This is one of those movies that get better with age. I first saw it ten years ago, when Mira Sorvino was an unknown actress, and I was surprised to learn later that she wasn't really Spanish. (I lived in Spain for five years, so I'm not easily fooled.) If you've been to Barcelona, you'll like the glowing glimpses of the city, sun-drenched during the day, lit by neon and fireworks at night. There is much charming, often subtle, humor in the film. Who could resist Taylor Nichols dancing alone in his dining room while reading the Bible? Or Chris Eigeman using a felt tip pen to change anti-American graffiti from "American pigs" to "American deer"? Sure, the film is talky, but it doesn't take itself too too seriously.
54 Reviews
Americans in Love in Spain
gbheron18 March 2003
"Barcelona" is a conversational movie, driven by witty, inventive dialogue. The two main protagonists are cousins; white collar, American, male twenty-somethings. One is the Barcelona sales representative of an American company, the other a recently arrived Naval attaché. Set in the early 1980s, together they navigate the Spanish singles scene while trying to excel in their chosen professions. This doesn't sound like much, but it's really a hoot. The movie's core is the pair's verbal jousting, both with one another, and with the Spanish women they try to woo. It has a couple of sub-plots to keep things interesting, and just bubbles along. I recommend this highly, especially as a movie to see with a date.
Barcelona
Scarecrow-8828 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
While Metropolitan gets a lot of the love, I just prefer Barcelona, if just because I far enjoy the two characters in the latter while the former has a group of city socialites (U.H.P.s; or, if you prefer, preppies) so caught in themselves, I care little about spending time with them or listening to them. A salesman in Barcelona agrees to let his Navy fleet cousin stay with him, and the two of them must learn to get along, all the while managing relationships with local beauties in the city. In Barcelona, the presence of anti-American sentiment causes Fred (Chris Eigeman) to openly vocalize his dislike for how the locals treat him, particularly a womanizing journalist named Ramone (Pep Munné). While Ted (Taylor Nichols) feels as if his company is turning the screws and planning to fire him for his supposed downturn in sales, he becomes enchanted by one of Ramone's many flames, Montserrat (Tushka Bergen). Meanwhile Fred himself becomes involved with a stunning beauty named Marta (Mira Sorvino, quite eyepopping), but she turns out to be a wedge between the cousins when she steals pesos while in Ted's apartment. If you are familiar with Whit Stillman, then you can recognize that his work is quite dialogue-based with long conversation set pieces as actors comment on or voice opinions and thoughts on whatever subjects are important to their characters during the films. Barcelona is similar to Metropolitan in that the characters are concerned about their status in life (where they are and where they will be headed), such as career and romance. Ted deals with a girlfriend still stuck on Ramone (who actually encouraged her to see other men!) and a job (and supposed bullying supervisor that turns out to be anyone but) that demands a lot but could ultimately leave him behind. It gets so bad for Fred--all the negative American propaganda and prejudice encouraged by Ramone's paper and rhetoric--that he eventually is shot by a motorcyclist in a taxi cab. The shooting puts the relationship of the cousins into perspective. With the city of Barcelona as quite an alluring backdrop and characters who are a bit more sympathetic (or to me anyway) than Metropolitan (the wealthy class' romantic entanglements did little to interest me, I must be honest), I really remained compelled during this Stillman film. I quite liked Ted, actually, and seen that he was sincere in his desire to have a meaningful relationship with Montserrat, and truthfully Fred, despite his dependence on his cousin's charity, isn't all that bad of a guy. I think you can clearly see that despite their opposing animosity due to a number of personality differences ultimately would never interfere with their love for one another. The hospital sequence, where Ted never gives up hope for Fred's improvement, recognizes that family is significant even if cousins get on each other's nerves from time to time. The romantic interludes and ups and downs provide plenty of exchanges (melancholy, retrospective, expressive, heated, and curious) in long dialogue sessions that might test the patience on some viewers interested in a forward-moving story. If you know of the French dramas that can be long-winded, and like them, then I think Stillman is your cup of tea.
Great characters, great scenery, great lines
Bill Slocum21 November 2002
There are people in this world who think "Barcelona" is just a film about soft-living, navel-gazing preppies with perfect hair and term-paper vocabularies. These are the same people who like Vinyl Hampton music.
What's not to love about this sensitive, off-kilter love story about a young, too-earnest salesman Ted and his sly, disruptive Ugly American cousin-with-issues Fred? Nothing. The film grabs you from their first bickering exchange in Ted's apartment building, and never lets go, not because of fast-paced editing or shiny visuals (though the film doesn't drag and Barcelona at night is a wonder) but because of the clever dialogue. Whit Stillman makes films for people who love to read, yet they are not stilted exercises in "Masterpiece Theater"-style draftsmanship but laugh-out-loud exchanges of opinion between engaging people who just happen to see the world in sometimes very/ sometimes slightly different ways. It's like "Friends" if that cast suddenly grew brains. Give this movie five minutes, and it will suck you in like a vacuum.
Ultimately, what grabs me is how the film is so chock full of life, of people who haven't got much of a clue about life winging it and hazarding the consequences. I remember those days. Ted pledges to date "only plain or even homely women" because he thinks beauty obscures the true essence of love. Fred tells people his cousin is into the Marquis de Sade and leather underwear because he thinks it makes Ted more interesting to the ladies than the Bible-reading goody-goody Ted really is.
Actually, Fred may be on to something. It seems to help Ted in meeting his dream woman Montserrat. Ted and Montserrat are an odd couple. He wrestles earnestly with his religion and believes in salesmanship as a means of understanding life, while she is a free-living, free-loving Spaniard who thinks leaving her native land for America will condemn her future children to a life of hamburger-eating zombiedom.
I was in Barcelona in 1981 myself and saw first-hand how beautiful and magical the place truly is. I also saw the anti-Americanism and anti-"OTAN"ism prevalent there. Stillman isn't overselling the negative attitudes many in Spain and throughout Europe had of the United States during those critical days of the Cold War. It's a good thing they got that out of their system, huh? The movie could have been heavy-handed in this way, but never allows itself to be, not with all those funny ant analogies. Ramon, the left-wing writer who fingers Fred for being a member of the CIA (or the AFL-CIA, as Ramon is convinced the labor union and the intelligence agency are somehow connected), is not stupid or mean, but just like Ted and Fred, a little too caught up in his own ideas of how things are, or as Ted puts it in a moment of truth at the hospital, another person given to filtering reality through his own colossal egotism.
Whit Stillman seems to be averaging two films a decade now, and it's a shame. He and Chris Eigeman need to make more movies together. I never get tired of Eigeman's snarky charm, or Stillman's ability to create films equally rich in one-liners and in context. "Barcelona" was the finest of Stillman's three efforts, with the best story and backdrop, but the earlier "Metropolitan" was not far behind. "Last Days of Disco," the most recent Stillman film, wasn't as good as the first two, but is engaging and absorbing enough on its own terms. If you haven't seen any of them, start with this one.
[The DVD contains several interesting deleted scenes and an alternative ending which might have made the film a bit darker but wouldn't have disrupted anything essential. Still, it's hard to argue with an ending that has Montserrat bite into an authentic American hamburger and pronounce it "incredible." At least unless you're a vegetarian, in which case Fred would probably say that's your problem.]
What's not to love about this sensitive, off-kilter love story about a young, too-earnest salesman Ted and his sly, disruptive Ugly American cousin-with-issues Fred? Nothing. The film grabs you from their first bickering exchange in Ted's apartment building, and never lets go, not because of fast-paced editing or shiny visuals (though the film doesn't drag and Barcelona at night is a wonder) but because of the clever dialogue. Whit Stillman makes films for people who love to read, yet they are not stilted exercises in "Masterpiece Theater"-style draftsmanship but laugh-out-loud exchanges of opinion between engaging people who just happen to see the world in sometimes very/ sometimes slightly different ways. It's like "Friends" if that cast suddenly grew brains. Give this movie five minutes, and it will suck you in like a vacuum.
Ultimately, what grabs me is how the film is so chock full of life, of people who haven't got much of a clue about life winging it and hazarding the consequences. I remember those days. Ted pledges to date "only plain or even homely women" because he thinks beauty obscures the true essence of love. Fred tells people his cousin is into the Marquis de Sade and leather underwear because he thinks it makes Ted more interesting to the ladies than the Bible-reading goody-goody Ted really is.
Actually, Fred may be on to something. It seems to help Ted in meeting his dream woman Montserrat. Ted and Montserrat are an odd couple. He wrestles earnestly with his religion and believes in salesmanship as a means of understanding life, while she is a free-living, free-loving Spaniard who thinks leaving her native land for America will condemn her future children to a life of hamburger-eating zombiedom.
I was in Barcelona in 1981 myself and saw first-hand how beautiful and magical the place truly is. I also saw the anti-Americanism and anti-"OTAN"ism prevalent there. Stillman isn't overselling the negative attitudes many in Spain and throughout Europe had of the United States during those critical days of the Cold War. It's a good thing they got that out of their system, huh? The movie could have been heavy-handed in this way, but never allows itself to be, not with all those funny ant analogies. Ramon, the left-wing writer who fingers Fred for being a member of the CIA (or the AFL-CIA, as Ramon is convinced the labor union and the intelligence agency are somehow connected), is not stupid or mean, but just like Ted and Fred, a little too caught up in his own ideas of how things are, or as Ted puts it in a moment of truth at the hospital, another person given to filtering reality through his own colossal egotism.
Whit Stillman seems to be averaging two films a decade now, and it's a shame. He and Chris Eigeman need to make more movies together. I never get tired of Eigeman's snarky charm, or Stillman's ability to create films equally rich in one-liners and in context. "Barcelona" was the finest of Stillman's three efforts, with the best story and backdrop, but the earlier "Metropolitan" was not far behind. "Last Days of Disco," the most recent Stillman film, wasn't as good as the first two, but is engaging and absorbing enough on its own terms. If you haven't seen any of them, start with this one.
[The DVD contains several interesting deleted scenes and an alternative ending which might have made the film a bit darker but wouldn't have disrupted anything essential. Still, it's hard to argue with an ending that has Montserrat bite into an authentic American hamburger and pronounce it "incredible." At least unless you're a vegetarian, in which case Fred would probably say that's your problem.]
Charming
trpdean8 March 2002
This very unusual movie exudes such charm and creates a great well of sympathy for its anxious and innocent central characters.
They find themselves throughout in worlds they find alien - a world of puerile anti-Americanism, of foreign women, and either commercial sales or the Navy ("well, you were ROTC, weren't you?" said disparagingly to a former bond trader now Navy officer).
The movie is very funny, the main American characters very likeable, naive, impressionable and voluble, the Spanish male character and several of the Spanish female characters, enjoyably detestable in every way.
There were two things I particularly enjoyed. First, every American who has lived in Europe for any period of time will find the movie rings all kinds of bells of memory - the woeful ignorance but insufferable patronizing tone of Europeans discoursing on American history and politics (e.g., the whole discourse on the "terrible union AFL-CIA that subverted democratic movements in Europe" is a hoot). Many young Europeans have exhibited since the War such an astonishing combination of ignorance, facile categorization and jealousy toward American life, history and policy that the American finds himself suddenly overwhelmed by both uninformed European prejudice and an astonishing unwillingness to be educated about a country that Americans obviously know far better than the lecturers. This movie is almost a tribute to that suffering.
Second, this movie is a nice antidote to the usual pedestal-placing of women, particularly foreign women, as the pawns of men. In this, the women are FAR more predatory and exhibit a deceit that is commonplace in most movies about male wolfishness. It's nice to see the tables turned.
The movie is also quite good on the relationship between two young Chicago men - and the way in which their lives as children affect their continuing view of each other - and how that changes.
The movie is off-beat, and has a peculiar pace. Do pay attention because there are about 5 female characters who are easy to confuse. Do see it- you'll enjoy it. (Oh, and in contradiction to the reviewer below, I think it quite normal, though funny, for a man to happen to speak - even though still in bed - to a girlfriend about his worry that he may be shaving the wrong way).
They find themselves throughout in worlds they find alien - a world of puerile anti-Americanism, of foreign women, and either commercial sales or the Navy ("well, you were ROTC, weren't you?" said disparagingly to a former bond trader now Navy officer).
The movie is very funny, the main American characters very likeable, naive, impressionable and voluble, the Spanish male character and several of the Spanish female characters, enjoyably detestable in every way.
There were two things I particularly enjoyed. First, every American who has lived in Europe for any period of time will find the movie rings all kinds of bells of memory - the woeful ignorance but insufferable patronizing tone of Europeans discoursing on American history and politics (e.g., the whole discourse on the "terrible union AFL-CIA that subverted democratic movements in Europe" is a hoot). Many young Europeans have exhibited since the War such an astonishing combination of ignorance, facile categorization and jealousy toward American life, history and policy that the American finds himself suddenly overwhelmed by both uninformed European prejudice and an astonishing unwillingness to be educated about a country that Americans obviously know far better than the lecturers. This movie is almost a tribute to that suffering.
Second, this movie is a nice antidote to the usual pedestal-placing of women, particularly foreign women, as the pawns of men. In this, the women are FAR more predatory and exhibit a deceit that is commonplace in most movies about male wolfishness. It's nice to see the tables turned.
The movie is also quite good on the relationship between two young Chicago men - and the way in which their lives as children affect their continuing view of each other - and how that changes.
The movie is off-beat, and has a peculiar pace. Do pay attention because there are about 5 female characters who are easy to confuse. Do see it- you'll enjoy it. (Oh, and in contradiction to the reviewer below, I think it quite normal, though funny, for a man to happen to speak - even though still in bed - to a girlfriend about his worry that he may be shaving the wrong way).
Indie Film Typical of the 1990s
gavin694218 April 2016
Ted, a stuffy white guy from Illinois working in sales for the Barcelona office of a US corporation, is paid an unexpected visit by his somewhat less stuffy cousin Fred, who is an officer in the US Navy. Over the next few months, both their lives are irrevocably altered by the events which follow Fred's arrival, events which are the trivial stuff of a comedy of manners at first but which gradually grow increasingly dramatic.
I am not familiar with films directed by Whit Stillman, but going through my list of things to see, I am sure he will pop up a bit. Barcelona, his first studio-financed film, was inspired by his own experiences in Spain during the early 1980s. Stillman has described the film as "An Officer and a Gentleman", but with the title referring to two men rather than one. The men, Ted and Fred, experience the awkwardness of being in love in a foreign country culturally and politically opposed to their own.
Studio-financed or not, this has the feel of a 1990s indie film. Very much in the vein of Richard Linklater and early Kevin Smith. He seems to have come up at about that same time when overly-talky scripts were the rage, sort of taking the Jim Jarmusch backbone and fleshing it out with witty dialogue. I mean this as a compliment, because I really enjoy this sort of film, but they also seem to blend together... maybe after I see a few more, I will recognize what makes a "Stillman film".
I am not familiar with films directed by Whit Stillman, but going through my list of things to see, I am sure he will pop up a bit. Barcelona, his first studio-financed film, was inspired by his own experiences in Spain during the early 1980s. Stillman has described the film as "An Officer and a Gentleman", but with the title referring to two men rather than one. The men, Ted and Fred, experience the awkwardness of being in love in a foreign country culturally and politically opposed to their own.
Studio-financed or not, this has the feel of a 1990s indie film. Very much in the vein of Richard Linklater and early Kevin Smith. He seems to have come up at about that same time when overly-talky scripts were the rage, sort of taking the Jim Jarmusch backbone and fleshing it out with witty dialogue. I mean this as a compliment, because I really enjoy this sort of film, but they also seem to blend together... maybe after I see a few more, I will recognize what makes a "Stillman film".
Vastly underrated film
flapster00113 September 2005
Barecelona is a vastly underrated movie that achieved little success outside of art-house theatres on its release. This is a shame because the movie is both intelligent, funny and has broad appeal.
It concerns the adventures of two Americans who find themselves in Barcelona in the early Eighties at the height of the cold war. Ted is an uptight and repressed businessman while Fred is his airforce cousin who's a great deal more relaxed. The film starts with Fred forcing himself on his reluctant cousin's hospitality having just arrived in Barcelona.
Yet this isn't a buddy movie. In fact, it's very hard to classify and is by no means typical of an American movie. It's far more European in style.
The movie is about clashes of cultures and it's here that the humour is generated. Fred and Ted's differing attitudes and intelligence levels rub up against each other, and the old debate about the differences between male and female outlooks get a look in too. But the largest culture clash is that of urban left-wing Northern Spain versus the naturally conservative and bullish Americanism. This sounds heavy and intellectual but it isn't - the film makes fun of the American culture of living according self-help guides, for example, but also makes fun of a Spanish journalist-cum-philosopher who turns out to be equally shallow.
The strongest elements of the movie are the script, which is as tight as any top-notch sitcom, and also the cast. There are some excellent performances all around from some very strong actors. Fans or Mira Sorvino won't get to see a great deal of her, however, as she has a relatively minor supporting role.
The film is effectively a celebration of Barcelona and also of the situations that arise when different cultures meet. This might make it hard for some Americans to warm to but, ironically, that merely underlines the movie's main theme - that the world is bigger than the American continent and infinitely wider in its cultural scope.
It concerns the adventures of two Americans who find themselves in Barcelona in the early Eighties at the height of the cold war. Ted is an uptight and repressed businessman while Fred is his airforce cousin who's a great deal more relaxed. The film starts with Fred forcing himself on his reluctant cousin's hospitality having just arrived in Barcelona.
Yet this isn't a buddy movie. In fact, it's very hard to classify and is by no means typical of an American movie. It's far more European in style.
The movie is about clashes of cultures and it's here that the humour is generated. Fred and Ted's differing attitudes and intelligence levels rub up against each other, and the old debate about the differences between male and female outlooks get a look in too. But the largest culture clash is that of urban left-wing Northern Spain versus the naturally conservative and bullish Americanism. This sounds heavy and intellectual but it isn't - the film makes fun of the American culture of living according self-help guides, for example, but also makes fun of a Spanish journalist-cum-philosopher who turns out to be equally shallow.
The strongest elements of the movie are the script, which is as tight as any top-notch sitcom, and also the cast. There are some excellent performances all around from some very strong actors. Fans or Mira Sorvino won't get to see a great deal of her, however, as she has a relatively minor supporting role.
The film is effectively a celebration of Barcelona and also of the situations that arise when different cultures meet. This might make it hard for some Americans to warm to but, ironically, that merely underlines the movie's main theme - that the world is bigger than the American continent and infinitely wider in its cultural scope.
A film by intelligent adults for intelligent adults
name99-92-5453891 July 2015
IMDb's intro to this movie starts "Ted, a stuffy white guy from Illinois working in sales", and there, right away, we have the problem. If you're an arrested child, who thinks that the idea of working in sales equals death, and that considering the consequences of your actions equals "stuffy", then I expect you will hate this film. But for the rest of us, it's a breath of fresh air.
Other people have said what's appealing about it --- the unexpected zigs and zags of the story, the amusing (though not laugh-out-loud funny) dialog, the portrayal of a dynamic between two guys that's touching without ever being cloying. But for me what I enjoyed was the (depressingly rare) chance to see people acting as adults.
It is nice to see someone who takes their job seriously and tries hard to do well at it, rather than concentrating all his energy on goofing off and avoiding the boss. (This goes for both Fred and Ted.) It's nice to see people thinking seriously about what is and is not working in their romantic lives and how to fix it. It's nice to see people not relying on ridiculous clichés about fate and destiny as the solutions to all their problems.
Meanwhile, on the other side, it's nice to see all this seriousness but in a movie populated by basically decent people, people you don't hate, in a movie that isn't ramming some sort of absurdly non-subtle message down your throat ala most indie cinema.
I'm pretty impatient with movies. I'd say 70% of the movies I watch, after 10 minutes I switch it off because the movie has in no way captured my interest. I haven't laughed, I haven't been surprised, all I've seen is the same old **** I've seen a million times before. Maybe it's the husband and wife fighting with each other. Maybe it's the "those were the days" kids playing. Maybe it's the nerdish guy being belittled by other people at work. You know what I mean --- five minutes into the movie and you know the stereotypes every character fits, and exactly how it will all play out.
What so appealed to me about this movie is how (without "twists" or gimmicks) it doesn't follow that path. The primary characters kept growing and revealing new aspects to their characters throughout the movie in a way that's all too rare. Give it a chance!
Other people have said what's appealing about it --- the unexpected zigs and zags of the story, the amusing (though not laugh-out-loud funny) dialog, the portrayal of a dynamic between two guys that's touching without ever being cloying. But for me what I enjoyed was the (depressingly rare) chance to see people acting as adults.
It is nice to see someone who takes their job seriously and tries hard to do well at it, rather than concentrating all his energy on goofing off and avoiding the boss. (This goes for both Fred and Ted.) It's nice to see people thinking seriously about what is and is not working in their romantic lives and how to fix it. It's nice to see people not relying on ridiculous clichés about fate and destiny as the solutions to all their problems.
Meanwhile, on the other side, it's nice to see all this seriousness but in a movie populated by basically decent people, people you don't hate, in a movie that isn't ramming some sort of absurdly non-subtle message down your throat ala most indie cinema.
I'm pretty impatient with movies. I'd say 70% of the movies I watch, after 10 minutes I switch it off because the movie has in no way captured my interest. I haven't laughed, I haven't been surprised, all I've seen is the same old **** I've seen a million times before. Maybe it's the husband and wife fighting with each other. Maybe it's the "those were the days" kids playing. Maybe it's the nerdish guy being belittled by other people at work. You know what I mean --- five minutes into the movie and you know the stereotypes every character fits, and exactly how it will all play out.
What so appealed to me about this movie is how (without "twists" or gimmicks) it doesn't follow that path. The primary characters kept growing and revealing new aspects to their characters throughout the movie in a way that's all too rare. Give it a chance!
One of my all-time favorites
Jeff-37018 July 2000
Back when I wasn't really into buying films on video, I bought this one. The humor is subtle, understated, ironic, and tremendously well-written. It is just ending as I write this. Every time I see it I notice a few more things that make me laugh. None of it is the shocking, laugh-out-loud style of humor, but there are several intellectual chuckles.
For some people, it will seem too intellectual and therefore it will strike them as pretentious. That is not a criticism at all, only a warning. I don't find it pretentious at all.
The best part is the interesting characters. They are written as complete, well-developed people who have wildly different outlooks on Spain-U.S. relations. While Whit Stillman does a great job of analyzing these relations, the central focus of the movie is how these characters relate to each other in the arena of these larger ethnic relations.
I firmly believe that anyone who enjoys dialogue-driven, non-action-oriented films will love this one. I gave it a "10."
For some people, it will seem too intellectual and therefore it will strike them as pretentious. That is not a criticism at all, only a warning. I don't find it pretentious at all.
The best part is the interesting characters. They are written as complete, well-developed people who have wildly different outlooks on Spain-U.S. relations. While Whit Stillman does a great job of analyzing these relations, the central focus of the movie is how these characters relate to each other in the arena of these larger ethnic relations.
I firmly believe that anyone who enjoys dialogue-driven, non-action-oriented films will love this one. I gave it a "10."
Fine, unusual comedy
Andy-2965 April 2014
During the 1980s, at the height of the Cold War, two American cousins and childhood friends, who are now a businessman and a naval officer (played by Taylor Nichols and Chris Eigeman) get to live some time in Barcelona, where they face (but finally overcome) the political distrust of many Spaniards. Director Whit Stillman lived some time in Spain and he surely based part of the movie on his own experiences. The movie is fine skewing the unthinking Antiamericanism of Europe's intellectual class (though Stillman is too much of a gentleman to be too biting in his criticism). Sometimes the dialogue is foolish when it tries to be witty (as when the Americans try to explain to some Spaniards the greatness of Hamburgers) but mostly the screenplay is quite fine. Stillman is an interesting filmmaker if only because his preppy conservative point of view is not often showed on movies. Mira Sorvino plays one of the Spanish girls in one of her earlier roles.
Kind of like watching grass grow.
=G=14 June 2002
Save pure voyeurism, it's difficult to see the entertainment value in a film which simply portrays the pedestrian, sublunary vicissitudes of ordinary people who are probably less interesting than ourselves. "Barcelona", a journeyman light comedy/drama indie, features postcard shots of the title city, a bevy of babes, and two pretty ordinary guys who just banter incessantly about the most uninteresting stuff. Flawed and with plotholes aplenty, "Barcelona" is a film in need of a story and fails to distinguish itself in any significant way. Passable, forgettable stuff though the auteur may be a work in progress with potential.
a wonderful movie
hbs9 August 2000
This movie is hilarious. I have seen it at least a dozen times and I still crack up repeatedly. Stillman managed to give a glimpse of his genius in "Metropolitan", and he failed badly in the subsequent "Last Days of Disco" (that was a lazy effort with a few hilarious joking references to the two previous movies, but it's a huge disappointment), but this time he hits the right tone. The story is about two cousins in Barcelona one summer, and the text of the movie is entertaining enough, but what is wonderful is the way he steps back and shows the absurdity of these characters while still allowing you to have some affection for them. The final scene in the movie where the two cousins and a friend stare out over the lake in fatuous contentment is sheer perfection.
Clever and witty
vabalos27 March 2004
This film is charming and witty and creates some interesting Cold War
metaphors balanced against the bumbling efforts of a couple of young American men trying to learn about themselves and women. it's an interesting film, not exactly a great one, but Stillman offers an entertaining premise and crafty execution. But what prompted me to write about it was the
dimwitted review by "nbott"your web site chose to post. What was obvious by his review was that he simply didn't get it. The film sailed miles over his head and then he compounded it by sharing his ignorance. Fine. But why do you chose to post that review. It offers nothing about the film and simply advertises this person's ignorance.
metaphors balanced against the bumbling efforts of a couple of young American men trying to learn about themselves and women. it's an interesting film, not exactly a great one, but Stillman offers an entertaining premise and crafty execution. But what prompted me to write about it was the
dimwitted review by "nbott"your web site chose to post. What was obvious by his review was that he simply didn't get it. The film sailed miles over his head and then he compounded it by sharing his ignorance. Fine. But why do you chose to post that review. It offers nothing about the film and simply advertises this person's ignorance.
A shallow and pretentious movie
nbott9 July 2001
This film is shallow because we never really get to know any of the characters very well. Out of the blue, they say whatever dumb thing is on their mind and we are supposed to think it is so clever. The dialogue is very "preppy", not real speech that normal human beings engage in. A man does not discuss his shaving habits with the girl he has just had sex with. Toward the end of the film, we are supposed to think it is so clever that we can enjoy the shaving joke again because an American government official comments on it.
As for the women in the film, we really get no insight at all. They are just tools for these shallow nerdy men to bounce off of. For men so fascinated by women, you would think that there would be more depth in the relationships that we are watching. This is not to be. What is so fascinating about these shallow men that would attract all these women?
There is no real interaction with the American characters and the fabulous city they are in. They might as well be meeting in Siberia rather than Spain. All through this film, one never gets the feeling that I care about these people. In fact, I was delighted when the so-called anti-American shoots the one guy. At least, there was a little drama at last.
Do yourself a favor and avoid this film at all cost.
As for the women in the film, we really get no insight at all. They are just tools for these shallow nerdy men to bounce off of. For men so fascinated by women, you would think that there would be more depth in the relationships that we are watching. This is not to be. What is so fascinating about these shallow men that would attract all these women?
There is no real interaction with the American characters and the fabulous city they are in. They might as well be meeting in Siberia rather than Spain. All through this film, one never gets the feeling that I care about these people. In fact, I was delighted when the so-called anti-American shoots the one guy. At least, there was a little drama at last.
Do yourself a favor and avoid this film at all cost.
A life-affirming diversion for "thinkers"
kstephens27 May 2002
I have not looked at this movie in over a year, yet it is still so fond to my recollection...that I have to stop here and share my thoughts.
First, this is a genuinely warm film and some of the sunniness of the setting, I think, permeates the mood it creates and the feeling that is left with the viewer. And this is despite the sterility of Ted Boynton's work and the comparable hollowness of his sales "ethos." I know what people say about Whit Stillman's films (ie. that they are peopled with talking heads and not much feeling is generated)....but this is absolutely NOT the case with BARCELONA. In spite of Ted Boynton's pragmatic and brainy approach to life, he is still shown the value of love and life...and learns some of the humility he has been so sorely lacking. It has to do, also, with his consciousness of being a foreigner: he has lowered his expectations to the point where the slightest display of kindness (by Montserrat and her friends) is a revelation to him. I think anyone wanting to work abroad should see this film first!
There is much to admire in here: the crispness of Stillman's dialogue, the excellent performance by Taylor Nichols and his comic, verbally-sparring, exchanges with Chris Eigeman. It teaches us to never lose our wonder and become complacent when becoming established in a foreign country. It offers a lesson to intellectuals and would-be intellectuals everywhere that there is still plenty to be learned where the human heart is concerned. I liked this movie a lot and rate it as Stillman's clearest and most entertaining work to date.
First, this is a genuinely warm film and some of the sunniness of the setting, I think, permeates the mood it creates and the feeling that is left with the viewer. And this is despite the sterility of Ted Boynton's work and the comparable hollowness of his sales "ethos." I know what people say about Whit Stillman's films (ie. that they are peopled with talking heads and not much feeling is generated)....but this is absolutely NOT the case with BARCELONA. In spite of Ted Boynton's pragmatic and brainy approach to life, he is still shown the value of love and life...and learns some of the humility he has been so sorely lacking. It has to do, also, with his consciousness of being a foreigner: he has lowered his expectations to the point where the slightest display of kindness (by Montserrat and her friends) is a revelation to him. I think anyone wanting to work abroad should see this film first!
There is much to admire in here: the crispness of Stillman's dialogue, the excellent performance by Taylor Nichols and his comic, verbally-sparring, exchanges with Chris Eigeman. It teaches us to never lose our wonder and become complacent when becoming established in a foreign country. It offers a lesson to intellectuals and would-be intellectuals everywhere that there is still plenty to be learned where the human heart is concerned. I liked this movie a lot and rate it as Stillman's clearest and most entertaining work to date.
A great film that I have remembered for 20 years
elcoat23 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
People either like or hate this film, it seems.
I was intrigued. Here you have 2 cousins encountering each other ... and some beautiful Spanish girls ... in beautiful Red Barcelona. Ted seems to need a rationale for everything including love and sex, although he is assured by cousin and girls that love isn't necessarily necessary.
Fred is a spontaneous young U.S. Navy officer mis-missioned to prepare a Barcelona port call for the 6th Fleet, while resident leftists in Barcelona are ready and eager to take offense at anything he says which they can.
There is tension between them over something Ted still accuses Fred of doing I forget what, but it's a lifelong grudge - when they were kids.
The very political Barcelona situation and crisis revolves around an ant analogy that has to be seen and heard to be fully appreciated.
Meanwhile, the camera periodically cuts away to a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier out in the Mediterranean, patrolling to ensure Middle Sea stability and peace.
Eventually, the hottest girl turns out to be unfaithful, a thief and possible a drug addict, while a hitherto unnoticed girl throws herself at the foot of Fred's hospital bed, desperately attempting to pray him back from death - a very overlooked and significant scene.
The outcome is as droll as the rest of the film and leaves you with a good, uplifted feeling about and hope for life and being an American.
It is a film you will think about for years ... if you like to think.
I was intrigued. Here you have 2 cousins encountering each other ... and some beautiful Spanish girls ... in beautiful Red Barcelona. Ted seems to need a rationale for everything including love and sex, although he is assured by cousin and girls that love isn't necessarily necessary.
Fred is a spontaneous young U.S. Navy officer mis-missioned to prepare a Barcelona port call for the 6th Fleet, while resident leftists in Barcelona are ready and eager to take offense at anything he says which they can.
There is tension between them over something Ted still accuses Fred of doing I forget what, but it's a lifelong grudge - when they were kids.
The very political Barcelona situation and crisis revolves around an ant analogy that has to be seen and heard to be fully appreciated.
Meanwhile, the camera periodically cuts away to a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier out in the Mediterranean, patrolling to ensure Middle Sea stability and peace.
Eventually, the hottest girl turns out to be unfaithful, a thief and possible a drug addict, while a hitherto unnoticed girl throws herself at the foot of Fred's hospital bed, desperately attempting to pray him back from death - a very overlooked and significant scene.
The outcome is as droll as the rest of the film and leaves you with a good, uplifted feeling about and hope for life and being an American.
It is a film you will think about for years ... if you like to think.
Do they have ants in Barcelona?
film-critic27 April 2008
"Barcelona" is a bizarre film that captures your attention through the fast-paced repertoire, but looses you through unfocused political jargon that doesn't seem important, but is obviously an instrumental part of the film. This is where the struggle occurs for this film. It is an internal struggle because of the popularity of "Metropolitan" you want to enjoy this film, feel that brush of fresh air, and laugh at what others would consider "intelligent banter", but even with the subtle humor between Eigeman and Nichols there is something missing that connects the crucial plot elements together. Stillman has created another valuable film, but it feels more like he was trying to reproduce the excitement of "Metropolitan" than create a new voice.
One cannot argue that Wit Stillman's style of film-making is still seen throughout modern cinema culture. While watching "Barcelona", there was this eerie feeling of watching "The Darjeeling Limited" again. Stillman's voice can be found in nearly all Wes Anderson films, the witty conversation, the intellectual characters, and the thin layer of plot are Stillman's characteristics seen today. Take "Margo at the Wedding", Baumback uses Stillman with honor and respect, and can even been better seen in Baumback's early "Kicking and Screaming". The key difference between these modern directors and Stillman's "Barcelona" is that they develop both plot and characters. Stillman's visual technique, his ability to capture the sense of normality, and control of the language is powerful in this film, but an apathetic feel for Ted and Fred, coupled with a lack of focus pushed "Barcelona" from challenging second film to average sophomoric effort. From a sales perspective, Ted and Fred couldn't persuade me to do anything, much less follow them around. Their jovial voice and constant bickering would amuse at first, but like the film became annoying near the end. From a character standpoint, Ted (Taylor Nichols) was enjoyable to watch. He felt like the stuck-in-sales type of guy that others could relate to. Aside from the religious dance scene (continuing with the unfocused plot idea), he was the quintessential hero of this film. Fred (Christopher Eigeman) covers the other end of the spectrum entirely. There was no belief that he was a Navy officer, his constant lying and possible theft (again that kayaking scene that lead ultimately nowhere) just created an annoying character that tried to be funny, but never was. There was this sense that Eigeman didn't understand he and Nichols' character relationship. One needs to ask, was Nichols' stutter part of the character, or just Stillman's lack of editing? Finally, what was Mira Sorvino doing here? Her accent was thicker than pea soup, yet as unbelievable as pea soup finding its way into a Whit Stillman film.
The obscurity of the actors leading us through this political comedy/drama, was a tough nail to bite, but the tougher one was the overall plot of this film. Stillman's goal was to make humor out of an odd anti-American culture in Spain. His actors, as mentioned, tried to bring the humor, but it was up to Stillman to bring us the connectors and overall themes of "Barcelona". It is this area that I felt Stillman was at his weakest. While the actors were not quite the caliber of Stillman's original effort, they at least made me chuckle and think of Wes Anderson's films, but I felt forced and confused by where Stillman was headed with the camera. The bomb at the beginning seemed passé, the anti-Americanism comments seemed less real Stillman never quite secured the feel of realism with this film. Our two characters walk down the street, talk-back to those who oppose them, and show less emotion when the dramatic ending takes place there just wasn't that sense of fear. This felt insulting. Stillman's eye in this film felt bored, stale, and unenergetic. This needs to be a stand alone film for Stillman, but I found myself comparing it to "Metropolitan" constantly. This film was missing that freshness, or that sense of excitement, and that desire to see the unknown. The relationships were bland, the characters were humorous but un-follow-able, and the story itself felt forced. This wasn't Stillman's greatest outing. He made some choices that didn't translate well onto the bigger screen. The colors even tired my eyes it just wasn't the film I expected, or wanted, from Stillman.
Overall, "Barcelona" was a second outing for Whit Stillman, but it wasn't the caliber of "Metropolitan". This film felt old, used, and un-welcomed in Stillman's repertoire of characters and language. There was plenty of potential, but it went unused with people like Mira Sorvino attempting to capture the essence of a Spanish woman. Again, I want to state that this film had some very funny moments that were as dry as any martini one could hope for. It had my laughing, but it wasn't enough. I wanted a detailed story, I wanted some of the issues about being a salesman come out clearer, and I wanted that random scene of religion and dancing to carry more gumption. "Barcelona" felt as if Stillman would start ideas, but never quite complete them. This film reminded me of Kevin Smith's early work. Using the same actors, Smith would attempt to recreate the same characters in different environments with mixed results. The power and honesty of Smith's "Clerks" could never be recreated and thus the doomed "Clerks II" will never reach cult status. That analogy could be used for Stillman's "Barcelona". He tried, but there is a reason this film wasn't nominated for the best screenplay category it just felt elusive and incomplete.
Grade: *** (hesitantly) out of *****
One cannot argue that Wit Stillman's style of film-making is still seen throughout modern cinema culture. While watching "Barcelona", there was this eerie feeling of watching "The Darjeeling Limited" again. Stillman's voice can be found in nearly all Wes Anderson films, the witty conversation, the intellectual characters, and the thin layer of plot are Stillman's characteristics seen today. Take "Margo at the Wedding", Baumback uses Stillman with honor and respect, and can even been better seen in Baumback's early "Kicking and Screaming". The key difference between these modern directors and Stillman's "Barcelona" is that they develop both plot and characters. Stillman's visual technique, his ability to capture the sense of normality, and control of the language is powerful in this film, but an apathetic feel for Ted and Fred, coupled with a lack of focus pushed "Barcelona" from challenging second film to average sophomoric effort. From a sales perspective, Ted and Fred couldn't persuade me to do anything, much less follow them around. Their jovial voice and constant bickering would amuse at first, but like the film became annoying near the end. From a character standpoint, Ted (Taylor Nichols) was enjoyable to watch. He felt like the stuck-in-sales type of guy that others could relate to. Aside from the religious dance scene (continuing with the unfocused plot idea), he was the quintessential hero of this film. Fred (Christopher Eigeman) covers the other end of the spectrum entirely. There was no belief that he was a Navy officer, his constant lying and possible theft (again that kayaking scene that lead ultimately nowhere) just created an annoying character that tried to be funny, but never was. There was this sense that Eigeman didn't understand he and Nichols' character relationship. One needs to ask, was Nichols' stutter part of the character, or just Stillman's lack of editing? Finally, what was Mira Sorvino doing here? Her accent was thicker than pea soup, yet as unbelievable as pea soup finding its way into a Whit Stillman film.
The obscurity of the actors leading us through this political comedy/drama, was a tough nail to bite, but the tougher one was the overall plot of this film. Stillman's goal was to make humor out of an odd anti-American culture in Spain. His actors, as mentioned, tried to bring the humor, but it was up to Stillman to bring us the connectors and overall themes of "Barcelona". It is this area that I felt Stillman was at his weakest. While the actors were not quite the caliber of Stillman's original effort, they at least made me chuckle and think of Wes Anderson's films, but I felt forced and confused by where Stillman was headed with the camera. The bomb at the beginning seemed passé, the anti-Americanism comments seemed less real Stillman never quite secured the feel of realism with this film. Our two characters walk down the street, talk-back to those who oppose them, and show less emotion when the dramatic ending takes place there just wasn't that sense of fear. This felt insulting. Stillman's eye in this film felt bored, stale, and unenergetic. This needs to be a stand alone film for Stillman, but I found myself comparing it to "Metropolitan" constantly. This film was missing that freshness, or that sense of excitement, and that desire to see the unknown. The relationships were bland, the characters were humorous but un-follow-able, and the story itself felt forced. This wasn't Stillman's greatest outing. He made some choices that didn't translate well onto the bigger screen. The colors even tired my eyes it just wasn't the film I expected, or wanted, from Stillman.
Overall, "Barcelona" was a second outing for Whit Stillman, but it wasn't the caliber of "Metropolitan". This film felt old, used, and un-welcomed in Stillman's repertoire of characters and language. There was plenty of potential, but it went unused with people like Mira Sorvino attempting to capture the essence of a Spanish woman. Again, I want to state that this film had some very funny moments that were as dry as any martini one could hope for. It had my laughing, but it wasn't enough. I wanted a detailed story, I wanted some of the issues about being a salesman come out clearer, and I wanted that random scene of religion and dancing to carry more gumption. "Barcelona" felt as if Stillman would start ideas, but never quite complete them. This film reminded me of Kevin Smith's early work. Using the same actors, Smith would attempt to recreate the same characters in different environments with mixed results. The power and honesty of Smith's "Clerks" could never be recreated and thus the doomed "Clerks II" will never reach cult status. That analogy could be used for Stillman's "Barcelona". He tried, but there is a reason this film wasn't nominated for the best screenplay category it just felt elusive and incomplete.
Grade: *** (hesitantly) out of *****
witty and intelligent
livinkity21 February 2004
All I have to say is- this is definitely one of my favorite movies. I happen to be big fan of Whit Stillman, and this is probably his best movie. The only thing to mention would be that particularly leftist individuals may find the movie offensive.
No METROPOLITAN, but still worthwhile
saccenti26 October 1999
Whit Stillman on a bigger budget is still smart, funny, and engaging. Two Americans cousins combat love and prejudice in late-Cold War Barcelona. METROPOLITAN's two best players (Nichols and Eigeman) return for the leading roles. Not for all tastes, as some will find the film talky, rambling, or perhaps better read than heard.
What's above the subtext? Very witty, often funny but melancholy with satisfying performances
Quinoa19841 November 2021
Here's a sample of some dialog from Barcelona:
"Oh, shootings, sure, but thay doesn't mean that America's more violent than other people. We're just better shots."
Leave it to Whit Stillman to have the kind of dialog that could read very different in another context, but in world of these two intelligent but at other times not exactly wise cousins (one a salesman the other a Navy man), it's funny and you even like these guys even when they say something that shows Americans are... ever always so reliably American.
There's always something amusing in seeing men who are so very certain about a worldview, especially if the other knows they're full of it, and Fred especially is one of those people in modern movies. There's also Ted, who makes sure to correct Marta (or try to rationalize) how there is no AFL-CIA, but the way he explains it has this wit about it that is open and clear, like we know how silly it even is to have these nominal distinctions and that institutions should get mocked in such light but direct ways, and Nichols is superb at playing firm but easy to get rattled if hearing a disagreeable thing (America does gasp terrible things no way) and Sorvino can more than hold her own, she's given her own deep insights to play.
Come to think of it, Barcelona is a rich slice of a satire pizza where you can taste the layers but they all mesh well together: white male American superiority is easy to criticize, but what makes the text richer is when sides are being argued for with mixed metaphors (oh those red ants), or how these men are trying to reckon with themselves as relationships get more complicated (oh Ramon), and that this humanizes them. Moreover, it's about how we rationalize the place we're at in our lives, how we may or may not be cut out for something. And it also comes down to manners and customs, what is and what is just not done, whether it's dancing to Glenn Miller by oneself or driving a bottle of Old Crow or talking about a system of government.
In short, this is more amusing than very funny - though I definitely laughed a number of times, and they were big ones ("American Imperialism, what's up with that?") - but it's well done amusement, and eventually there's real drama and stakes that shakes things up in a tragic sense; these are believable characters who know how to talk about how they view the world, but they can't control how the basic things in life go for them.
Watch out for Maneuveur X!
"Oh, shootings, sure, but thay doesn't mean that America's more violent than other people. We're just better shots."
Leave it to Whit Stillman to have the kind of dialog that could read very different in another context, but in world of these two intelligent but at other times not exactly wise cousins (one a salesman the other a Navy man), it's funny and you even like these guys even when they say something that shows Americans are... ever always so reliably American.
There's always something amusing in seeing men who are so very certain about a worldview, especially if the other knows they're full of it, and Fred especially is one of those people in modern movies. There's also Ted, who makes sure to correct Marta (or try to rationalize) how there is no AFL-CIA, but the way he explains it has this wit about it that is open and clear, like we know how silly it even is to have these nominal distinctions and that institutions should get mocked in such light but direct ways, and Nichols is superb at playing firm but easy to get rattled if hearing a disagreeable thing (America does gasp terrible things no way) and Sorvino can more than hold her own, she's given her own deep insights to play.
Come to think of it, Barcelona is a rich slice of a satire pizza where you can taste the layers but they all mesh well together: white male American superiority is easy to criticize, but what makes the text richer is when sides are being argued for with mixed metaphors (oh those red ants), or how these men are trying to reckon with themselves as relationships get more complicated (oh Ramon), and that this humanizes them. Moreover, it's about how we rationalize the place we're at in our lives, how we may or may not be cut out for something. And it also comes down to manners and customs, what is and what is just not done, whether it's dancing to Glenn Miller by oneself or driving a bottle of Old Crow or talking about a system of government.
In short, this is more amusing than very funny - though I definitely laughed a number of times, and they were big ones ("American Imperialism, what's up with that?") - but it's well done amusement, and eventually there's real drama and stakes that shakes things up in a tragic sense; these are believable characters who know how to talk about how they view the world, but they can't control how the basic things in life go for them.
Watch out for Maneuveur X!
If you got the chance, watch it
Emerenciano15 April 2003
This is one of those films where you find lots of things that are common to everybody's life. I'm not saying everyone in the world has or has had some time abroad, but it's common to be in somewhere that is not your own town and live some dramas and adventures in there. Part is your own fault, but part is due to the differences you have. That's what "Barcelona" is about. If you got the chance, watch it.
My rate 7/10
My rate 7/10
Excruciatingly bad excuse for a comedy? romance? movie?
Euphorbia20 September 2002
Okay, the good stuff first.
1) Pretty location, although we don't get to see very much of it. In an early scene, the two characters (the rest are just extras) go on a car tour of Barcelona, but except for the first stop, all we ever get to see is their blank faces inside the car. Talk is cheap; film is expensive.
2) Beautiful young women, several of them, but they are never given any significant dialogue, nor are they actually called upon to act. They walk on. They walk off. Occasionally one or another of them hops into the sack with one or the other cousin, pretty much interchangeably, and with no discernible passion or emotion. Not their fault, of course. It's the director, stupid, who evidently thinks of women the same way as did a lascivious architect I worked for in the 1960s -- as part of the decor.
And that was the good stuff.
This piece of work would have failed as the pilot for a sitcom. The whole thing is a running bicker between two snappish, immature, American preppie cousins. To borrow a line from Dorothy Parker, their performances "ran the whole gamut of emotions from A to B." I knew (and loathed) guys like this in college, full of their vanity, their boarding school repartee, their shallow ignorance of the world, and their cool disdain for the people -- especially the women -- who tried to care about them. I suppose one should not blame the actors, since presumably they were delivering the performances the director asked for, while said director clearly was not busy offering guidance to any of the other performers. Yes, sadly, these two characters are somewhat realistic, but puerile poseurs are no fun to watch, either on or off the screen. 4/10
1) Pretty location, although we don't get to see very much of it. In an early scene, the two characters (the rest are just extras) go on a car tour of Barcelona, but except for the first stop, all we ever get to see is their blank faces inside the car. Talk is cheap; film is expensive.
2) Beautiful young women, several of them, but they are never given any significant dialogue, nor are they actually called upon to act. They walk on. They walk off. Occasionally one or another of them hops into the sack with one or the other cousin, pretty much interchangeably, and with no discernible passion or emotion. Not their fault, of course. It's the director, stupid, who evidently thinks of women the same way as did a lascivious architect I worked for in the 1960s -- as part of the decor.
And that was the good stuff.
This piece of work would have failed as the pilot for a sitcom. The whole thing is a running bicker between two snappish, immature, American preppie cousins. To borrow a line from Dorothy Parker, their performances "ran the whole gamut of emotions from A to B." I knew (and loathed) guys like this in college, full of their vanity, their boarding school repartee, their shallow ignorance of the world, and their cool disdain for the people -- especially the women -- who tried to care about them. I suppose one should not blame the actors, since presumably they were delivering the performances the director asked for, while said director clearly was not busy offering guidance to any of the other performers. Yes, sadly, these two characters are somewhat realistic, but puerile poseurs are no fun to watch, either on or off the screen. 4/10
Excellent, humorous take on the 20th Century WASP experience
tongakid25 March 2000
Whit Stillman's best, let's hope he makes more like these that balance the humor, pathos and absurdity of striving to live up to a prior generation's upper middle class ideals, while nevertheless having to experience their decline and fall. Beautiful actresses to boot. Where's the DVD?
same talkative young people
SnoopyStyle29 September 2014
It's the last decade of the cold war and Barcelona has a lot of anti-Americanism. Ted Boynton (Taylor Nichols) is a stiff sales rep from Illinois working for an American company. His intrusive cousin US Navy officer Fred Boynton (Chris Eigeman) unexpectedly visit. They have a history of not getting along and different opinions. Ted insists on dating plain girls. Local friend Marta Ferrer (Mira Sorvino) brings them to a costume party and ends up sleeping with Fred. Fred makes up a story that Ted is a follower of Marquis de Sade. Ted eventually meets pretty trade show girl Montserrat Raventos (Tushka Bergen).
It's Whit Stillman's second movie and is not as compelling as his debut. The cousins are basically the kids from Metropolitan after a few years. They're smart, cosmopolitan, talkative and self-obsessed. The return of Nichols and Eigeman only helps in that sense of familiarity. The problem is that the first movie has the danger and excitement of an unknown future. This one just stumbles from one day to the next. There is nothing to truly drive the movie. The anti-Americanism theme seems to be more like background music that plays throughout the movie. It's an early Mira Sorvino film and she does fairly simple acting with a fake accent. There are some sly funny comedy in a meandering unengaging story.
It's Whit Stillman's second movie and is not as compelling as his debut. The cousins are basically the kids from Metropolitan after a few years. They're smart, cosmopolitan, talkative and self-obsessed. The return of Nichols and Eigeman only helps in that sense of familiarity. The problem is that the first movie has the danger and excitement of an unknown future. This one just stumbles from one day to the next. There is nothing to truly drive the movie. The anti-Americanism theme seems to be more like background music that plays throughout the movie. It's an early Mira Sorvino film and she does fairly simple acting with a fake accent. There are some sly funny comedy in a meandering unengaging story.
One of the worst movies I have ever seen
chris-240219 June 2005
I currently live and work in Barcelona and thought this would be a really interesting movie. Boy, was I wrong! Terrible acting, poor plot, and long. Fortunately, someone gave me the DVD to watch so I did not spend any money! I am appalled that Mira Sorvino would do this movie, but I guess it was before she hit "big time". Hey, in case people do not know--Catalan is spoken in Barcelona more than Spanish (or English). You'd never know it from the movie--everyone speaks English! I am going to watch Gaudi Day next, another movie set in Barcelona. Till then, I am going to pass this one out to my friends who are into the Marquis De Sade!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
