"I exist in a place... a self-made vacuum" (Vanilla Sky (DVD))

Member Name: andrewl

Product:	Vanilla Sky (DVD)
Date:	20/08/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice visuals, nice soundtrack, nice performances and Tim Spall

Disadvantages: Horribly disjointed

Vanilla Sky was released, and Mount Cool was conquered. After all, what could possibly be cooler than a film starring Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz? The only thing that leaps to mind would be a film starring the above-named, but with a soundtrack laden with Radiohead and REM songs and mental directorial quirks. Oh.

This film has its detractors, and I may turn out to be one of them by the end of this review (I haven't yet decided). However, I choose not to join the voices denouncing this as a Cruise vanity project. Although an alternative title for the film could easily be 'Portrait of the young man as an artist'. Cruise had been attempting to emulate Brad Pitt's uneasy credibility as an actor for some time (Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut), but not in anything that might cause him to get so much as his nails dirty until now. As he hid his pretty boy face behind a mask for a bit of the film, he screams 'I'm good too!'

This isn't really an issue for me. Although Cruise is at the centre of every scene in the film (for reasons which become overwhelmingly clear towards the end), there is so much else going on. For a vanity project, other characters are given a huge amount of space to develop. Jason Lee, playing Cruise's best friend, is a particularly great piece of work. This may well be a vanity project, but its star never threatens to rock the boat despite his omnipresence.

So, what's the plot? Tom Cruise plays David Aames, a wealthy womaniser who runs a publishing empire despite the constant pressure from his board, who he has christened 'The Seven Dwarves'. He has casual sex with Cameron Diaz's character, Julie, who is apparently some kind of actress, but ditches her even more casually when he meets struggling dancer Cruz. Julie is a little annoyed at this, and so drives him off a bridge, killing herself and mutilating David's face.

Then things get a little confusing, due to the fact that this is all being told in flashback from David's prison cell, where he's facing murder charges. Basically, David takes control of his publishing empire, renews his relationship with Cruz's character (you can tell I've forgotten her name, can't you?) and starts having all sorts of fun. Then suddenly he wakes up in bed with Julie. Cruz starts sharing the character with Diaz in a fashion which bewilders the viewer as much as it does David. Eventually, he remembers that he did in fact strangle her. He appears to be guilty of murder, but the story does not stop there.

Throughout most of the film, you may well be inclined to be confused and a little irritated at the constant dream sequences, which are filmed 'as real' for the most part. This is all explained at the end for the most part, but it is my view that many viewers will be alienated beyond the point of caring. Despite its high-profile stars and marketing, this is not a film designed to be watched by your average blockbuster crowd. Even the ultra-cool soundtrack makes this clear, full of twitchy alternative Kid A Radiohead, it is often unsettling and complements the action rather than being a selection of top tunes to boost soundtrack sales. With hindsight, the most ironic choice is REM's fantastic Sweetness Follows, playing loudly as a deformed Tom Cruise staggers down darkened streets in drunken pursuit of his would-be lover.

Radiohead's songs about withdrawing from society are also extremely appropriate because, well, it's obvious from the outset that something's wrong with reality in this film and Cruise's character is clearly in some sort of dream world most of the time.

This, I think, is Crowe's fatal mistake. Where Groundhog Day succeeded by the simple virtue of failing to explain its time travel quirks, Vanilla Sky ultimately seems extremely disjointed by the sudden introduction of science-fiction themes and sensibilities at the last moment. Although themes of self-delusion have been present throughout, and the twist in the tale is moderately simple enough to spot in some ways, the jump from dream-laden thriller to sci-fi headtrip is just silly. Cruise's mental world has been shown disintegrating clearly, but not quite enough to warrant the change of tone when the truth is revealed. In many ways a better conclusion might have been for him to wake up and discover it was all just a dream. Or to reveal that he was just a madman. Instead, I left the cinema with the impression of a director trying just a little too hard to be clever.

It's clear I'm not the only one. In many of her scenes, Cruz appears more than a little restless. Her eyes dart about constantly, and she looks positively embarrassed in her final scene.

A near miss then, but it's extremely easy to find a great deal of enjoyment in the sheer detail of the film. Cameron Crowe reveals his debt to two of my heroes, Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. Gosh, how long has it been since I saw Jules et Jim referenced in a film? Oh yeah, Amelie. Ah well. But the tribute goes deeper than a brief clip and a poster of A Bout de Souffle. Just as Jules is obsessed with the back of Catherine's neck in Truffaut's film, so Aames identifies Cruz by a small mole on her chest. As Cruise staggers through the darkened streets, someone has also told him to imitate Jean-Paul Belmondo's final moments in A Bout de Souffle. This is less offensive than Richard Gere doing it. Believe me. This moment, combined with the ironic use of Sweetness Follows signals the end of one story and the beginning of another.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more elements could have been influenced by New Wave film-makers. The mystery of Cruise's world is located almost solely in his women, and woman is always an object of mystery for Godard and Truffaut. And actors swapping characters can be seen at its most effective in Providence, by Alain Resnais.

But you can play that game for far too long. British actor Tim Spall (I note he's changed to Timothy since he started appearing in films) is a prominent supporting figure as an alcoholic lawyer. You might just as well claim that he influenced the plot following his role as a technician in Red Dwarf episode, Back to Reality. But it's true that this film has an extremely European feel to it (not just in its remade plot).

Ultimately, Vanilla Sky is a difficult to place film. It's not a romance, and it's not a science-fiction film. My gut instinct would be to suggest that it's a romance with a science-fiction twist added to justify Crowe's wild visual experiments. The fully-fledged Vanilla Skies are breath-taking, and so many shots are stunningly beautiful in their composition and lighting, but they look just a little too good for a conventional narrative. The film looks cool, it stars cool people, it plays cool songs, and it pays tribute to cool artists. Monet gets to recover some of the cred he lost by being referenced in Titanic, and Cameron Diaz looks more stunning than she has since she was in The Mask. That the story falls down a little can almost be overlooked amidst all the bold visuals and clever ideas present.

So, crunch time, Andrewl. Do you recommend Vanilla Sky? Yes. Because it's cool. It's not perfect, but it is enjoyable on at least a couple of levels, despite all the eye candy on display. You should probably check out the original Spanish version as well though, in all fairness.

It's also currently available for about £4 on Amazon, so what do you have to lose, really?

Summary: If you want to make a sci-fi thriller about levels of reality - do it. Don't make it a subplot.