Vanilla Sky

R

Released Dec 14, 2001

2h 14m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

List

43%

Tomatometer

174 Reviews

72%

Audience Score

250,000+ Ratings

Tom Cruise and Cameron Crowe reunite after "Jerry Maguire" for "Vanilla Sky," the story of a young New York City publishing magnate who finds himself on an unexpected roller-coaster ride of romance, comedy, suspicion, love, sex and dreams in a mind-bending search for his soul.

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Critics Consensus

An ambitious mix of genres, Vanilla Sky collapses into an incoherent jumble. Cruise's performance lacks depth, and it's hard to feel sympathy for his narcissistic character.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

I now find Cruise tolerable only when he's in a movie that undercuts or ridicules his narcissism--as Eyes Wide Shut did and as this movie does even more noticeably.

Feb 26, 2019

Full Review

Christy Lemire

Associated Press

Vanilla Sky is nearly identical to the 1997 Spanish film it's based on, except it's set in Manhattan instead of Madrid and has a much better soundtrack.

Oct 25, 2018

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Some surface appeal, but ultimately vacant.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 29, 2010

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

If the star and director are (kind of) worrying about the same middle-age falloff, Crowe’s specific fears are more compelling to me and responsible for what, intellectually, is the movie’s most fascinating idea.

Nov 29, 2022

Full Review

Stephen Silver

Tilt Magazine

Doesn't make any more sense now than it did in 2001 (29th anniversary)

Rated: 2/5

Dec 31, 2021

Full Review

Peter Canavese

Celluloid Dreams

Likable and ambitious with great John Toll visuals. You want it to succeed but it doesn't always quite get there. (4K restoration Paramount Presents blu-ray review).

Rated: 3/4

Nov 26, 2021

Full Review

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Marc G

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.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/15/24

Full Review

Gary B

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/09/24

Full Review

Chris Y

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

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/20/24

Full Review

Trevor W

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/20/24

Full Review

Wendy V

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

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/02/24

Full Review

Asia L

Really great movie! Way ahead of its time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/30/24

Full Review

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Cameron Crowe

Director

Tom Cruise

David Aames

Penélope Cruz

Sofia Serrano

Cameron Diaz

Julie Gianni

Kurt Russell

McCabe

Jason Lee

Brian Shelby

Show Less Cast & Crew

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Vanilla Sky: Official Clip - Hiding

1:46

Vanilla Sky: Official Clip - Where is Sofia?

2:10

Vanilla Sky: Official Clip - Bros

1:46

Vanilla Sky: Official Clip - The Car Crash

2:13

Vanilla Sky: Official Clip - A Real Life

2:13

Vanilla Sky: Official Clip - Citizen Dildo

0:46

Vanilla Sky: Official Clip - Almost Worthy Dying For

0:43

Vanilla Sky: Official Clip - Sofia's Ability

0:41

Vanilla Sky: Official Clip - Every Passing Minute

1:26

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Synopsis

Tom Cruise and Cameron Crowe reunite after "Jerry Maguire" for "Vanilla Sky," the story of a young New York City publishing magnate who finds himself on an unexpected roller-coaster ride of romance, comedy, suspicion, love, sex and dreams in a mind-bending search for his soul.

Director: Cameron Crowe
Producer: Cameron Crowe, Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner
Screenwriter: Alejandro Amenábar, Cameron Crowe, Mateo Gil
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Vinyl Films, Cruise-Wagner Productions, Paramount Pictures, Sogecine
Rating: R (Strong Language|Sexuality)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $100.6M
Runtime: 2h 14m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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