Penelope Cruz Reviews and Articles | Little White Lies

Talent Penelope Cruz

Man in suit next to red vehicle.
Review

Ferrari review – Driver is fantastic, Cruz is even better

by David Jenkins

Adam Dri­ver por­trays the sin­gle-mind­ed Enzo Fer­rari in his mid­dle-age fol­low­ing the death of his son Dino in Michael Man­n’s uncon­ven­tion­al take on the bio­graph­i­cal drama.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people sitting on concrete steps, a man and a woman, wearing casual clothing.
Review

L’Immensità review – infuriating hash of sentimentality

by David Jenkins

Pené­lope Cruz is in glam­orous ​’70s matri­arch mode in this patchy Ital­ian fam­i­ly saga which tries to deal with themes it doesn’t ful­ly understand.

4
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, standing in front of a concrete wall. The man wears a patterned blue shirt, and the woman wears a black top and metallic gold trousers.
Review

Official Competition

by David Jenkins

Pené­lope Cruz excels as a preen­ing art­house film­mak­er in this deli­cious satire of mak­ing art with­out compromise.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people embracing in a kitchen, a man and a woman with distinctive hairstyles.
Review

Parallel Mothers

by David Jenkins

Fem­i­nin­i­ty, pathos, gen­er­a­tional trau­ma and col­lec­tive mem­o­ry con­verge in Pedro Almodóvar’s lat­est masterpiece.

5
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Three women in formal black outfits, one with a patterned jacket, standing in a hallway.
Review

The 355

by Marina Ashioti

Jes­si­ca Chastain’s pas­sion project is a ques­tion­able espi­onage thriller that flaunts its inter­na­tion­al cast of A‑Listers.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Man in green jacket, woman in red coat sitting at table
Review

Pain & Glory

by Adam Woodward

Pedro Almod­ó­var reunites with some famil­iar faces for this mas­ter­ful trip down mem­o­ry lane.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
A man resting his head on a woman's shoulder as she embraces him. Warm, muted colours and a sense of comfort and support.
Review

Everybody Knows

by Adam Woodward

Fiery cen­tral per­for­mances from Pené­lope Cruz and Javier Bar­dem fuel this slow­burn mys­tery from Asghar Farhadi.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Dark blue futuristic spacecraft with red lights, in a dimly lit, atmospheric setting.
Review

Ma Ma

by David Jenkins

The ever charis­mat­ic Penélope Cruz is sore­ly wast­ed in this inef­fec­tu­al piece of tragedy porn.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two well-dressed individuals, a man and a woman, standing next to a dark grey luxury car on a city street.
Review

Zoolander 2

by David Jenkins

As direc­tor and star, Ben Stiller sleep­walks through this drab, incon­se­quen­tial com­e­dy sequel.

2
Anticipation
1
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
Two people, a young woman and man, standing close together and looking at each other in a park setting with trees.
Review

To Rome with Love

by Andrew Schenker

Woody Allen fol­lows up the biggest hit of his career with an exer­cise in smug mediocrity.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Individual drinking coffee from a cup and saucer with iconic landmark design, against a bold red and yellow background.
Review

Broken Embraces

by Sophie Ivan

This paean to clas­sic cin­e­ma will keep your aver­age cineaste and ardent Almod­ó­varite enter­tained play­ing spot-the-reference.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Three people relaxing on a grassy hillside surrounded by trees and mountains.
Review

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

by Jonathan Crocker

Woody Allen serves up a siz­zling roman­tic dra­ma with three seduc­tive cen­tral performances.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect