Penélope Cruz Movies
One of Spain's foremost leading ladies of the 1990s, Penélope Cruz has managed to make her mark with international audiences as well. Born in Madrid on April 28, 1974, Cruz was one of three children of a merchant and a hairdresser. After years of intensive study in ballet and jazz, she broke into acting in 1992. That year, she had starring roles in Jamón Jamón and Belle Epoque, two very disparate films. The former cast her as the desperately poor daughter of a village prostitute, while the latter featured her as one of four lusty daughters of a wealthy man in pre-Franco Spain. Belle Epoque proved to be a huge success, winning nine Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of an Academy Award) and an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Its success gave Cruz a dose of international recognition, and after starring in a number of Spanish films, she enhanced this recognition in 1997 with the Sundance entry Abre los Ojos (Open Your Eyes). That same year, she had a brief but memorable role in Pedro Almodóvar's Carne Trémula (Live Flesh).In 1998, Cruz had her first starring role in an English-language film, playing Billy Crudup's Mexican-American love interest in Stephen Frears' The Hi-Lo Country. She had another go at English later that year in the Spanish-British romantic comedy Twice Upon a Yesterday, which cast her as a Spanish barmaid living in London. In 1999, she returned to Spain to collaborate once again with Almodóvar on Todo Sobre Mi Madre (All About My Mother), a wildly acclaimed film that premiered at Cannes that year.
The next two years would prove to be a critical turning point in both Cruz's personal and professional life, with increasingly visible roles in large-scale Hollywood productions as well as a developing relationship with one Tinseltown's most popular leading men. Gaining notice for her roles in All the Pretty Horses in 2000 and Blow the following year, it appeared as if Cruz's career had suddenly kicked into overdrive. After starring alongside Nicolas Cage in the underperforming Captain Corelli's Mandolin in 2001, Cruz dove back into familiar territory with director Cameron Crowe's remake of Abre los Ojos, Vanilla Sky (2001). Developing a close relationship with lead Tom Cruise as his much publicized breakup with Nicole Kidman drew to a close, the pair soon found themselves the center of considerable paparazzi attention as they became Hollywood's hottest new couple.
While "Cruz & Cruise" outlasted most celebrity couplings born on movie sets -- even generating wedding talk -- the duo went their separate ways in 2004. Perhaps not coincidentally, Cruz's career took a backseat to her paramour's while she was dating him; between 2001 and 2004, most of her roles were either minor ones in uncelebrated American indies (Waking Up in Reno, Masked and Anonymous, Noel) or meatier ones in foreign films that failed to gain traction in the States (Fanfan la Tulipe, Don't Move, Bandidas). Luckily, the actress rebounded with a performance thought by many critics to be the best of her career, when she re-teamed with one of her earliest champions, Pedro Almodóvar, for his nostalgic, bittersweet Volver in 2006. Warm, witty, and biting, Cruz's performance kept her name in the running for many year-end awards, even garnering her her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
In 2008, Cruz earned strong reviews for her work in Elegy, but it was her turn in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona that garnered her Best Supporting Actress nods from the Hollywood Foreign Press, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Academy. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Pedro Almodóvar directs Penélope Cruz in an adaptation of author Thierry Jonquet's dark 1995 novel Mygale, in which an unhinged plastic surgeon exacts terrifying revenge on the men who raped his beloved daughter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz
- 2007
Adrien Brody and Penélope Cruz star as legendary Spanish matador Manolete and his tempestuous girlfriend Lupe Sino, respectively, in director/screenwriter Menno Meyjes' tale of love and bullfighting. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Penélope Cruz, (more)
- 2003
Directed by Gérard Krawczyk, Fanfan la Tulipe is a remake of the classic 1952 swashbuckling satire by French director Christian-Jaque. Set in the 18th century, Vincent Perez plays the title role of the seductive swordsman Fanfan, who flees his home in order to avoid a forced marriage. A gypsy girl named Adeline (Penelope Cruz) tricks him into joining the army of King Louis XV (Didier Bourdon) by telling him that if he fights, he will get to marry one of the king's daughters. In addition to producing, Luc Besson co-wrote the adapted screenplay. Fanfan la Tulipe premiered at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Perez, Penélope Cruz, (more)
- 1999
Based on a historical novel by Antonio Larreta, Volaverunt imagines a number of romantic misadventures that enlivened the court of King Carlos IV, a Spanish ruler of the early 19th century. As the story opens, the beautiful Duchess of Alba (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) is sharing a coach passing through Andalusia with artist Francisco de Goya (Jorge Perugorria), Prime Minister Manuel de Godey (Jordi Molla), and Pepita Tudo (Penelope Cruz), a peasant girl. Goya and de Godey are obviously charmed by the Duchess's exotic beauty and free-spirited attitude, but the Prime Minister is equally smitten with Pepita. The Prime Minister invites her to the royal court in Madrid, where she becomes his mistress and the subject of several of Goya's paintings. However, Queen Maria Luisa (Stefania Sandrelli) disapproves of de Godey's new love, and instead arranges for him to marry the Countess de Chinchon (Maria Alonso), a plain-Jane member of low-level royalty. The Duchess is upset with de Godey's marriage, as it keeps her away from a collection of royal jewelry she covets. When the Duchess suddenly and mysteriously dies, Goya, de Godey, and Pepita are all murder suspects and must confess where they were and what they were doing at the moments leading up to her death. While the film itself received mixed notices, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon received the Silver Shell as Best Actress at the 1999 San Sebastian Film Festival. The version screened at San Sebastian and several other festivals in the fall of 1999 was director Bigas Luna's original cut; the film's producers announced that the film would be re-edited for international release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Penélope Cruz, (more)
This video documentary looks at the history of Hispanic or Latino stars and pictures in Hollywood, focusing on the last half of the 20th century. Stars such as Jimmy Smits, Antonio Banderas, Sonia Braga, and others discuss their experiences as Hispanic actors. They reflect on prejudices and attitudes, "Latin lovers" such as Valentino, and on how their positions in Hollywood differ compared to previous Hispanic actors. Highlights include excerpts from various movies with Latino actors, stories or themes, including the Academy Award-winning West Side Story (1961), Neptune's Daughter (1949), The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982), Stand and Deliver (1987), and others. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rita Hayworth, Dolores Del Rio, (more)
Post-Franco filmmaker Fernando Trueba's first Spanish-based feature since 1993's Oscar-winning Belle Epoque, La Nina de Tus Ojos begins in 1938, when Spain is torn by Civil War. As a sign of cordiality between General Franco and Adolph Hitler, a Spanish film crew is invited to Nazi Germany's UFA Studios in Berlin to make two versions of a popular Andalusian musical. The cast includes sexy, golden-hearted Macarena (Penélope Cruz), director Blas Fontiveros (Antonio Resines), leading man Julian Torralba (Jorge Sanz), art director Castillo (Santiago Segura) and alcoholic Rosa Rosales (Rosa Maria Sarda). On arrival, they gape at the resplendent shooting facilities, thankful to escape the misery of their war-torn country. However, it is not long before they realize what they have got themselves into, particularly when Nazi propaganda minister Josef Goebbels (Johannes Silberschneider) falls for the Latina charms of Macarena. German actress of Fassbinder fame Hanna Schygulla makes a cameo appearance as the wizened wife of the lustful propaganda minister. La Nina de Tus Ojos competed in the 49th Berlin International Film Festival in 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Antonio Resines, (more)
Actor Jacques Weber made his directorial debut with this film adaptation of Don Juan written in 1665 by Moliere (1622-1673). In early 17th-century Spain, two women (Penelope Cruz, Ariadne Gil) believe Don Juan (Weber) when he promises marriage to both, but they soon are left to ponder his whereabouts. However, the brothers of Elvire (Emmanuelle Beart), also abandoned by Don Juan, are out for revenge. Musical interludes (a cappella chorales, guitar) are by Bruno Coulais. After Moliere faced clerical opposition to Tartuffe (1664), it was banned, and he then wrote Don Juan, also subjected to continual attacks. For more on Moliere and Don Juan, go to the summary of Frederick Wiseman's La Comedie Francaise ou L'amour Joue (1996). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacques Weber, Michel Boujenah, (more)
- 1997
This Pedro Almodóvar melodrama examines how several lives are changed by a single gunshot. Adapting the novel Live Flesh by British mystery author Ruth Rendell, Almodóvar has given the material a Spanish makeover with added political thrust. Beginning in 1970 in Franco's Madrid, when a prostitute (Penelope Cruz) gives birth to a son, Victor, the story leaps forward to contemporary Madrid. Wealthy diplomat's daughter Elena (Francesca Neri) is watching Luis Buñuel's The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de La Cruz (1955) while waiting for the arrival of her heroin dealer, and she buzzes Victor (Liberto Rabal) (with whom she made a date, then forgot about him) into the building. In the confusion that follows, two cops, David (Javier Bardem) and Sancho (Jose Sancho) arrive, and a gun goes off. The story then makes another leap to four years later: Victor is in prison, while Elena, no longer on drugs, runs a disadvantaged children's shelter and is married to wheelchair-bound David. After his release, Victor visits his mother's grave and spots David and Elena at the cemetery -- where David meets philandering wife Clara (Angela Molina). Fate interweaves the tangled interrelationships of all into a complex tapestry of destiny and guilt. Shown at 1997 London and New York film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, (more)
- 1996
- Add Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health to QueueAdd Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health to top of Queue
This sophisticated Spanish romantic comedy charts the course of a long-time on-again-off again love affair between Diana Balaguer and Santi Garcia. The story begins at a sumptuous dinner party for the King of Spain. There the beauteous Diana Balaguer makes eye contact with security guard Santi Garcia, and suddenly faints dead away. The story fades from 1996 to 1966, and the film switches from color to black-and-white. Diana is a teenager with a terrible crush on Beatle John Lennon. She sneaks into his room and hides under the bed when Lennon arrives with a groupie. Diana is shocked to find herself hiding beside the handsome Santi. As Lennon and the groupie begin making out, so do the youngsters beneath them. Thus begins their sporadic affair. Over its course, Diana reveals her ambitions to become a society hostess. Unfortunately, Santi simply wants to settle down, get married and raise children. Their differences cause the lovers to drift apart. By the time the film returns to the present tense, both lovers have undergone major changes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ana Belén, Juanjo Puigcorbe, (more)
- 1995
Music and sex provide the motivation for this lively Spanish comedy that centers on 20-year old horn player, Pablo, who is nursing a broken heart after breaking up with his boyfriend. Following a failed audition for the National Youth Orchestra, Pablo encounters another musician, Salome who doesn't believe he is really gay and takes him to a psychiatrist to prove it. Pablo's domineering mother, a laundress who affects a vast musical knowledge, wants him to reunite with his former lover, but this does not stop her son from secretly wishing he could be with Salome who in the meantime, falls in love with Pablo's father, a music teacher, who has quietly used his influence to sneak his son into the orchestra after all. Mayhem ensues as Pablo simultaneously deals with his sexual ambivalence and a gentle rivalry for first chair in the horn section. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Life and love provides the focus for this Spanish comedy which focuses upon four couples. Pablo, a pessimist, has a new lover. His relationship is very similar to the relationships of his three friends. Though they are all dissatisfied with their mates, none of the possess the courage to change their situations. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Coque Malla, (more)
Omero Antonutti is divorced, and has a grown son who a young, upwardly-mobile professional person (yuppie) and an ex-wife who regularly sharpens her tongue on him. These developments have only served to sharpen the cynicism he naturally has as a private investigator, constantly exposed as he is to the shabbiest human behavior. However, when a beautiful and obviously wealthy woman asks him to track down her second boyfriend on behalf of herself and her first boyfriend, his interest is aroused. The absent boyfriend is a professional model from Greece who is also a painter. The woman believes he may have disappeared somewhere in Barcelona. His investigation exposes the P.I. to a world of sexual and other eccentricities which even he had never imagined existed anywhere, much less in his hometown. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omero Antonutti, Eusebio Poncela, (more)
- 1993
This biographical drama is an attempt to tell the story of the life of St. Joseph (Diego Abatantuono), the father-figure of the young Jesus' life, the long-suffering husband of the much younger Mary (Penelope Cruz). In this story, Joseph, a mature man, has courted any number of other women, but has not married any. Mary shows up back at his home village several months pregnant after he courted her some months before. Although he knows better, everyone in the village assumes he must have gotten her in that condition, and he marries her. This helps clear the air and his reputation. The poor carpenter is rather puzzled at Mary's insistence that he remain celibate, and eventually goes mad. No magical events appear onscreen, and the only mystery is how Mary managed to give birth to Jesus' younger brothers without the help of her husband. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diego Abatantuono, Penélope Cruz, (more)
- 1993
Enza (Penelope Cruz) has been around the block, at least as far as survival on the streets is concerned. She's also not averse to stealing from her sister Rosaria (Lorenza Indovina). However, when they are both sent to a boarding school/reformatory which is run by nuns, they expect the worst - lots of rules, lots of confinement, arbitrary punishments, etc. Instead, they find that Sister Valida (Laura Betti), who runs the school, believes in letting the girls out from time to time, and permits an unusual amount of freedom. Thus, even though they experience the usual reform-school interactions with the other girls, such as fights and punishment for them, they get to explore the world a bit, too. Enza even gets to learn something about romance with a couple of interesting boys. This closely observed teen drama was directed by novelist and screenwriter Aurelio Grimaldi, who also works full time as a teacher. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Stefano Dionisi, (more)
- 2009
- R
- Add Broken Embraces to Queue
A follow-up to Spanish enfant terrible Pedro Almodóvar's 2006 arthouse sensation Volver, Los Abrazos Rotos finds the filmmaker re-teaming with actress Penélope Cruz and working on a canvas much broader than those of his previous outings, in terms of genres covered, narrative scope, and duration. Lluís Homar stars as the former Mateo Blanco, a screenwriter and ex-director who changed his name to Harry Caine after losing his sight in an automobile accident. A past scandal suddenly resurfaces when the news arrives that the producer of one of Harry's old movies ("Girls and Suitcases"), a corrupt stockbroker named Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez), has died. For mysterious reasons, this makes Harry's ex-production manager Judit (Blanca Portillo) nervous; then Ernesto's son, Ray X (Rubén Ochandiano), turns up and asks Harry to help him write a vindictive script to get back at his vile father. The film subsequently flashes back to the early '90s, when Martel became involved with his secretary, Lena (Cruz), but Mateo also began to develop feelings for her, and auditioned her for "Girls and Suitcases." In response to Mateo's interest in Lena (and her burgeoning interest in him), the jealous Martel commissioned Ray to make a documentary about the making of "Girls and Suitcases" as an excuse to spy on the director and star. This enabled him to watch Mateo spiriting off with Lena right under his nose, and set the stage for the wily producer's elaborate revenge against Mateo. As this synopsis suggests, Almodóvar uses a tricky structure laden with flashbacks to both comment on and explain the events of the present; he also interweaves a noirish sensibility throughout the picture that marks something of a first for this director. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Blanca Portillo, (more)
Adapted from author Philip Roth's novel The Dying Animal, director Isabel Coixet's elegant tale of obsession explores the relationship between a highly respected professor (Ben Kingsley) and an impossibly gorgeous grad student (Penélope Cruz). As their relationship deepens, the professor finds his ego challenged by the girl's enchanting beauty. Dennis Hopper and Patricia Clarkson co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, (more)
Written and directed by Jake Paltrow, the romantic comedy The Good Night stars Martin Freeman as a onetime pop superstar who has swallowed his pride and now makes a living as a jingle writer. Although he has a steady relationship with a longtime girlfriend (Gwyneth Paltrow), he has become bored with her even though he loves her and dreams often of his idealized perfect woman (Penélope Cruz). One day he meets that dream girl in the flesh, forcing him to confront his feelings for his girlfriend head-on. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Gwyneth Paltrow, (more)
Two sisters learn that the bonds of family don't always end after death in this gentle observational comedy drama that marks celebrated Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's 16th feature. The story explores the interactions between three generations of women in a Spanish family. Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) was born and raised in the apocryphal village of Alcanfor de las Infantas, in La Mancha, Spain. However, she now resides in Madrid, where she works as a janitor. She is married to Paco (Antonio de la Torre), an unemployed layabout, and looks after her daughter, Paula (Yohana Cobo). Raimunda's mother, Irene (Carmen Maura), died several years back (along with her father) in a house fire. Raimunda's younger sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), also lives in Madrid and works as a hair stylist, while their aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave) still makes her home in La Mancha, with occasional help from neighbor Agustina (Blanca Portillo). The story takes an unusual and mystical twist when Agustina mentions that Irene has begun reappearing in ghostly form -- a fact questioned by Raimunda and Sole. After a murder and an unexpected family tragedy, Paula's story is indeed corroborated by the appearance of Irene's spirit (who has come to comfort her family), and Sole must decide how to respond to the long-dead mother's strange, enchanting presence. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, (more)
Australian filmmaker John Duigan directs the romantic war drama Head in the Clouds. Charlize Theron stars as ambitious photographer Gilda Bessé, who lives in France during the 1930s. She shares her stylish luxury apartment in Paris with Cambridge student Guy (Stuart Townsend) from Ireland and refugee Mia (Penélope Cruz) from Spain. When WWII starts, the three close friends are torn apart by different priorities. Thomas Kretschmann also stars as Major Thomas Bietrich. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlize Theron, Penélope Cruz, (more)
A woman is taken on a voyage to the other side of sanity in this moody thriller. Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is a clinical psychologist who works alongside her husband, Dr. Doug Grey (Charles S. Dutton), in the mental ward of a top security prison, where Miranda has been devoting much of her attention to a clever but deeply disturbed murderer named Chloe (Penélope Cruz), who shares gruesome tales of torture and violence that may or may not be based in fact. One night, Miranda has a hideous nightmare in which a chance meeting with a strange young girl leads to a terrifying journey into madness. Once she wakes, however, Miranda discovers that the real horror has just begun -- Doug has been brutally murdered, and the evidence points to Miranda as the prime suspect. She soon finds herself a patient in the same facility where she once treated others, and finds that her claims of innocence and sanity do little to convince Dr. Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.), the psychologist assigned to her case. Gothika marked the American debut of acclaimed and controversial French filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Halle Berry, Robert Downey, Jr., (more)
Country singer Dwight Yoakam is a co-producer of this Miramax comedy about marital infidelity among the Southern redneck set. Auto dealer Lonnie Earl (Billy Bob Thornton) and his wife, Darlene (Natasha Richardson), are best friends with good-natured Roy (Patrick Swayze) and his spitfire wife, Candy (Charlize Theron), who's ovulating and trying to become pregnant. When the quartet of Arkansas natives decides to take an SUV cross-country to a monster truck show in Reno, NV, an alarming secret is revealed: Lonnie Earl and Candy have been having an affair. The revelation comes as a shock to the guileless Roy and much put-upon Darlene, who absconds with her husband's credit cards for a spending spree that includes designer boutiques and a Tony Orlando concert. Meanwhile, Candy's quest to have a baby takes on a new dimension in light of her extracurricular activities with Lonnie Earl. Waking Up in Reno (2002) is based on a script by longtime screenwriting partners/actors Brent Briscoe and Mark Fauser, who also play supporting roles in the film. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Bob Thornton, Charlize Theron, (more)
Two of Spain's biggest female stars headline this offbeat comedy about the battle of wills between good and evil. Heaven is not getting its fair share of business for the afterlife, so Lola (Victoria Abril), an angel who sings in a nightclub located beyond the pearly gates, is sent to Earth to drum up business by her boss, Marina (Fanny Ardant). Her first prospect is Manny (Demián Bichir), a prizefighter with an injury that could take his life at any time. As Lola tries to claim Manny's soul for the Lord, the wicked Jack Davenport (Gael García Bernal) believes that the Devil deserves the boxer's soul, and he sends one of Hell's waitresses, Carmen (Penélope Cruz), to seal the deal. On Earth, Lola takes the form of Manny's former love and urges him to mend fences with his mother, while seductive Carmen tries to persuade Manny to return to the ring, knowing that another fight would mean his death. While Lola and Carmen wage war over Manny's soul, they maintain their cover by working at a grocery store, where they both learn a few lessons about the pitfalls of earthly capitalism. Meanwhile, Manny is dealing with financial problems of his own -- he owes money to the city's corrupt police commissioner (Emilio Gutiérrez Caba), who is using his strong-arm men to "persuade" Manny to pay up. Released in Europe as Sin Noticias de Dios (which translates as No News From God), Don't Tempt Me was a box-office success in Spain when it was released in late 2001, though it wouldn't reach American theaters until 2003. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victoria Abril, Penélope Cruz, (more)
Louis de Bernières' best-selling novel of love during wartime is brought to the screen in this story that blends comedy, action, and romance. In 1940, war rages throughout Europe, but the fighting has yet to arrive on the Greek island of Cephallonia, where life continues to follow its own slow, deliberate path until word arrives that Italian troops have invaded neighboring Albania. A wave of anti-Axis patriotism sweeps the island, and Mandras (Christian Bale), a local fisherman, is one of a handful of men who volunteer for the army, leaving behind his aging mother (Irene Papas) and the woman he loves, Pelagia (Penélope Cruz), the daughter of the island's physician, Dr. Iannis (John Hurt). The timing of Mandras and his compatriots proves less than fortuitous, as Italian troops invade Greece in their absence, but the remaining leaders of the island issue an ultimatum -- the people of Cephallonia will surrender, but only to a ranking German officer. Since none of the available German officers can speak a word of Greek, an Italian soldier fluent in the language, Capt. Antonio Corelli (Nicholas Cage), is sent in to serve as translator. Corelli stays on with the Greek occupation forces, and he soon finds himself falling in love with beautiful Pelagia, who believes that Mandras was killed in the fighting in Albania. But as romance slowly blooms between the Italian soldier and the Greek girl, Mandras and a handful of surviving soldiers have joined a guerilla resistance faction, and they join up with Allied forces in a bid to retake Greece; soon, Pelagia must choose between the two men she loves, as the Greeks battle both the Italian occupation troops and German soldiers who have been sent in to replace them. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was directed by John Madden; the project originally began shooting with Roger Michell, but Michell was forced to resign from the film after he suffered a heart attack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Penélope Cruz, (more)
A remake of the Spanish film Open Your Eyes (1997), this thriller from director Cameron Crowe bears one of several discarded titles for his previous, Oscar-winning film Almost Famous (2000). Tom Cruise stars as David Ames, a womanizing playboy who finds romantic redemption when he falls in love with his best friend's girlfriend Sofia (Penelope Cruz, reprising her role from the original film). Before that relationship can begin, however, David is coaxed into a car driven by an ex-lover, Julie (Cameron Diaz), who turns out to be suicidal. Driving her car off a bridge, Julie kills herself and horribly disfigures David. Reconstructive surgery and the loving support of Sofia seem to reverse David's luck, but eerie incidents are soon making him question the reality of his existence and his control over his life, even while he is suspected of complicity in Julie's death. Vanilla Sky (2001) bears the expected Crowe trademark of an obsession with recent pop culture and particularly rock music, a more important element of the remake than the original film. That project's writer/director, Alejandro Amenabar, crafted his own supernatural hit the same year with The Others (2001), starring Nicole Kidman, the soon-to-be-ex-wife of Cruise. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, (more)
