Vicky Cristina Barcelona ****

(Above: Director Woody Allen, right, with Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson)

A delightful, sexy, wryly- and sharply-written character study, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" shows us the summer of two friends visiting Barcelona. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is reserved, intellectual, engaged to be married, while Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is impetuous, sensual, searching for she doesn't know what. They meet a charmingly direct and seductive Spanish painter (Javier Bardem) with a fiery ex-wife (Penélope Cruz) and things begin to happen.

As in Allen's best work, the dialog is keenly observed, and the action flows directly from the characters. While not quite up to the gold standard of "Match Point" (2005), it supasses both "Scoop" (2006) and "Cassandra's Dream" (2007). Like the best of Vicky and Cristina themselves, it combines both refreshingly intellectual and deeply sensual pleasures.

Rated PG-13. 96 minutes. Woody Allen - Director / Writer, Letty Aronson - Producer, Stephen Tenenbaum - Producer, Gareth Wiley - Producer, Javier Aguirresarobe - Cinematographer, Alain Bainée - Production Designer, Alisa Lepselter - Editor.  Distributed by MGM.

Principal actors: Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem, Chris Messina, Patricia Clarkson, and Kevin Dunn.