For those who love romance, this is it at its best. For those who love mysteries and thrillers...this is brilliantly done.

Side Note: If you haven't seen Ocean's Eleven...DON'T. It was the most pathetic display of overpaid acting I've ever seen. No plot, not clever.

Enjoy.

Beautiful, Intriguing, intelligent and a bit plodding
Vanilla Sky stars some beautiful people in beautiful settings. Visually, it is fun to watch--I wanted to find myself in the story.

Tom Cruise plays David, a rich heir to a publishing conglomerate--one who lost his parents at an early age. He coped by learning to play well. We find him approaching his mid-thirties, and still playing at life. He has lots of fun, but not much joy. Cameron Diaz plays his girl friend. She loves David, but understands his immaturity, and so pretends to also simply enjoy playing the game. Sofia (Penelope Cruz) enters the story, and steals David's heart.

The story offers romantic tension, psychological thrills, and science fiction overtones that make this a complex and sometimes plodding adventure. There are hints of "Eyes Wide Shut" in the dream-like quality of much of the film, as well as a "choose your life" dilemma reminiscent of "Total Recall."

The bottom line is that this is a complicated movie. Some patience is required if one is to grasp and enjoy the story. Fans of the actors and actresses, as well as those who enjoy a film that stretches, rather than merely entertaining, will applaud it. The acting, plot, and technical aspects are 5-star, but a rather plodding pace brings to a solid 4.

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