VANILLA SKY

One of the reasons I really appreciated this movie is the fact that it kept me guessing all the while. There was no time to space off—you might miss a little detail that could help you figure out if you were floating or falling.

I think its very interesting that a lot of the people that I saw this movie with thought it was a typical Tom Cruise action-packed flick. Well folks, I'm here to tell you that it isn't Mission Impossible III, and that it was never meant to be. Instead, you get an interesting thinking-person's movie. Its plot line is sometimes a mystery, and the direction its going may make you wonder, but it kept me interested all the way through.

Vanilla Sky is the story of David Aames (Cruise), an extremely wealthy womanizer who obviously knows he could have just about anyone he wanted. In fact, he has quite a few people wrapped around his little finger already. On this list, there is his on-again off-again fling, Julie (Cameron Diaz), who wants more and Brian (Jason Lee) who David supports in order for him to write his book.

On David's birthday, Brian shows up to the party with a beautiful stranger that David is immediately drawn to. It doesn't seem to matter that Sofia (Penélope Cruz) came to the party with Brian, David hones right in and sweeps her away. The pair seems to hit it off straight away and have a great time. Through these scenes, Penélope Cruz proves to me that she can actually act in English. Don't get me wrong, she's great in Spanish, but I had yet to see any of her English work that lives up to en Español. Anyway, after an evening of witty banter and extreme flirting, David runs into Julie, who has been camped outside Sofia's apartment. She has an agenda….

This is where the audience is stunned into complete silence. Remember, I said that the plot is a mystery at times. Well… here's where Hollywood ends and we enter the land of distorted perceptions and questioning reality. One of the reasons I really appreciated this movie is the fact that it kept me guessing all the while. There was no time to space off—you might miss a little detail that could help you figure out if you were floating or falling.

Vanilla Sky is the American adaptation of Abre los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) which had Penélope Cruz originating her role as Sofia. In addition to Abre los Ojos, Alejandro Amenábar also wrote and directed the Nicole Kidman sleeper, The Others, so if you liked that, you'll see the appeal of Vanilla Sky. Forget the trailer, it's totally meant to throw you off the scent of the real story. It does a good job, if you ask me….

All in all, I'd say that if you're willing to go for a psychological roller coaster ride, see this one. You may be among those of us who really likes it, but then again, you may be one of those that hates it. Aren't movies fun?