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| Vanilla Sky | 
 enlarge | Category: Movie
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  787 reviews
Sales Rank: 12321
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 136
ASIN: B000IZ8VDK
Theatrical Release Date: December 13, 2001
Release Date: November 13, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
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| Customer Reviews:
 Some of the most beautiful ideas and scenes I know of in a film January 14, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
For many years this has been one of my favourite films. The very film itself is very "Faustian", in it's theoretically never ending quest for love, experience and knowledge. It also has a much darker side to it, reminding me somewhat of another absolutely wonderful dark film; "The Jacket", with a touch of "Donnie Darko". I've seen the original Spanish film "Abre los ojos" that this more or less is an exact remake of, and amusingly, it contains the same lovely Penelope Cruz in her role as Sofia Serrano. The lead character David Aames is played by Tom Cruise, not someone I particularly like neither in "real life" nor in this film, but he does a good job in this film, and that is after all what counts. His role as a lucky rich boy with no responsibility and who's "all about fun", in his own words, represents my complete opposite, that being so, he quickly finds himself forced to recognize that "there are consequences in life".
Aames falls completely in love with a girl that his lonely best friend brings to Aames' own birthday party (some friend, huh?). Jason Lee does an excellent role with his character Brian Shelby. The happiness ends suddenly though, after Aames lack of responsibility comes back around to him the morning after and he ends up emotionally and physically crippled afterwards. Cameron Diaz plays the character of the slut stalker of Aames, and no fault of Diaz, her character is completely horrible, an awful person.
Without revealing the end and the entire plot for those of you out there who strangely have not seen this marvellous film yet, I would just like to recommend this beyond words. Even though the upper layer of the film seems very "decadent" and "shallow", it really is about (in my view) the greatest thing of all, the search for knowledge and experience. Add the beautiful Penelope Cruz and a really existentialist theme throughout, which I'm sure everyone who thinks for him or herself can relate to (is the world real or merely an illusion?), and you've got yourself one of my favourite films. The end scene is simply sublime, with what probably is the best song in the world, Sigur Ros' divine "Njosnavellin".
Watch it!
 a good movie at a good price December 21, 2007
This movie is a love story with some sci-fi elements awkwardly thrown in, but there are some moments of good acting and dialogue that make it worth watching.
 The 'Vanila' Sky is the limit December 9, 2007
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
A film which makes an attempt to pattern itself on the fantasy vs. reality films that had become popular at the turn of the new millennium - David Fichner's "Fight Club" and M. Night Shamalan's "Sixth Sense" both from 1999, Christopher Nolan's "Momento" from 2000, and David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" released the following year (all of which don't surpass the reigning king of this genre when Terry Gilliam released his 1985 masterpiece "Brazil") - by no means fails in this respect since I found it both entertaining and intriguing for the most part, but is noticeably long and certainly may confuse the average '2hr-max-movie-goer'. Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz both stand out playing their respective, 'good gal/bad gal roles and Jason Lee is quite appealing as the best friend of our dashing lead Tom Cruise. Yet Cruise may be viewed as stretching this performance given the physical challenges that are demanded. I hesitate to reveal these challenges to those that have not seen the picture as they are indeed the focal point of the plot. Many good things like the witty Cameron Crowe retrospective soundtrack that is weaved into clever culture references and tributes which are indeed enjoyable and even necessary to solve the riddle presented in 'what's is going on?' scenario of the main character's pressing dilemma which may not be easy to access with a single viewing. But still the ride can be entertaining as Tom runs away and into trouble as he often does in quasi-action films that are laced with mystery and intrigue like Sydney Pollack's 1993 "The Firm", Brian De Palma's 1996 "Mission Impossible" and even the more cerebrally dark, "Eyes Wide Shut" from Stanley Kubrick. As noted by many educated critics as well as the tasteless tabloids Mr. Cruise may be biting off more than he can chew as he dives into the land of independent production. I applaud Tom for his efforts and are rooting for his success yet do believe that his choice for future roles should include a return to comedic territory as a deviation/diversion to selecting elaborate/complicated efforts which could be prove too risky and result in a poor reception at the box office.
A Surreal Romp In A World Filled Entirely With Shallow, Pretty People December 5, 2007
While Vanilla Sky does not compare in any way with it's far superior predecessor Abre los Ojos, Vanilla Sky succeeds in two ways:
- Style: The film is undeniably pretty and cast with three leading characters who are, by most standards, quite elegant themselves. The movie seems to be predominately made specifically as eye candy, and is thoroughly pleasing in that aspect.
- Suspension of Disbelief: the film, like it's predecessor, is surreal and challenges you to decipher what is real and what is not. Abre Los Ojos presented reality and distortion of reality in a way that was not completely boggling, allowed the viewer room for personal interpretation and provided a satisfying--if not somewhat depressing conclusion. Vanilla Sky is all over the place in this aspect--which is probably in part due to the jumpy, deliberately schizophrenic and pretentious editing. Only if you have seen the original will you be truly able to flesh out and appreciate what Vanilla Sky is about.
In the end, it is a pretty movie with a pretty cast and one of the best soundtracks you'll ever hear (although to get the full soundtrack you may have to do a little hunting of your own, since the official soundtrack is sadly lacking many of the great tunes from the classic scenes in this movie) Overall, it is NOT completely horrible/unwatchable, despite what some may say, and yet, it is not perfect. If you're a Cruise, Cruz or Diaz fan, you'll probably have to add this to your collection, whatever the title. If you enjoy surrealistic psycho-candy, you'll probably enjoy this movie. If you enjoy watching Tom Cruise in anything besides Top Gun, Rain Man, or Days of Thunder, this, and Minority Report, are definitely worth a watch.
Terrific November 18, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The movie is stellar and so is the music. I'm surprised at how many people just don't get this film. It's so simple. It's a love story. Guy meets girl, his girlfriend gets jealous and kills both of them in a car crash. The guy already had some type of life insurance so that if he dies, they will keep his brain functioning (he's a millionaire with access to best revolutionary medical treatments). He has nightmares about the crash but it's all due to a problem with the software that is hardwired keeping his brain alive. It gets fixed and he has a choice to live in his fictional world that his mind creates or to go back into the real world where technology has allowed him to live a real life again. He chooses the latter. End of story.
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