Eduardo Noriega, Penelope Cruz

A very handsome man finds the love of his life, but he suffers an accident and needs to have his face rebuilt by surgery after it is severely disfigured.

Flixster Users

86% liked it

30,838 ratings

Critics

84% liked it

44 critics

R, 1 hr. 57 min.

Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar

Release Date: April 16, 1999

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DVD Release Date: December 18, 2001

 

Stats: 1,605 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,605)


  • April 12, 2009
    Better than Vanilla Sky fooooo shoooo. No goofy pop music that takes you out of the movie plus no Tom Cruise = BETTA BABY.

    Loved Massive Attack - Rising son in the club scene. In fact, the whole club scene was MUCH better in this one. Even though this movie made the plot more...( read more) clear and obvious (taking away some of the mystery), it's just a more solid movie.

    I LOVE PENELOPE CRUZ' TITS.

    Sorry. I calls it likes I sees it.
  • January 3, 2009
    I hadn't realised that Vanilla Sky had been a remake when I'd watched it, but shortly into this film, it became very familiar.

    Interestingly Peneleope Cruz plays the same role in both versions of the film and the similarities do not end there, as pretty much the whole film is ...( read more)like for like, just on a smaller scaled budget.

    I always find a remake interesting when it originates from a different language.
  • August 5, 2008
    I liked the ending better than Vanilla Sky. Even with the far out plot, I found this one to much more coherent and relatable. I think the only thing Vanilla Sky has over this are visuals.
  • April 28, 2008
    After a handsome playboy suffers a disfiguring accident, he finds it increasingly difficult to distibguish reality from his nightmares. Well-scripted mindbender has emotional depth and carries the viewer along to a conclusion that successfully ties up loose ends. In Spanish wit...( read more)h subtitles.
  • February 10, 2008
    I'm glad that it's been several years since I saw Vanilla Sky (the American remake), and that it wasn't especially memorable, because having forgotten most of the plot I could enjoy the original without having to compare them (as such I won't compare them in this review, either)....( read more) The beauty of this film is that, along with the excellent script, it's made exceptionally well in that: although certain points of the plot do get somewhat complicated, the director never allows the details to overpower the essence of the story, or to convolute the beauty of what is on screen. Indeed, though there is science involved and it's somewhat of a mystery film, it remains very ethereal and exists on a higher plane than the typical thriller/mystery fare. The film stars Eduardo Noriega as a very dashing, wealthy man who, after finding the love of his love (in the form of Penelope Cruz, who played the same role in the remake), is involved in a car crash and has his face, which for him is his livelihood, largely destroyed. The film raises a ton of questions in its running, but has the good sense to answer them to some degree, but also to leave the film very much up to interpretation. Such ambiguousness really permeates the entire film and gives it an existential twinge. As I said, the film is often exquisitely beautiful, and the soundtrack matches its aesthetic very well. The acting from both leads (and several of the supporting actors) is top-notch, though I had the same problem I've had with every film starring Penelope Cruz: she's just so damned beautiful I'm often in danger of being distracted from the rest of the film completely! My own fault, though. So this is a great film, and since I can barely remember anything about Vanilla Sky, I think it's pretty safe to say the original is very much superior.
  • November 22, 2009
    Great genre transcending film which took me on an emotional and introspective journey.
  • November 13, 2009
    The stuff romance is made of...well, well, well, worth every penny of it.
  • November 11, 2009
    Hello and
    How are you ??? I saw your profile on which caught my eyes
    And finally I decided to contact you. I would like to request you to give me the honour of being your friend.
    Would you like to tell me something more about you please?? Like your hobbies, your studies or you...( read more)r profession etc
  • November 4, 2009
    this is a very good movie....i really like it
  • October 27, 2009
    A bit weird but is worth watching.

Critic Reviews


March 19, 2002
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

For adventurous filmgoers, though, this Spanish import offers something off the beaten path and a chance to play the coffee-shop game: Could This Screenplay Be Saved? full review

View more Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos) (Permanent Midnight) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • nicgr813
    January 5, 2009
    Alot better than Vanilla Sky
  • yeldarb68
    June 20, 2007
    Much better than that Vanilla Sky. The Hollywood version isn't as good at all.
  • imcoollikethat
    June 17, 2006
    This was a great movie, Vanilla Sky took this movie and made it a dream reality for the american people.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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