Cruz Needs The Love
"Penelope Cruz's work in Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the most bolt-out-of-the-blue performance I have seen since Daniel Day Lewis' work in There Will Be Blood, which, and of itself, was the most bolt-out-of-the-blue performance since Robert De Niro's work as La Motta," writes an HE loyalist and successful screenwriter. "Nothing I have ever seen from Cruz quite prepared me for what was coming. In fact, no actress's work would have prepared me for what she gave up here -- the ultimate bi-polar portrayal, equally believable in her character's moments of hysteria and tenderness.
"Woody Allen has given Cruz and costar Javier Bardem the gift of allowing them to navigate two languages within single scenes, sometimes even within phrases and sentences. Its sensational stuff and some sort of case study in reactive acting, in listening (even when she despairs in listening). VCB is loaded up with great performances, I believed every second of every look made and word uttered, but its Cruz's show all the way.
"Give the release date of the film and my expectation that the movie will crash and burn at the box office, there will probably be no nomination for this woman. That will be an outrage we can all look back on."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 16, 2008 at 12:42 PM
comment #1
BurmaShave says ...
Actually I think she's a lock, and deservedly so. And this film is SO much better than I'd read. Easily his best in a decade.
Posted by BurmaShave at August 16, 2008 1:04 PM
comment #2
btwnproductions says ...
Cruz is also terrific in ELEGY, her best English-language performance.
Posted by btwnproductions at August 16, 2008 1:19 PM
comment #3
jjgittes says ...
It's an excellent performance in a very good film.
I take issue with the wording of the praise. The most "out of the blue...." blah blah blah. So DeNiro did "Raging Bull" .....then 27 years went by.then Day-Lewis did "TWBB" and now less than a year later we have the next most out of the blue blah blah blah.
Posted by jjgittes at August 16, 2008 1:20 PM
comment #4
Joel says ...
Why wouldn't you be prepared for a fantastic performance from Penelope? Maybe some of her English-language movies have been less-than-spectacular, but she has given some great performances over the years.
Posted by Joel at August 16, 2008 1:34 PM
comment #5
Rob says ...
She is spectacular in the film. Plus it doesn't appear to be crashing and burning at the box office, and it's not exactly unusual for actors in Allen movies to be nominated.
Posted by Rob at August 16, 2008 2:45 PM
comment #6
K. Bowen says ...
She's great, but that good? I don't know. I thought Daniel Day-Lewis gave the greatest performance since Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland. Who gave the greatest performance since Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote. Who gave the greatest performance since .....
The greatest performance of the last decade/ 25 years/century seems to happen once a year.
Posted by K. Bowen at August 16, 2008 2:50 PM
comment #7
Tim says ...
"The greatest performance of the last decade/ 25 years/century seems to happen once a year."
Yes, but it happens to be true in the case of one Mr. Daniel Plainview.
Posted by Tim at August 16, 2008 3:44 PM
comment #8
calraigh says ...
She was incredible in Elegy , helped along by that movie's equally incredible script and Coixet's direction. I'd love to see her get a gong but (having not seen VCB) for something mindblowing because there's something profoundly brilliant about the way she does a number on a scene that another, lesser actor would make pedestrian. The scene in Elegy where she poses for Kingsley is one of the most moving things I've ever seen.
Posted by calraigh at August 16, 2008 3:48 PM
comment #9
Richardson says ...
I love Day-Lewis in 'There Will Be Blood', but was it really a surprising performance? It didn't seem like a huge stretch for him, just a better role to sink his teeth into.
De Niro in 'Raging Bull', maybe -- but if Cruz is this good, it would be quite a bigger surprise than a great performance from the man who starred in 'Godfather II', "Taxi Driver', 'Deer Hunter'...
Posted by Richardson at August 16, 2008 4:53 PM
comment #10
filmfan says ...
She is great in the film and I liked all of the other actors as well. Her role is very juicy and I am sure that she will be nominated. I will see Elegy next weekend. Buy why is everyone so surprised about her acting abilities. She has more then proven herself in the past. And the film is doing very well, at least in NYC>
Posted by filmfan at August 16, 2008 4:55 PM
comment #11
Edward says ...
Damn, she makes smoking a cigarette sexy.
Posted by Edward at August 16, 2008 5:48 PM
comment #12
fielding says ...
Oh, she will definitely get an Oscar nomination and probably the win. The secret to her performance is that she took the role absolutely seriously and never poked fun at the character and her problems.
I also think Woody will get a screenplay nomination (director would be good too, but next to impossible).
Posted by fielding at August 16, 2008 7:03 PM
comment #13
Thrudvangar says ...
...writes an HE loyalist and successful screenwriter.
D.Z.?
Posted by Thrudvangar at August 17, 2008 4:16 AM
comment #14
fumero says ...
She is so overrated and the whole "I'm batting my beautiful doe eyes at you, pouting my luscious lips, acting like a stereo-typical, flighty sex-pot movie latina, and laughing like Sophia Loren because I don't understand a word you say my little cute American/Spanish/Italian man/boy/Tom Cruise or whatever you are, GOD I HATE that Salma Hayek bitch, she stole my thunder, and so did that Rachel Weisz in 'a fountain' and that stuck up 'Solaris' Natascha McElhone bitch when they tried to run away from the camera all sexy and mysterious in a flashback like I did in Vanilla Sky" look is now beyond tired. *whew*
There's something very homely and down-syndrome-ish about her face...I can't put my finger on it, but then again, I'm gay, so that fake sexy shit don't work on me.
Posted by fumero at August 17, 2008 4:46 AM
comment #15
calraigh says ...
'' There's something very homely and down-syndrome-ish about her face..I can't quite put my finger on it, but then again, I'm gay, so that fake sexy shit don't work on me. ''
Nope, but I bet a good kick up the arse would.
Posted by calraigh at August 17, 2008 6:37 AM
comment #16
free games
says ...
She's great.
Posted by free games
at October 28, 2009 12:08 AM