By Sergio Ben
TITLE: Vanilla Sky
RATING: HH
DIRECTOR: Cameron Crowe
CAST: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Penelope Cruz. VENUE: Ster Kinekor cinemas.
Dreams within reality, reality within dreams, dreams within dreams - this is the gist of Vanilla Sky.
Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz headline this abysmal experiment of wheels within wheels, real and the surreal.
Director Cameron Crowe demonstrates a remarkable lack of discipline in this movie.
Vanilla Sky is based on the Spanish film, Abre Los Ojos, by Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gil - which starred Penelope Cruz as Sofie Serrano, the same role she fills here.
Cruise plays the role of David Aames, a poor little rich boy. He inherits a vast publishing company from his father, a man whose reputation overshadows his son's progress in the world.
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David is safe in the physical trappings of his wealth. A sophisticated television set, a sumptuous New York apartment, gorgeous paintings and other art complete his "living the dream".
But David is lonely in his dream. He is trapped within this search for meaning, love and adventure. He is haunted by irrelevant sexual encounters with Julie Gianni (Cameron Diaz). In essence, he is a shallow man actively seeking spiritual redemption. But he fails.
Enter Sofia, a woman who excites his blood and makes him extend his thinking towards the profound. He projects a lifetime of happiness with her.
But Julie stalks David mercilessly. The result - a horrific car crash which leaves him disfigured.
Until this point, the pace and plot are fine. But Crowe loses control in steering this movie towards an end. After the car crash, the movie could have ended at any point.
It is filled with absurdities, adding nothing valuable to a character's growth and the plot.
Crowe's lack of discipline is evident in the brutal, hamfisted approach in blending what is real and surreal.
Europeans, with their years of film-making experience, are more subtle in their approach to melding fantasy with reality.
If a director has to take time and explain to viewers what happens in the rest of the movie, he has failed.
Although Vanilla Sky is undone by its absurd length, awkward direction and complex plot, the talented cast have pulled out all the stops.
Cruise is quite good as the emotionally fragile David.
Diaz, as an emotionally dependent stalker, is chilling. Behind her ravishing smile lurk dark actions and sinister thoughts.
And Cruz? She is a delight to watch. She dominates every scene with her beauty and acting skill.
With judicious editing, tighter direction and the plot's complexity reduced, Vanilla Sky could have been an outstanding flick.
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