Vanilla sky

Year of release : 2001

 

Run time : 2h17min

 

Genre : Sci Fi / Thriller / Psychological Thriller / Mystery

 

Cast : Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell, Tilda Swinton, Jason Lee

 

 

This is one of my favorite movies. The colors,the scenery is just amazing. The scenes,action, just flow and merge with the amazing music,which is like the soundtrack of a fairy tale.

 

David Aames ,the son of a publishing magnate,now at the helm of the empire due to his parents' death,is a very selfish person. He only thinks about himself and treats women like disposables. He has this beautiful model played by Cameron Diaz falling for him,but to him she is just a friend with benefits.

On the night of the day the movie starts,his birthday,he meets Sofia,who came to his party with his best friend. The moment he sees her,he flirts shamelessly with her,right in front of his best friend and Julie,the model who loves him. He calls Julie a stalker for coming to his birthday party uninvited,although he just spent the night with her.

 

He spends the night with Sofia and in the morning he meets Julie. Julie takes him for a ride and drives the car off a bridge,killing herself,leaving him with serious health problems.

From there on,things start turning strange as David doesn't know what's real or not.

 

I loved the movie,the whole dream feeling to it,being amplified by the dream-like music,the colors and the sound effects of wires being plugged in and people talking in a place unseen.

 

The acting was great,Tom Cruise,as always gives an amazing performance,especially since he has to act with his face distorted a quarter of the time,the other quarter having to wear a mask.

 

The movie has cameos of Johnny Galecki, Conan O'Brien, and I honestly think Tom Cruise's secretary is played by Lisa Loeb.

 

SPOILERS

Regardless of what they say in the movie,the whole movie is a dream because in the first scene we get to hear Penelope's voice saying "abre los ojos",then "open your eyes",a homage to the original Spanish movie Abre Los Ojos made in 1997 in which Penelope Cruz plays the same character she plays in this one,Sofia. At that moment he didn't know Sofia. Also,he has a dream with empty streets and right after he talks to the psychiatrist who once again,exists only in his mind.

 

Viewer discretion is advised, as the movie contains mature content(explicit language and nudity).

Rating : The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of !