Head in the Clouds walks a thin line between a decent drama and a frock film. I nearly didn't make it past the early part of the film as it looked to shaping up as an episode of Downton Abbey or some other boring frock film. However, once we got over that section and moved to France it picked up.Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz carried the film as far as I was concerned and I always found their characters believable. Theron is convincingly annoying and lightweight through most of the film and this really pays off in the resolution of her story arc. Cruz is just a great actress and it's good to see her getting worthwhile parts. I was less certain of Stuart Townsend but I suspect that was because of the character he was playing rather than any deficiencies in his acting ability. Guy, his character, comes across as rather wet and his transformation into action hero is hard to believe. The character has that annoying way of narrating events in a slightly whiny voice with a falling cadence that is hard to like. (Bearing in mind my anti-frock film, doomed character hating stance.) In many ways this reminded me of Black Book though it wasn't as good. You'll probably like it if you like frock films. You'll probably like it if you have any interest in WWII. Often this is an uneasy marriage of different genres but on the whole it makes for an interesting and engaging viewing.

(Spoiler) Apparently this is a Theron, movie I missed, and with Penélope Cruz at that, shame on me. I'm glade I caught it. Although by the number of ratings I wasn't alone, but many didn't like it quite as much as I did. Do I love them both so much that I was blind; Gilda was to a T to me? I liked it ?? Not for the romance? I don’t like romance that much. Nor for the flesh? She is beautiful though. Maybe just for the war movie? No ?? OK, maybe it’s the dirty little secret of the resistance bothered people? Too often we killed our best resistance people with instant street justice. That’s what you get for being good at what you do, don't blame the French. Or then maybe the director’s cynicism bothered other people too, you can be sad without being cynical. I do like some cynical symbolism though, “The world turned upside down”, from Spain to Iraq. What do you think? Oh well, I’ll just put this as one of Charlize Theron’s better movies and forget why. It was just a more than good romantic war-spy movie, and as war often does, it ends sad, but why not just leave it at that? Maybe someday I'll change it to a 9, or maybe a 7?

This movie is an "epoch drama" about the romance story between the two main characters, Guy (Stuart Townseed) and Gilda (Charlize Theron). It all started in 1933 in Cambridge University where they met each other for the first time. Though, they were together just for one night. But it was kind of love at first sight and along the movie they will be together and separated for many times. It's their destiny… However, to their love one more soul will be joined. Her name is Mia (Penelope Cruz). For a part of the movie they will be a love triangle, but then the war separated them…You need to have some acknowledgment about the European's history of the 30's and 40's, and about the wars of that period, to understand the movie's pace and the plot's background. You need that to follow this movie and understand its settings and the behaviors of the mains characters. Just understanding the ideals which are related to the social conflicts and wars of that period we can follow their actions and attitudes… and also the "betrayals"…The pace is a bit confusing because the story passes between 1933 and 1944 and along this period of time we watch several scenes in different "times" and "places". The plot is always "jumping" in time and space… It turns out a bit confusing because if we watch one 5 minutes' scene in 1933 then, suddenly, it quickly moves to one year later. Then we watch one more couples of scenes in 1936 and it quickly moves to 1940, for example. The same happens with the settings. If one scene is in England, sooner the other will be in Paris… The costumes and the scenario's production are excellent, which makes this movie a good one if we relate it to the history's genre. However the plot disappointed me a little bit, not only because it's a bit confusing, but especially because it was too different from what I expected. I think I was expecting a different (and also deeper) love triangle story. Something more intense about the three characters, and not that this love triangle was just a "part" of the story/movie, as it is.

For once, a title that fits perfectly the content. Indeed, "Empty heads" would have been even better, but alas one cannot ask for too many details in the title alone.Basically this movie is only a showcase for beautiful Ms. Theron, who struts around always impeccably made up, and wearing a variety of sexy gowns and hairstyles, just like in a fashion show.If you are a boy, this may be reason enough to have a movie made, but in any other case it is most definitely not enough.Ms. Cruz is also shown in a most favorable light, but it is clear that the only character that really matters is the blonde model, who spends her life sleeping around and changing clothes. Not a chance anybody can really buy the fact that Ms. Theron's character (named Gilda) is a famous photographer or that she in the least care about anybody around her.On these premises, the story falls flat on its face, especially in the last third, which is supposed to be dramatic and where we learn a surprising truth about the allegedly empty-headed Gilda. Unfortunately, if character study means something, it is just plain impossible to believe that Gilda is something else than a self-absorbed, empty-headed, sluttish and opportunistic brat.And so much for the incredibly shallow romance and the lesbian dance – if you enjoy seeing two women flirting with each other on the dance floor go and see "Frida" which is a much better movie.