Vanilla Sky
|
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
Normally I deplore reviews that reveal key story elements, but I will make the exception in this case because Cameron Crowe commits a major cinematic sin, and the People must be Warned: IT'S ALL A DREAM! I'm not talking about Tom Cruise's nightmare that his face will get messed up and he'll no longer be pretty (which does happens to his character). No, I mean that a significant chunk of the action in this movie turns out to be imaginary. This is the ultimate narrative cop-out. In a mystery/thriller, the director should be presenting a compelling series of events, twists, and surprises that lead to an unexpected but credible conclusion. Drawing the audience in, giving them clues and red herrings, building their anticipation of satisfying resolution and then passing it off as all just a dream is cheating! I admit that the film is rife with "Life is a Dream" symbolism, but it doesn't excuse the screenwriter and director from lazy storytelling. I will admit that part of my rancor comes from the Hollywood double standard; an established director will be praised for "creative artistic vision," but a novice in "Screenwriting 101" submitting an It's-All-A-Dream script will be shredded by teacher and classmate critiques. If you aren't as vehemently opposed to the "Dallas Gambit," and are a big fan of Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, or Jason Lee, you may enjoy watching this movie, especially if you really like having people tell you their dreams.
If you liked the movies below, you'll probably like this one (and visa versa):
Eight-Facet Info Rating, rated on a scale of 0 (None) to 4 (Lots!)): |