From a production standpoint Head in the Clouds is impressive. Not many Canadian films this expensive get made (simply BECAUSE they are expensive) Top credit goes to the make-up, costume and art departments, as well as the cinematographer. Nothing in the frame needs an upgrade, unfortunately the script does.
Head in the Clouds reminded me of two similar films which had yet to be made: Joe Wright's Atonement, and Paul Verhoeven's Black Book. These two films have something that Head in the Clouds could use...development. This feature contains a story that has nowhere essentially to go, and features characters who are insufficiently defined. When it's all over, you come to realize that Head in the Clouds is essentially a melodrama. It is glossy but generic.
Too much of the story is dependant on a romance between Stuart Townsend and Charlize Theron which lacks credibility and chemistry. As a lead actress, Charlize Theron is quite inept. I'm not convinced that she tried all that hard. Theron is little more than a body to go inside a bunch of pretty dresses. sometimes she actually feels like the product of a materialist 21st century.
The best performance in the movie is turned in by Penelope Cruz. She is able to portray emotion better than anyone,in part because her role is also the best in the film or so it seems. All the more disappointing it becomes then, considering that One of he worst decisions Head in the Clouds makes is to drop Cruz in an abrupt/unconvincing manner after we have gotten to know her so well.
Head in the Clouds has an overlong climax with a rushed ending, that sort of leaves the audience in question. I admit, I am a little disappointed in the finished project. Its beauty is equisite, but the movie is unable to generate enough emotion or intelligence to justify my recommending this as anything other than a fancy date movie for twenty-somethings (it's not a teen movie)
Head in the Clouds reminded me of two similar films which had yet to be made: Joe Wright's Atonement, and Paul Verhoeven's Black Book. These two films have something that Head in the Clouds could use...development. This feature contains a story that has nowhere essentially to go, and features characters who are insufficiently defined. When it's all over, you come to realize that Head in the Clouds is essentially a melodrama. It is glossy but generic.
Too much of the story is dependant on a romance between Stuart Townsend and Charlize Theron which lacks credibility and chemistry. As a lead actress, Charlize Theron is quite inept. I'm not convinced that she tried all that hard. Theron is little more than a body to go inside a bunch of pretty dresses. sometimes she actually feels like the product of a materialist 21st century.
The best performance in the movie is turned in by Penelope Cruz. She is able to portray emotion better than anyone,in part because her role is also the best in the film or so it seems. All the more disappointing it becomes then, considering that One of he worst decisions Head in the Clouds makes is to drop Cruz in an abrupt/unconvincing manner after we have gotten to know her so well.
Head in the Clouds has an overlong climax with a rushed ending, that sort of leaves the audience in question. I admit, I am a little disappointed in the finished project. Its beauty is equisite, but the movie is unable to generate enough emotion or intelligence to justify my recommending this as anything other than a fancy date movie for twenty-somethings (it's not a teen movie)