Watch Barcelona For Free

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good movie but grossly overrated

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This is one quirky account of a beautiful city and it's love-hate relationship with the USA. I first met a man from Barcelona in a taxi ride to the airport and he immediately started to kiss me and tell me how much he wanted me to come with him. My first thought: what is up with Spain??? This is the first film that has ever attempted to explain. I found the tour of the city incredibly stunning, what a tribute to a relatively unknown gem of Europe. Given the Director's personal experience there, I assume this is his homage. Very confusing introspection of sexual mores, education, worldly knowledge, nightlife and general ennui.Ted and Fred seem overly contrived characters and the dialogue is rather pedestrian and stilted for such a backdrop. However, I was fascinated with the ability of this film to pull me into another world like few others. Look at the interiors of the apartments, their color schemes, art, tiles, and exotic architecture. This city is teeming with life, adventure, mystery and so unlike the mundane existence most experience here in the US. What are we missing??? I wanted to know more but was interrupted by shallow characters save the reluctant few who came to Fred's bed for a mercy reading program.My anti-American experience throughout Europe was underlined and had never felt like a third world citizen in my life. Very humbling experience, but how could such a universal judgement create an elevated society? I do not think being a worldly snob enables one to a better life. Does anyone recall Guernica?? They are correct about the USA in many ways but we are still a profoundly formative country whose expansion created many gaps in capturing more cultured avenues. Hence, I protest!Are these young people that promiscuous, late, irreverent and ignorant as portrayed? I am jaded enough living in LA, so was surprised to see a complete one-up-manship here. I enjoyed the concept of an Officer and a kinda sorta Gentleman that were separate characters.The ending was definitely anti-climatic at the Lake, in so much contrast to the vibrant capture of Barcelona. I wanted more, perhaps a good thing vs predictable dialogue.Recommend for visceral beauty of Barcelona, Mira Sorvino fans, Europe vs USA views, flash Flamenco and obsequious Marquis de Sade references.

Stillman should make more films definitely. This was a profound film that showed the remarkable decorum that Americans had to face in Barcelona in the mid-80's. Phenomenal acting by Chris and Taylor. I was also blown away by Mira Sorvino's performance - never guessed that she was an American the first time I saw this film. She's that good.Terrific locale - how can anything beat Barcelona? This is a film, like Metropolitan, that you watch over and over and never get tired of it.30 minutes goes by, an hour, and you're still never bored. You wish the film would go on and on.It's a really shame that talented directors like Stillman can't make movies while the most unbelievably shallow filmmakers continue to bring society down another notch.

I have to admit that this is a smart film geared to and about a demographic that studio executives can't even comprehend and that's young men in their late twenties and early thirties that are intelligent and working hard at their jobs. Story of course takes place in Barcelona, Spain in the early 1980's when the demise of the cold war left many confused about the state of things. Ted Boynton (Taylor Nichols) is a representative from a company in Chicago that builds electric engines and one day his cousin Fred (Chris Eigeman) comes to stay with him. Fred is a Lieutenant in the Navy and frequently he is called a fascist by people who walk by him. Ted falls in love with Montserrat (Tushka Bergen) but he has to deal with the fact that she has a boyfriend.*****SPOILER ALERT*****Fred hooks up with a girl named Marta (Mira Sorvino) and all of them talk (And talk!) about relationships with their partners and with each other and they also discuss their role as Americans in Barcelona. One day Fred is shot by a left wing extremist and put into a coma and while he is lying in a hospital Ted stays at his bedside where he rethinks about what is really important in life.This film is written and directed by Whit Stillman who shows a fondness for his characters and his script does a good job of making each of them bright and literate so that there is no phoniness connected with any of them. But the main problem I have with this film is that it spends it's entire length and duration conversing about everything. The whole film seems like one long conversation and I do understand that this is what it wants to do but there is more talk going on in this film than "My Dinner With Andre". After a while the sense of pretentiousness and tedium become all to evident which is a shame because the intelligence and sincerity of the characters could have made this one of the more thought provoking films.

This film is charming and witty and creates some interesting Cold Warmetaphors 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 thedimwitted 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.