"The 'Sky' is the Limit"
by Scott Mantz

"Vanilla Sky"
Tom Cruise,
Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz
Directed by Cameron Crowe

Eyes wide open! Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz complete each other in "Vanilla Sky"

Open your eyes...

....and get ready to see what just may be one of the most mind-blowing movies of the year. How ironic that it comes from Tom Cruise and director Cameron Crowe, the team behind 1996's Oscar-nominated "Jerry Maguire?" Well, talk about a change of pace, the dark, surreal, and almost spiritual "Vanilla Sky" couldn't be any more different from the lighthearted style of "Jerry Maguire" even if it tried. While that may be a bummer for Cruise fans looking for a sappy romantic comedy to complete them, film buffs looking for a powerfully cerebral, haunting, and provocative psychological thriller will be more than satisfied.

David Aames (Tom Cruise) is a wealthy, charismatic magazine executive who lives the good life in New York City. His womanizing ways are put to the test when he meets Sofia (Penelope Cruz), an aspiring dancer who he is introduced to by his best friend (Jason Lee). It's love at first sight, but after a night of intimate conversation, David is confronted by Julie (Cameron Diaz), his emotionally unstable ex-lover. In a fit of desperation, she commits suicide by driving off the side of the road with him in the car. While David survives the crash, his once good looks are now horribly disfigured. In order to get his face back--and more importantly, save his soul--David is forced to open his eyes, his mind, and his heart to the true meaning of happiness by taking responsibility for the consequences of his actions.

"Vanilla Sky"--based on the 1997 Spanish thriller "Abre Los Ojos" (directed by Alejandro Amenabar, who also directed Cruise's ex-wife Nicole Kidman in "The Others")--actually resembles a number of different films. The themes of obsession, karma, and fate that underscored Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" are featured more prominently in "Vanilla Sky," while guessing what's a dream and what's reality brings to mind the surreal nature of "Jacob's Ladder" and "Lost Highway." Heck, there's even a sci-fi element that's reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Total Recall."

With that in mind, it's safe to say that the ambitious "Vanilla Sky" represents a significant departure--and a major leap forward--for Cameron Crowe as a filmmaker. The lighthearted, humorous, and personal touches he gave to films like "...Say Anything" and "Almost Famous" are featured throughout "Vanilla Sky," but the film is actually more faithful to the dark nature of the Spanish version that inspired it. While the setting is different, the structure, the camera angles, and even some of the dialogue are so identical, you'd swear at times that you were watching the same movie.

Of course, the real strength of "Vanilla Sky" lies with the casting of its leads, which in this case, almost threatened to be its undoing. Just witness last year's "Proof of Life," which was so overshadowed by the public affair between co-stars Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe, that by the time the movie came out, people were looking for evidence of that passion on the big screen. As it turned out, their surprising lack of chemistry was just one of the reasons why "Proof of Life" was the kiss of death at the box office.

Fortunately, that's not the case here. Despite the similar mayhem caused by the budding romance between Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz, the fact is, the passion between them is there for all to see. Actually, considering how much charm, charisma, and confidence the role calls for, Cruise couldn't have been better cast as David Aames. That's what makes his "Phantom of the Opera"-like transformation all the more remarkable, and spending half the movie in such a badly deformed state only adds to the power of his desperate, gut-wrenching performance.

As for his co-stars, Penelope Cruz delivers what is easily her strongest, most convincing American performance to date (though that may not be saying much compared to "Blow"). Though having her play the same role that she played in the Spanish version hardly seems like inspired casting, it still works. Sure, she's sexy, but she's also quite sensitive and believable as she reaches out to her shattered love. Cameron Diaz also makes a strong impression as Cruise's sexy, obsessed lover, while Jason Lee holds his own as Cruise's sensitive, self-deprecating best--and only--friend.

Not that the film isn't without its shortcomings. After all, considering that Cruise's character possesses some selfish and downright shallow personality traits, it may be hard for some moviegoers to embrace him as he sets off on his incredible journey. Also, as the film progresses, it takes a number of bizarre twists and turns--as a masked Cruise tells his story to his psychiatrist (played by Kurt Russell) via flashbacks--before it finally reaches a far-out, overexplained "A.I."-style climax. Fortunately, just when you think the movie has gone off the deep end, Crowe brings it back to the surface with a brief, final image that helps it all make more sense.

The bottom line is this. Depending on what mood you're in, "Vanilla Sky" is either a frustrating cinematic experience or a rewarding one. It's a love-it-or-hate-it movie that will mean different things to different people, and to that end, it will surely benefit from repeated viewings. As for what it's really about...well, you're on your own with that one my friends! All I can say is, if you really want to figure it out, it's not that hard. All you have to do is sit back, relax, put your mind to it, and...

....open your eyes.

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