If you are expecting this romantic love story or something remotely similar you will be very disappointed in director Cameron Crowe’s (Almost Famous) version of Vanilla Sky. I say version because recently this film was made in Latin America under the title Abre Los Ojos. The translation is more to the point than Vanilla Sky. “Open Your Eyes.” This phase “open your eyes” was used frequently throughout the film. The reference to the impressionist painting Vanilla Sky is an indirect or subliminal way to say, what do you see? Because what you see is not necessarily what was painted. So if you think this is a love story or romantic drama, then you are watching the wrong film. Vanilla Sky staring Tom Cruise (Magnolia & Mission Impossible II) is a film not like anything Hollywood as produced lately, if at all. If you paid attention to every single detail and word said you still would not predict the outcome. This film changes direction and time so frequently you have to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Cruise is brilliant as always and so convincing that the true story remains a mystery until cleverly revealed. Cruise is billionaire playboy David Aames who inherited his father’s publishing empire while in his early twenties. The heir apparent was more into snowboarding and racquetball than his 51 percent of the empire, so his father set up a  board of seven members to control the other 49 percent of his empire. Cruise not so affectionately referred to these members as the seven dwarves, and we later learn that they too had a not so nice nickname for their little prince, Citizen Dildo.

Well the movie begins with a programmable alarm clock softly waking Cruise up with. . . Open your eyes repeated over and over again. He leaves his luxurious apartment, gets into his Porsche and eerily drives through a very empty Times Square. We then hear him tell a shrink this story, but it is not clear when he is discussing this with his shrink because it was a bad dream and he wakes up all over again. This time Cameron Diaz (Charlie’s Angels and Something About Mary) is next to him. Diaz is actress Julie Gianni, friend and sometimes “fuckbuddy.” As he is leaving the apartment he tells her he will call, but not when. Cruise gets into his Mustang and drives off to pick up his best friend and author Peter Brown (Johnny Galecki) to play racquetball. This is when we get the terms of Cruise’s relationship with Julie Gianni, his best friends dream girl. Let us skip the board meeting and jump to the birthday party. Cruise did not invite Diaz to his little party but she came anyway. In walks his best friend with Penelope Cruz (Captain Corelli’s Mandolin) and Cruise is infatuated. His best friend just met Sofia Serrano today at the library, so he did meet her first, but that did not stop the billionaire playboy from making a smooth move on her. He asked her to save him from this stalker (Diaz) who is burning a hole through his back as they speak. Cruz described her in the red strapy shoes and dress and probably the saddest woman to ever hold a martini. Even though his best friend tells Cruise he likes Sophia, he lets her have him and they leave the party to go to her apartment. The next morning as he is getting into his car, Diaz drives up and asks him to get into her car, which he does. This is where she drives them off a bridge. The turn of events from this point on move quickly and poignantly. Nothing is the same again. Then we meet the shrink Kurt Russell (3000 Miles to Graceland) that Cruise was talking to in the beginning of the film, only now Cruise is in a latex mask and in a prison setting. Russell is Dr. Curtis McCabe assigned to help Cruise. The story now unfolds as told to the shrink.

I would like to tell you what to look for and what the connection is to each statement or act but that would ruin the surprise. I hate ruining movies that are so well done, so you will just have to see it for yourself. You can just trust that the acting is extraordinary on every level by every actor. The visuals and lighting are wonderful in setting the scenes. I really couldn’t say anything negative about this picture. Then the fact that it stands out as something so original adds to the enjoyment. I give Vanilla Sky a full 10 couches on the About-Movies.com scale. Even though the only nudity is a bare breast of Penelope and not the cute butt of the other Cruise.

Last updated: Saturday, October 28, 2006 05:37:41 PM

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