Australian filmmaker John Duigan directs the romantic war drama Head in the Clouds. Charlize Theron stars as ambitious photographer Gilda Bessé, who lives in France during the 1930s. She shares her stylish luxury apartment in Paris with Cambridge student Guy (Stuart Townsend) from Ireland and refugee Mia (Penélope Cruz) from Spain. When WWII starts, the three close friends are torn apart by different priorities. Thomas Kretschmann also stars as Major Thomas Bietrich. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
The story becomes a long slog because Duigan doesn't define his characters and because he's determined to touch too many of the familiar '30s European bases.
There's plenty of eye candy -- gorgeous scenery, gorgeous costumes, gorgeous people -- to keep the viewer from minding (too much) the Olympic leaps of faith required to invest in the film's plot.
Tyrone Power would have more chemistry courting Deanna Durbin in a deep coma. Theron destroys all her Monster acting cred. Cruz squeaks like a hamster huffing helium.
The film is emotionally distanced from its audience, too stoic and stuffy. You'd never guess a film with as much sex as this one could be so stodgy, but there you go.
This would-be wartime epic romance is so intent on setting a dream-like atmosphere that it fails to develop either the situation or characters in a convincing fashion.
Amid scenes of silk-sheet sexuality are gritty historical re-enactments and half-baked histrionics, but it plays as drab melodrama and unintentional comedy.
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