# Vanilla Sky (2001)



## Dave (Jun 19, 2002)

*Vanilla Sky*

The first half of the film has Tom Criuse playing the typical spoilt rich kid role, he has been typecast in, and knowing nothing about this film beforehand, I expected that that was going to be the whole plot.

The best part about this film was that I didn't even realise it was Science Fiction until a little way through. If you don't understand it fully (and I had to explain it to my wife afterwards) then you probably still think it's just a weird romantic thriller. Cameron Diaz is great as the stalking ex-girlfriend.

I've seen it criticised as a 'Total Recall' rip-off, and the 'LE Corporation' was a little like 'REKALL', but it's not the same premise at all, more like 'The Matrix' if you need to compare it to anything. Of course, it was actually an adaptation of the 1997 Spanish film `Abre Los Ojos'. So, that was what it was ripping-off, if anything. 

When the surreal stuff began, with the slow pacing and flashback storytelling, and different versions of the same thing, I was completely lost at first. If you a student of Monet's art, you might get some idea with the real Vanilla-coloured Sky, or else from the 'real-life' recreated Bob Dylan album cover. I had to work it out for myself. 

The final scenes do leave you the same way that 'Total Recall' did -- what really was the true ending here?


----------



## Tabitha (Jun 22, 2002)

*Hey I was just about to start a thread for this!*

Review from Amazon


> Vanilla Sky reunites director Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire) with uberplayboy Tom Cruise; adds another sexy Cruz (PenÃ©lope) and Cameron Diaz for good measure; and delivers a wildly entertaining, bizarre venture into erotic science fiction. Adapted near exactly from Spanish filmmaker Alejandro AmenÃ¡bar's 1997 romantic thriller Open Your Eyes, the film follows David Aames (Cruise) as he falls from his graceful Manhattan perch of inordinate wealth, good looks and newfound love with Sofia (Cruz) because of severe facial disfigurement in a car accident caused by a suicidal ex-lover (Diaz). Reduced to wearing a latex mask and spurned by his friends, what at first promises to be a conventional allegory of redemption via true love is turned on its head as Cruise's character only wins back his princess after a miracle of plastic surgery restores his former beauty. A series of plot twists follow as waking life, technological advances and nightmares merge to dizzying effect, leaving David face to face with his own mortality. Despite a final conceit to some vague morality, the appeal of the film is the wonderfully callous message conveyed by the whole--money and physical beauty equal happiness and an unabashed vanity perfectly embodied by Cruise and Cruz.



Director - Cameron Crowe 
Stars - Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, Tilda Swinton, Kurt Russell

Have a look at its IMDB ENTRY

Some trivia that I have come across for this film is that Steven Spielberg makes a blink and you'll miss him cameo - did you catch it?  Penelope Cruz plays the same role in this film as she did in the Spanish original.
Cameron Crowe managed to keep this movie called "Vanilla Sky" - he ha considered it for every movie he has made so far, but it has always been rejected!

I still think it is closer to Total Recall than The Matrix, but the feeling you described after watching - the "What was real" question is the main reason I think this, the actual story is quite removed from both of these comparisons.

Very enjoyable overall, moreso for the surprise revelations than for the romantic storyline.


----------



## King Donut (Jun 26, 2002)

*One of the best films I've seen*

I love this movie. 

Yeah, this is a one-liner SPAM post but everyone seems to be doing that here anyway...


----------



## Tabitha (Jul 4, 2002)

*Re: One of the best films I've seen*



> _Originally posted by King Donut _
> *Yeah, this is a one-liner SPAM post but everyone seems to be doing that here anyway... *


Got any more thoughts over and above your one-liner?

I enjoyed this movie a lot - as I have posted elsewhere it really took me by surprise.  All the advertising suggested that it would be a Fatal Attraction-style romantic thriller... and whaddya know, it turned out to be scifi!

I would be interested to hear a review of Vanilla SKy from you - why in particular do you think so highly of it.  Have you seen the original?  Did you see any of the twists coming?  


ps  not all the posts here are spam - some are very engaging and informative, stick around, you might even see some


----------



## PrancingPony (Jul 4, 2002)

I LURVE  this film!soundtrack i s also great!


----------



## Tabitha (Jul 20, 2002)

Oh, yeah the soundtrack was very good - I have been meaning to pick it up for ages now!  Especially the title song by Paul McCartney - Stupid me didn't even realise it was a brand new one, it reminded me of old Beatles stuff :blush:


----------



## Bayleaf48 (Jul 25, 2002)

Didn't think much of this film at all as it become some what confusing as after a while it was hard to tell between what was the paast & what wasn't


----------



## Tabitha (Jul 26, 2002)

I am sorry you didn't like this Bay - I thought it was brilliant, although a lot of my friends weren't too keen.  I think the main reason they didn't like it was the surprise factor and the unexpected segue into  SF/Fantasy.  

I think it is Cameron Crowe's best film so far (he also wrote and directed Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire).


----------



## Bayleaf48 (Jul 26, 2002)

That's alright Tabitha, that's just how it goes with films as some people are goign to like them & some are not

But it has a good story line to it though, I will admit that


----------



## JACKER (Feb 23, 2003)

*Vanilla Sky*

In the last few months, *Vanilla Sky* and its predocessor *Abre Los Ojos* has become one of my favorite films of all time (and yes it is science fiction).  For those who've seen it, I want to hear your thoughts on life, love,work, sex, dreams, play?


----------



## Tabitha (Feb 23, 2003)

Interesting that you seem to see them as one film.  I think I prefer the American version - but only because I saw that one first.  When I saw the original I was amazed at how identical the two movies were.

You want our thoughts on love work etc in the context of this movie or just in general?  

Why don't you get the ball rolling?


----------



## JACKER (Feb 23, 2003)

This is something I wrote a couple weeks back on JoBlo.com as SLAW. I decided to paste it here. Here you go:



Vanilla Sky is my favorite film of 2001 and it gets no love from this site (other then JolBo's review, which is all that should really matter right?) and it gets to me. I realize most of you think it's un-original, pretentious, and an all around un-inspiring vanity project by Tom Cruise and Cameron Crowe. Well, that's what you think and that's all fine and dandy. 


I will say that I certainly hope none of you actually doubt Crowe's filmmaking abilities, coz this guy knows how to make a ****ing movie! I mean, common! His blend of music and story is the best I've ever seen. He doens't ever over do it, nor does he think it's essential. The visual and musical storytelling to this film, is so beatiful, I was on the edge of my seat as if I was watching an intense action film. To sum that up; Crowe is awesome! Regardless of whether you think it shows in this film or not.

Now I hope none of you actually doubt Tom Cruise's acting abilities. I mean, common! This guy can ****ing act! He can play any part out there. I will say the charm about him, is that we do see similarities from him with every role he takes. He brings subtle change to this story and other stories he's helped tell over the years. I believe Richard Roeper said that Cruise plays 3 different parts in this movie; the life of the party Cruise, the disfigured Cruise coping with loss and tragedy, and the Cruise that finds his revelations and is ready to start over. I can honestly tell you that I cared a whole lot more for David Aimes then Charles Foster Kane. To sum that up; Cruise rocks! Regardless of whether you think it shows in this film or not.

This movie is about regret, loss, redemption, self discovery, acceptance, and of course pop culture influencing who we become. You know, the same old thing that always seems to grab me right square in the nuts! I hedero-sexually love these two men. Regardless of whether you think it showes in this little essay or not.


----------



## JACKER (Mar 1, 2003)

My thread was merged with this one? :eek7:


----------



## Tabitha (Mar 1, 2003)

> _Originally posted by JACKER _
> *My thread was merged with this one? :eek7: *


How would you describe your thread as being different from the existing Vanilla Sky thread?
On second, thoughts, don't.

Sorry I didn't reply before, but I forgot all about this thread.

I wouldn't go so far as to say Aames was far more sympathetic than Charles Foster Kane.  I think the main difference is that the focus is much closer in Vanilla SKy than in CK.  I don't think we are supposed to like the character of David Aames - I certainly didn't like him any more than Kane, but Kane was a mystery, whereas we see Aames' shortcomings in extreme close-up.
I was still rooting for him to figure it all out, and it seems to have been poetic justice that all his troubles (post-LE) were self-induced (albeit subconciously).

The beautiful images and sounds of Crowe's filmmaking I'll not dispute, however.


----------



## JACKER (Mar 1, 2003)

Lets just say that "Citizen Dildo" is my "Citizen Kane."  I try not to care what anyone says anymore, VS is an amazing movie.


----------



## Brit Chick (Mar 17, 2003)

I just got around to watching this at the weekend - Like Dave at the start of this thread, I didn't even realise it was SF/Fantasy until half way(maybe more) thru.  Thats what actually makes it a great film, for me anyway I like to be surprised!

I wasn't really up for watching it but the other half wanted to so I did.  In the end I was the one who 'got it'.  Yeah it did have an element of Total Recall about it, but I think it was far more Matrixy than anything else (well, apart from the original spanish flick) 

I think it was point in the restaurant/bar where the Tech Support guy comes over to Aames and says everyone is doing everything at your command (something like that) and Aames yells out I wish they'd just all shut up -  silence.......... thats when you know something unreal is going on here.   

I also loved Kurt Russell's shrink insisting that he was real and then the look on his face when he didn't know his daughter's names!!!  great moment.

Oh yeah, Cameron Diaz as the bunny boiler girlfriend - excellent


----------



## Krystal (Mar 22, 2003)

Finally could see this movie, I have to say is very good. I enjoy it but have to admit that much of the time I was trying to get some sense of what was happening.  Is you ask me I don't think I grasp the sense at the end anyway.  But maybe because it was so strange, that was the thing that make me continue seeing it. 

It was a great movie, strange but good.  

Krystal


----------



## stencyl (Oct 19, 2005)

*Vanilla Sky*

I just saw this film again (the Cameron Crowe version) on cable. 

I remember talk about the original, _Abre Los Ojos,_ being much much better than the Hollywood version and vowing to see it. I had some trouble finding the spanish version and then just never picked it up.

Has anyone seen _Abre Los Ojos?_


----------



## Dave (Jun 15, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *Interesting that you seem to see [Vanilla Sky and Abre Los Ojos] as one film.  I think I prefer the American version - but only because I saw that one first.  When I saw the original I was amazed at how identical the two movies were.*


On the DVD comments Cameron Crowe seems to want you to think of Vanilla Sky as an extention of Abre Los Ojos.

I don't see  David Aames Junior as Charles Foster Kane at all. Maybe his father, David Aames Senior, is more of a Citizen Kane figure. Kane was actually modelled on the publishing mogul William R Hearst. He had five sons, one was William R Junior and one was also called David. I think Cameron Crowe is certainly trying to allude to something in that with the "Citizen Dildo" reference.

*The Ending* - David was told by the Tech Guy that he had a choice to make. 

David said that he wanted to stop dreaming and wake up. I think that would be unlikely. The Tech guy seemed to infer that they were very far in the future. He said that things had changed while he had been dreaming. Even assuming that the damage done to his body by the poisoning could be repaired, and that they could re-animate him just like 'Benny the Dog', David's friends may have died, society may have changed from what he was use to. HG Wells 'The Sleeper Awakes' is brought to my mind.

So, if he can't actually wake up, his choice must be between dying - and his fall from the skyscraper sure seems real (his whole life flashing before his eyes), or a RESET back to the start of the dream with his memory wiped clean. 

If the second option was possible, you wonder (like 'The Matrix') how many times has it been reset before? - how far into the future is this? - and does the dream always turn out the same way?

On the discussion of whether Tom Cruise is a good actor, I think his work shows through: Top Gun, Rain Man, Vanilla Sky, Jerry Maguire, Minority Report, even War of the Worlds. His personal life and his beliefs may be a little unconventional, and people knock him for those, but that has nothing to do with his acting. Even if he is only a mediocre actor, he seems to have a knack of choosing good films.

I also liked Kurt Russel in this. Not like his usual roles. 

Out of interest, does anyone know what was the Cary Grant film that inspired David's image of an ideal father, and conjured up Kurt Russel's character in his dream?


----------

