Viva Barcelona!

Woody does Spain, and he does it well. In Vicky Christina Barcelona, writer/director Woody Allen spins an unconventional love triangle between two eurotripping Americans—flighty Scarlett Johansson and mature Rebecca Hall—and the charismatic Bohemian artist—Javier Bardem—that woos them both. The artist intrigues each in different ways, but only one can have a meaningful relationship with him. The “winner,” though, will have to face the blunt force firecracker that his Bardem’s unstable ex-wife, Penelope Cruz. In a remarkable, Oscar-nominated performance, Cruz steals every scene she is in and elevates a decent film into a must-see picture. Rated R.