Product Description

David Aames has always taken his good fortune for granted until he is in a car accident caused by his suicidal ex-girlfriend.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 29-DEC-2004
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5578 in DVD
• Brand: CRUISE,TOM
• Released on: 2002-05-21
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 136 minutes

Amazon.com
Vanilla Sky reunites director Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire) with über-playboy Tom Cruise, adds another sexy Cruz (Penélope) and Cameron Diaz for good measure, and delivers a wildly entertaining, bizarre venture into erotic science fiction. Adapted near exactly from Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar'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). What at first promises to be a conventional allegory of redemption via true love is turned on its head as Cruise's character, reduced to wearing a latex mask and spurned by his friends, wins back his princess only after a miracle of plastic surgery restores his former beauty. A series of plot twists follows as waking life, technological advances, and nightmares flip-flop to dizzying effect and David ultimately comes 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 rest of it (money and physical beauty equal happiness) through an unabashed vanity perfectly embodied by Cruise and Cruz. A delicious, decadent treat. --Fionn Meade

From The New Yorker
This Hollywood remake of the 1997 Spanish movie "Abre los Ojos" can only be called un desastre. Tom Cruise plays a magazine-empire heir who lives in the Dakota and works (apparently) in the Condé Nast building-he's a playboy publisher splitting his time between Cameron Diaz and Penélope Cruz (who re-creates her role from the original as a tempestuous free spirit). There is an accident, and Cruise winds up charged with murder and disfigured (he sometimes shouts through a plastic mask). The movie jumps in and out of dreams and nightmares, rushes forward and backward, and the only thing that emerges clearly is that a big star is coming to terms with the anxiety of losing his looks. It's one of those rare movies that manage to be overwrought and completely boring. Cameron Crowe, who wrote and directed it, has to begin all over again and figure out why he wanted to be a movie director. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

"Open your eyes."
I went to see "Vanilla Sky" having very little foreknowledge about the film. What I discovered was an intriguing and consistently watchable film that is an odd blend of psychosexual thriller, crime mystery, and science fiction tale. Sound weird? It is.

Cameron Crowe directs a fine cast led by Tom Cruise. Cruise plays David, a man who has inherited a publishing empire from his late father. With his wealth and good looks, David seems to be living a charmed life. But this life turns into a horrific nightmare. Also in the cast are Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, and Jason Lee. Kurt Russell is particularly impressive as a psychiatrist seeking the truth behind David's ordeal.

I won't give away the many bizarre twists which the plot takes. The film is surreal and disorienting. Cruise impressed me in the title role. Initially quite unlikable as the obnoxious David, Cruise ultimately brings a real depth and intensity to his performance.

"Vanilla Sky" seems to be having a polarizing effect on a lot of viewers, but I found it to be a compelling film. Give it a try if you feel like something offbeat.

A Stunning Masterpiece
As you can see from the customer reviews bouncing between loving and hating this movie, it is not for everyone.

The first time I saw this movie in the theater I was unable to move when it was over. I was utterly stunned. I can count on one hand the times this has happened to me over a lifetime of movie viewing.

Tom Cruise plays David Aames, a rich young man who has inherited a publishing empire from his late father. Cameron Diaz is the girlfriend he really doesn't care about, and Jason Lee plays his best (and perhaps only) friend. Aames is utterly disconnected from his own life, and seems to care little about anything. One night his friend (Lee) brings an intriguing dancer (Penelope Cruz) to his birthday party. Cruise takes up with Cruz, but then experiences a waking nightmare that destroys his life. I can't reveal more of the plot without giving it away, and I suggest you NOT read any more reviews of this film and just see it--otherwise you'll deprive yourself of one incredible movie ride.

This movie is visually spectacular. There are scenes that set off the dive klaxon deep within my brain but I couldn't figure out why until much later in the film when the plot is revealed. What is this film? Science fiction? Yes, but... A psychological thriller? Yes, but... A love story? Yes, ultimately.

It's better not to categorize Vanilla Sky, and just enjoy (or not enjoy) it. I think this movie either works on you, or it doesn't. And this is probably the most polarizing movie I have ever seen. You'll either love it or hate it.

Jason Lee and Cameron Diaz give the performances of their careers. I would have said the same of Cruise, but then he uncorked Collateral. Kurt Russell has a relatively small part as Cruise's psychologist, but he nails it perfectly.

Vanilla Sky is based on Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar's Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes). I liked Vanilla Sky a lot more than Abre Los Ojos, unlike most American remakes of foreign films, because it contains additional scenes and more spectacular visuals. However, an English-only speaker like me can't really make a fair comparision because there are so many subtitles to watch in Abre Los Ojos it makes it hard to watch the actors. Penelope Cruz plays the same role in both films.

The real value of this film is that it makes you think about what (and more importantly, who) is at the core of your own life, and how will you feel about how you have lived when the clock runs out?

Vanilla Sky is a rare movie--unique in plot, and made with passion and care. I can't guarantee you'll like it, but there is no other movie more worth taking a chance on.

AWESOME!!!
hmm...I wonder what makes all these people say that Vanilla Sky was a horrible movie? Perhaps it's the fact that they did not or could not understand the film. I own Vanilla Sky and Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) and i must say that Vanilla Sky lived up to, and went beyond all expectations. If you've seen Abre, then I would highly recommend seeing Vanilla Sky. The acting in Abre was great, but the cinematography of Vanilla was even better. Intriguing film that will have you scratching your head until the very end. A definite MUST SEE!