Recently, Alejandro Amenábar released a movie that he wrote and directed called "The Others." It was produced by Tom Cruise, and it starred Cruise's now ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. Amenábar made waves a few years before with his unusual, thought-provoking films, all of which were in Spanish. I guess Tom Cruise was a fan of his, because Cruise went on to make "The Others" with him, and now he's releasing a movie that he produced and stars in that's an American remake of one of Amenábar most popular Spanish films, "Abre los Ojos." Not only that, after ending his marriage with Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise started seeing (and is still seeing) one of the stars of "Abre Los Ojos," Penélope Cruz. Penélope Cruz is also one of the stars in the American remake, playing the exact same character she played in the original.
Pretty wacky, eh?
Anyway, the American remake is called "Vanilla Sky," and I can't compare it with the original because I haven't seen it (yet), but I can tell you that it's American counterpart is a very good movie that's filled with surprises. It's a movie written and directed by Cameron Crowe, who is one of my favorite filmmakers. He wrote and directed "Say Anything," "Singles," "Jerry Maguire," and "Almost Famous," all of which are movies I really like. "Vanilla Sky" is a bit of a departure for him. Unlike his other movies, it's not something he created, it's not a simple story about people and how they interact, and it's not at all a personal movie for him. He DID throw a lot of his personality into the movie, fans of Cameron Crowe will recognize a lot of it, but for the most part, "Vanilla Sky" is like a work-for-hire movie for him. Because of that, it's probably my least favorite of his films, but I still like it. Also, like with "Almost Famous," I have a feeling that there's a significantly longer director's cut that will soon be available on DVD.
I don't know how much you know about "Vanilla Sky," but the trailers and commercials do a great job of telling you very little about the movie. If you walk in knowing as little as I did, then it's safe to say that this movie is NOTHING like what you think it will be.
Wait, before I go on, I have a confession to make. I don't like Penélope Cruz. No, that's not right. I have nothing against her personally, I just don't see the big deal. She's by no means ugly, but she's not beautiful. She's not a horrible actress, but she's not great either. But for the past couple of years, the media has pushed her down our throats. Why? What is it about her that has the media going nuts? It's not just that she's with Tom Cruise, 'cause the media was all over her before Tom Cruise was with her. I have a feeling that it's just one of those things where she got a really powerful agent, and that agent saw to it that the American public knew who she was. She was all over the place, and now that Tom Cruise is her main squeeze, it's even worse. For all I know, she could be a sweet, wonderful person. I just wish that the media would stop pushing her on us.
So yeah, Penélope Cruz is in the movie. She's pretty good, I suppose, but her accent is thick to the point of distraction. That was the same problem I had when I saw her in "Blow." This is definitely a Tom Cruise movie, though, and he spends the first 45 minutes doing nothing but smiling. It's weird, but even during scenes where he's not supposed to be happy, he's flashing that Tom Cruise smile. I'm not bashing him, though, that's just how the character is. You have to see it to know what I'm talking about. I always thought that Tom Cruise was an underrated actor. I still think that. I don't think he's been given the credit he deserves. In every movie I see him in, he's great. Look at his performance in "Magnolia" if you doubt me. "Jerry Maguire," another movie Tom Cruise did with Cameron Crowe, is another good example. In "Vanilla Sky," Tom Cruise has another really good performance. Cameron Diaz is also in the movie, and she's great. She's at the same time sweet, sexy, and chilling. She's come a long way since playing the blonde bombshell in "The Mask." Kurt Russell plays a doctor, and this is an unusually small role for him. It may have been a favor, since he's like a surrogate father to Kate Hudson, who turned lotsa heads in Cameron Crowe's previous film, "Almost Famous." Russell is very convincing in the role. He's a very cool, very versatile actor. It's a shame that this is one of the few good movies that he's been in recently. Jason Lee plays Tom Cruise's best friend in the movie, and he's great. Fans of Kevin Smith films know Jason Lee from "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." He was also in "Almost Famous" as the lead singer of the band Stillwater. He's a great actor, and the way he delivers dialogue is awesome.
"Vanilla Sky" is a really good movie, though it may take two viewings to truly understand it. I enjoyed it, though it dragged every now and then, and suspension of disbelief is relied on perhaps too heavily. This isn't a movie for everybody, but it's definitely worth watching. Cameron Crowe fans may be disappointed that it's nothing like his previous films, but they'll be happy to know that at least his unique way of writing dialogue is intact. This movie is a tough call, 'cause people are very divided. Some love it, some hate it. I guess it's up to the person. I personally liked it, so there.
Scale of 1-10: 8