Barcelona Reviews

Whit Stillman is like Woody Allen; if Woody Allen refused to make a film a year and really concentrated on saying something new with each film his makes. Don't get me wrong, I love Woody Allen but Whit Stillman has a handle over his craft that Allen can't seem to pin down. Stillman, like Allen, is all about social observation- delivering insights (and humor) into society through dialogue and situations "Barcelona" is a much larger step up from "Metropolitan" in terms of style, mood and execution. The film is darker and more confident. This helps the subtext remain pointed and mature and not as overly readable like in his previous feature. Stillman has this easy way of enveloping you into his films and "Barcelona" is a lovely yet acidic look into international social relations.

A dialogue-driven story about two Americans in Barcelona.

Awful crap. Watched this on T.V. the other night and had devoted so much time to it that I had to see the end. I don't know why because the acting was awful and the story plot wasn't any better. I felt like I had wasted my time.

Between a 6/10 and 7/10, it's almost clever enough to get by simply on its charm, but Stillman really needs to stop wallowing in his own cleverness and start telling stories.

Boring. Lacking in plot.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Whit Stillman can do no wrong. Really looking forward to his return to filmmaking with 'Damsels in Distress'.

Whit Stillman is a ridiculous writer. All three of his films - Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days Of Disco - all contain some of the wittiest dialogue this side of Woody Allen's best. Barcelona may even be his most accomplished. Can't wait for Greta Gerwig in Stillman's next Damsels In Distress.

Whit Stillman needs to make more films. His trademark satiric and witty banter is so often mimicked by screenwriters today, and so rarely equaled. Supposedly, he has had numerous projects in the works since his last film, The Last Days of Disco (1998), but each has been derailed by financial difficulties and all have fallen through. And so there we have it. One of the most brilliant screenwriters of our time can't get a film financed, and we are the ones missing out.

Stillman's self-financed debut, Metropolitan (1989), told the story of a group of college-aged socialites who welcome an "underclass" outsider into their group, and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay. He followed that with Barcelona, about two American cousins who find love and political disharmony while in Spain. Stillman's three films are all loosely autobiographical, and, thematically and stylistically, all three feel very similar despite having distinctly different plot lines. His style of writing is just so stimulating, and so funny, he makes it easy to relate to the un-relatable. The characters that he creates are often cold, callous and self-centered, but there is always an emotional touch that keeps them from becoming completely obnoxious. Although he only has three (finished) films, it's a hell of an oeuvre -- and it's completely inexplicable that he hasn't been able to get a film made in over 10 years. My fingers are crossed that Damsels in Distress, listed on his IMDB page, actually gets made, and doesn't become another victim of completely dumbfounding studio incompetence.

Each joke that dosent make you laugh out loud makes you love it more. Barcelona is just like Stillman's two other films (Metropolitan, The Last Days Of Disco), only better. Whit Stillman is the god of comedy films, and this is his masterpeice.

The best Whit Stillman movie ever, [i]Barcelona [/i]is witty, clever and well-directed. If Steven Segal or Sly Stallone is your man, this movie is not for you. But if you [i]generally [/i]like Woody Allen movies - and Lord knows Woody's last few movies have had problems, to be sure - you'll love this! Far better than Stillman's follow-up [i]The Last Days of Disco[/i].

:fresh: pretty good movie, but kind of strange. the conversations between the cousins (and some of the other people) didn't seem "real" to me; nor did the relationships between everyone. mildly paced throughout, and only interesting enough.