It’s got a strong ending and the directing is good! Tom Cruise once again plays a major weirdo very effectively (probably because he actually is one). Cameron Diaz is super unpleasant to watch but I think that’s intentional; she’s really creepy here. But none of the characters are able to generate much sympathy from the audience. Each one of them, and presumably their actors and all the writers, seem to think they’re the most charming people on Earth, and it gets old really fast. But the big trouble with this film is that the first half of it is almost purely a romance flick without much else going on, and the bigger trouble is that it’s just not even a very good romance flick. It meanders and doesn’t give you much to care about. As much as I appreciate a tightly-wrapped ending, it can’t make up for the messy rest of the film.

This movie is one of the most underrated movies of all time. It intricately speaks to the human experience, both conscious and subconscious, almost as well as the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The writer has clearly read his Miguel de Unamuno... it's the little thing that matter. Also, the soundtrack is 🔥

Original and trippy. One of my favorite Cruise films.

One of my favorite movies. I like the story, acting and especially the ending!

Seeing the bad critic’s review tempered my expectations. I thought it was going to be an average love story with a bit of a twist. After hearing Radiohead’s Everything in its Right Place in the first few minutes, I knew it was going to be a good movie. The movie started like a normal love story but with a bit of Great Gatsby, but then I started getting crazy conspiracies in my head. Then my conspiracies were somewhat backed by things said in the movie. Then I would realize I was completely wrong. The ending was good, complicated, and leaving me wondering. I understand why a critic may have given a bad review, but common. This deserves a higher score in the critics category.

It’s hard to imagine that in 2001 a love story starring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz was actually considered a Box Office failure. But then that’s because it wasn’t a love story. However, much of the marketing that surrounded it concentrated on the ‘relationship aspect’ of the film, lulling people into thinking this was what they would be getting. Therefore, by the time they had left the cinema and their heads had stopped spinning, they possibly were among the many who simply described ‘Vanilla Sky’ as a ‘mess.’ Yes, the story is centres around a print billionaire (Tom Cruise’s) slowly falling in love with a struggling artist (Penelope Cruz) while at the same time trying to fend off his existing lover (Cameron Diaz). So far, nothing particularly out of the ordinary. However, once the film gets going (and I say this referring to much that comes in the second half, as the first half sets everything up without giving too much away as to what’s about to come) things start taking a turn for the weird. Dreams are mentioned more than once and that’s a good analogy as to how the film progresses. Things happens that appear a little random, leaving the audience to wonder whether there may ever be some form of supernatural influence involved. The story chops and changes and deliberately leaves the viewer feeling pretty disorientated, much like you’d feel upon waking up from a particularly vivid dream. Naturally, this form of story-telling doesn’t make for an easy ride when it comes to understanding the narrative. I can see it leaving some people a little confused (it took me a couple of watches to actually ‘get’ the film entirely!). I mentioned ‘Lynchian’ in my title. This refers to film-maker David Lynch, who’s famous for his weird, surreal, completely NON classic Hollywood narrative way of telling a story. He, like ‘Vanilla Sky,’ likes to leave a fair element of the story up to the viewers’ interpretation, rather than spoon-feeding them every plot point. Therefore, this is most likely a film that you’re going to find yourself discussing with friends after a viewing (although, in my opinion, ‘Vanilla Sky’ actually gives you a lot more answers than the average David Lynch film!). If you know what you’re in for I think people who are in the mood for a particularly weird and slightly disturbing type of film will quite enjoy this. You definitely have to be in the mood. I’ve seen it a fair few times, but, if I’m simply craving car chases and shoot-outs, then this isn’t the film I put on. I think if anything sums it up best it’s Cameron Diaz’s performance in ‘Vanilla Sky’ – on the surface, sweet and frothy. However, dig deep and you’ll find dark and creepy (and that’s not an insult – she’s really good in this!).

Overlooked gem of a movie by Almost Famous writer/director Cameron Crowe. Best if you know nothing going in, but you should also expect a bit of a cerebral movie.

This is one of the most impactful movies I've ever watched. I have never seen a more perfect screen representation of lightning bolt attraction and all the butterflies that go with it. The ending is gut wrenching and hopeful at the same time. All wrapped up in great story telling and imagery.

This film is not for your average "movie goer". It takes a certain amount of psychological flexibility to truly understand this film and all is it's nuances. Each actor performed admirably. Though Tom Cruise has the main role and the story revolves around his character, this is an ensemble cast film. Each player contributing to a hidden gem. One of my very favorites and a cult classic.

Surprised how much I enjoyed it. Lots of twists- flashbacks/flashforwards. A little odd, kinda creepy at times. Overall I recommend it!

Great Actors! Cameron Diaz actually knocks it out the park. But this is truly one of THE worst films. It's a convoluted mess! This is a remake of a much much better film, Abre los ojos (Open your eyes), which also starred Penelope Cruz. Check that one instead.

If you’ve ever had a bad trip on a mind-altering drug, you will understand Vanilla Sky better. Your subconscious encroaches on your conscious mind so vividly that thoughts, feelings and memories you can barely control begin to influence your reality and mood. Some of these can be unpleasant. You want to run from them. But the experience can be therapeutic as well, because once you realize those things are usually things about yourself you’ve been unwilling to face, you can realize they are not as terrible or terrifying as you feared--and that you, for whatever reason, chose to run from them. This is what I believe Vanilla Sky at its heart is about. I was surprised there were so many bad reviews of this film, and that people had trouble figuring out what it was about. I’m not talking about how the plot ended, but about what the movie was trying to say. It was saying, as Sophia told David, “Every passing minute, is a chance to turn it all around.” We choose how we feel about things, even, or especially, when that thing is ourselves. I took a lot more for David to reach this realization. But the point is it's reachable. Vanilla Sky was not a great movie, but it was a very good one, with a great message.

I keep falling asleep on this movie. As a matter of fact... When it was originally released in threaters, I fell asleep there too.

This movie is absolutely amazing. It's a rare remake that is so much better than the original. I did catch it in theaters. Best day of school I ever skipped. I've had it on DVD for decades. It was recently released on 4K Blu-ray. I pre-ordered it. I don't even have a 4K Blu-ray player. I've got it sealed and sitting in the envelope it arrived in. Special shoutout to whoever is responsible for the soundtrack. It's beautiful. You knew what you were going. Congrats.

Not exactly the light romantic comedy I was hoping to see. Requires too much concentration for too little reward.

Really great movie! Way ahead of its time

This was definitely an interesting movie, but the director/writer was trying to be too clever. It is a cheap trick to completely subvert the audience. They need a few clues (this has a few clues, but not like you need). With that said, I liked the Cruise and Cruz chemistry. They were great. I would recommend it, but it is trying to be too clever.

Almost feels like seeing a comic book story. It's superficial but actually complexed and challenging. Cast is too big... could be better. I'll check the original Spanish one. Entertaining soundtrack.

Rambling, overlong, occasionally interesting, quasi sci-fi character study featuring Tom Cruise as a has it all brat tycoon who winds up disfigured. Or has he? Is it all a dream he is creating from a cryogenically frozen limbo?

It's a confusing movie, at first I didn't understand it's history, at one point you think it's a romantic movie, but then you realize why they've made this way, I'm not a big fan of it, but the soundtrack is awesome, I really liked the 2 Radiohead songs at the movie.