6.9/10
248,017
1,308 user 154 critic

Vanilla Sky (2001)

R | | Fantasy, Mystery, Romance | 25 January 2002 (Austria)
Vanilla Sky Poster
A self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident with a resentful lover.

Director:

Cameron Crowe

Writers:

Alejandro Amenábar (film "Abre Los Ojos"), Mateo Gil (film "Abre Los Ojos") | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz | See full cast & crew »
45
Reviews
Popularity
1,910 ( 74)
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 33 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

See all 2 videos  »

Photos

See all 126 photos »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise ... David Aames
Penélope Cruz ... Sofia Serrano
Cameron Diaz ... Julie Gianni
Kurt Russell ... McCabe
Jason Lee ... Brian Shelby
Noah Taylor ... Edmund Ventura
Timothy Spall ... Thomas Tipp
Tilda Swinton ... Rebecca Dearborn
Michael Shannon ... Aaron
Delaina Mitchell ... David's Assistant
Shalom Harlow ... Colleen
Oona Hart ... Lynette
Ivana Milicevic ... Emma
Johnny Galecki ... Peter Brown
Jhaemi Willens Jhaemi Willens ... Jamie Berliner
See full cast »
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Storyline

Incarcerated and charged with murder, David Aames Jr. is telling the story of how he got to where he is to McCabe, the police psychologist. That story includes: being the 51% shareholder of a major publishing firm, which he inherited from his long deceased parents; the firm's board, appointed by David Aames Sr., being the 49% shareholders who would probably like to see him gone as they see him as being too irresponsible and immature to run the company; his best bro friendship with author, Brian Shelby; his "friends with benefits" relationship with Julie Gianni, who saw their relationship in a slightly different light; his budding romance with Sofia Serrano, who Brian brought to David's party as his own date and who Brian saw as his own possible life mate; and being in an accident which disfigured his face and killed the person who caused the accident. But as the story proceeds, David isn't sure what is real and what is a dream/nightmare as many facets of the story are incompatible to ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

dream | death | mask | nightmare | mental institution | See All (184) »

Taglines:

Forget everything you know, and open your eyes. See more »

Genres:

Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and strong language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

David Aames' birthday is September 22, 1968. See more »

Goofs

In the scene where David is taking his "mug" shots, it shows his height as just shy of 6', but he is 5'7". See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Sofía: [in Spanish] Open your eyes.
Sofía: [in English] Open your eyes. Open your eyes. Open your eyes. Open your eyes. Open you...
[David wakes up and pushes the snooze button on his alarm]
See more »

Crazy Credits

Thanks to Conan O'Brien and all at Late Night. See more »

Alternate Versions

Three parts from the quick montage at the end of the film suggest scenes cut from the final film: two frames from a scene that was in "Abre Los Ojos" (upon which "Vanilla Sky" was based) where David shoots a police officer in front of the L.E. building, a frame of David and Sofia on a bed where Sofia is wearing a bathrobe (she never wore a bathrobe in the film), and a frame set in David's company where David is a kid, sitting on a couch, and a man (possibly Thomas Tipp) is talking to him). See more »

Connections

Referenced in Star Stories: The Church of Scientology Presents... Being Tom Cruise: Why Scientology Isn't in Any Way Mental (2007) See more »

Soundtracks

The Healing Room
(2000)
Written and Performed by Sinéad O'Connor
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
by arrangement with Warner Special Products
See more »

User Reviews

 
Frightening, sad, touching and so underrated
15 January 2006 | by yellonet – See all my reviews

I had heard some not too good things about this movie and had probably seen the low score here at IMDb and that's why I had avoided it. Today they showed Vanilla Sky on TV and as I had nothing better to do... and as it turned out, I would have had a hard time finding anything better to do. Vanilla Sky is a frightening, sad and touching movie, actually one of the best I've seen in a while. I was surprised by how I was affected watching it. It's hard to explain, but during the movie your feelings towards the characters and your perception of what is going on changes and it's quite an emotional journey. Vanilla Sky really touched me in a way that is very rare for a movie, or any media for that matter.

I really recommend everyone to watch this movie. Regardless of what you have heard about it.
424 of 483 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA | Spain

Language:

English | Spanish

Release Date:

25 January 2002 (Austria) See more »

Also Known As:

Vanilla Sky See more »

Filming Locations:

West 73rd Street, Manhattan, New York, USA See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

$68,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,015,518, 16 December 2001

Gross USA:

$100,618,344

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$203,388,341
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Cruise/Wagner Productions, Vinyl Films See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (alternate ending)

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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