CRUZING ON EMPTY (Vanilla Sky (DVD))

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Vanilla Sky (DVD)
Date:	20/05/03 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Visually stunning, Interesting story

Disadvantages: Slow at times, Possibly confusing

I remember reading rave reviews of Vanilla Sky when it was released back in 2001. Even the tagline on NTL read "a Cameron Crowe masterpiece". Heady stuff, indeed and so I sat down to take in this inspiration amongst movies to see if it could possibly live up to such a billing.
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Principal cast:
Tom Cruise .... David Aames
Penélope Cruz .... Sofia Serrano
Cameron Diaz .... Julie Gianni
Kurt Russell .... Dr. Curtis McCabe
Jason Lee.... Brian Shelby
Noah Taylor .... Edmund Ventura
Timothy Spall .... Thomas Tipp
Tilda Swinton .... Rebecca Dearborn
Michael Shannon .... Aaron

Director: Cameron Crowe
Running Time: 135 mins
Cert: 15
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Tom Cruise stars as his alter ego, the playboy about town, David Aames. Living the life of the archetypal chauvinist and fully ensconced in the macho male dream, Aames lurches from high society parties to recalcitrant lovers to company boardroom with a fleet of foot worthy of the most mercurial of gentry. Aames has it made, what with a devoted best friend, Brian Shelby (Jason Lee), to look after him in case he misplaces the occasional word whilst the eternally grateful nymphet comes in the shape of Julia Gianni (Cameron Diaz) to dote on his every sexual whim.

However, this nirvana can't last indefinitely and, right on cue, the equilibrium of this cosy set up is rocked via the entrance of the indecipherable Sofia Serrano (Penelope Cruz). As in real life, Cruise falls for Cruz at a party and promptly decides to pursue his young maiden even though a translation book is needed to work out what the temptress is trying to say.

Gianni's assumed role as door mat has been tragically under-estimated. In true bunny boiler fashion, Gianni becomes increasingly jealous of this new partnership and follows Aames to his secret tryst at Serrano'
s flat. Waiting for him outside, the startled Aames accepts a lift from Gianni. What starts as a quick ride home turns into a nightmare as the scorned lover forces Aames to declare his love for her. Not satisfied with his commitment, she promptly drives over the edge the road and into a ditch.

The resulting accident consigns Aames to a life as Quasimodo's double whilst Gianni is not so lucky as she cops the big one. Enter Kurt Russell as the analysing Dr Curtis McCabe. He is the confidant to the dazed Aames as he attempts to unravel what went on in the lead up to the accident.

Thus the audience is left to piece together exactly what did happen through a series of flashbacks and alternate scenarios. These serve to blur the reality of even the soberest of viewers in a surreal set of frames that make you reach for the cannabis if only to try and make it easier to fathom the unfathomable plot.

Recounting the story of Vanilla Sky is difficult without defaulting to the sequences towards the end of the movie. Of course, any review will not want to give away the ending so suffice to say that there is an element of cryogenic freezing that provides the rationale to what's gone before (if that helps at all).

I honestly thought Cruise did well in the lead role. With his pretty boy looks and flashy smile, Cruise is destined to attract as many critics as he is fans in the judgmental world of movies. His depiction of what turns out to be a complex role is commendable. He delivers a difficult role with an air of confidence that ultimately convinces with a modicum of aplomb.

Cameron Diaz looks a million dollars and is utterly believable as the sex crazed obsessive Gianni. The same can't be said for the incomprehensible Penelope Cruz whose doe-eyed expression only seeks to distract from the fact that no one can understand what she's on about.

Vanilla Sky does have some incidental sub-plots. Timothy Spall is compet
ent as Aames only supporter on the board as he seeks to protect his benefactor from the so-called seven dwarves. Jason Lee is summarily self-righteous as Aames long suffering best friend Brian Shelby. With a twinkle in his own eye for Mrs Cruise that is Penelope Cruz, he concedes somewhat despairingly to his glamorous better that is Mr Cruise i.e. Aames.

Cameron Crowe must have been on a nostalgia trip when he worked on this one. What with a musical score boasting Dylan and The Beatles along with the mind bending aspects that would make a sixties hippie extol the virtues of free love whilst watching a gyroscope for hours, the sensation of a standing on the bridge of a ship in a force 10 gale is recreated in a drug-induced homage to both suspense and sci-fi genres in almost equal measure. The story does drag at times as the relationships between the main characters is drawn out. Crowe goes to great lengths to blur the boundaries throughout both at a cognitive level that is the story and a harder to determine level that stitches the future with a hazy past.

There are some classic scenes to marvel at. A deserted Times Square replete with Cruise furiously trying to outrun the camera man, an eerie rooftop scene towards the film's finale and Cruise in a prosthetic mask whilst strutting his stuff at an NY disco all leave their impression on the innocent movie-goer. John Toll's cinematography is first class. In what must have been a challenging movie to make, the images left on canvass do linger and as such he's done his job to a very high level.

This movie seems to fall into the same category as Memento. If you like it you'll love it whereas if you are a mere mortal like me you'll just be confused by it all. It's difficult to reach a recommendation on this one so I'll sit on the fence and suggest you try it for yourself. However, it might be better with a spot of hash.

Thanks for reading

Marandina r>
DVD retails at £15.99 from Amazon
Video retails at £13.49