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Think it all the way through, and Cameron Crowe 's "Vanilla Sky" is a scrupulously moral picture. It tells the story of a man who has just about everything, thinks he can have it all, is given a means to have whatever he wants, and loses it because--well, maybe because he has a conscience. Or maybe not. Maybe just because life sucks. Or maybe he only thinks it does. This is the kind of movie you don't want to analyze until you've seen it two times.

I've seen it two times. I went to a second screening because after the first screening I thought I knew what had happened, but was nagged by the idea that certain things might not have happened the way I thought they had. Now that I've seen it twice, I think I understand it, or maybe not. Certainly it's entertaining as it rolls along, and there is wonderful chemistry of two quite different kinds between Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on the one hand, and Cruise and Penelope Cruz on the other.

"Vanilla Sky," like the 2001 pictures " Memento " and " Mulholland Drive " before it, requires the audience to do some heavy lifting. It has one of those plots that doubles back on itself like an Escher staircase. You get along splendidly one step at a time, but when you get to the top floor you find yourself on the bottom landing. If it's any consolation, its hero is as baffled as we are; it's not that he has memory loss, like the hero of "Memento," but that in a certain sense he may have no real memory at all.

Cruise stars as David Aames, a 33-year-old tycoon who inherited a publishing empire when his parents were killed in a car crash. His condo is like the Sharper Image catalog died and went to heaven. He has a sex buddy named Julie (Cameron Diaz) and thinks they can sleep together and remain just friends, but as she eventually has to explain, "When you sleep with someone, your body makes a promise whether you do or not." At a party, he locks eyes with Sofia Serrano (Penelope Cruz), who arrives as the date of his friend Brian ( Jason Lee ) but ends up spending the night with him. Even though they don't have sex, it looks to me like their bodies are making promises to each other.

At this point the movie starts unveiling surprises which I should not reveal. A lot of surprises. Surprises on top of surprises. The movie is about these surprises, however, and so I must either end this review right now, or reveal some of them.

OK, for those of us still in the room, and without revealing too much: Julie drives up just as David is leaving after his night with Sofia, offers him a lift, drives off a bridge in Central Park, kills herself, and lands him in front of "the best plastic surgeon in New York" with a horribly scarred face. This time thread is intercut with another one in which a psychiatrist ( Kurt Russell ) is interrogating him about a murder. He insists there was no murder. Maybe there was and maybe there wasn't, and maybe the victim was who we think it is, and maybe not.

"Vanilla Sky" has started as if it is about David's life and loves. It reveals an entirely different orientation (which I will not reveal even here in the room), and, to be fair, there is a full explanation. The only problem with the explanation is that it explains the mechanism of our confusion, rather than telling us for sure what actually happened.

That's why I went to see it a second time. In general, my second viewing was greatly helped by my first, and I was able to understand events more clearly. But there was one puzzling detail. At the second viewing, I noticed that the first words in the movie ("open your eyes") are unmistakably said in the voice of Sofia, the Penelope Cruz character. If the movie's explanation of this voice is correct, at that point in the movie David has not met Sofia, or heard her voice.

How can we account for her voice appearing before she does? There is a character in the movie who refers to a "splice." We are told where the splice takes place. But consider the source of this information--not the person supplying it, but the underlying source. Is the information reliable? Or does the splice take place, so to speak, before the movie begins? And in that case ... but see the movie and ask the question for yourself.

Note: Early in the film, there's an astonishing shot of Tom Cruise absolutely alone in Times Square. You might assume, as I did, that computers were involved. Cameron Crowe told me the scene is not faked; the film got city permission to block off Times Square for three hours early on a Sunday morning. Just outside of camera range there are cops and barricades to hold back the traffic.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Vanilla Sky (2001)

Rated R for sexuality and strong language

135 minutes

Noah Taylor as Edmund Ventura

Penelope Cruz as Sofia Serrano

Cameron Diaz as Julie Gianni

Tom Cruise as David Aames

Kurt Russell as McCabe

Jason Lee as Brian Shelby

Directed by

Cameron Crowe

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Vanilla Sky

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Watch Vanilla Sky with a subscription on Paramount+, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

What to Know

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.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Cameron Crowe

David Aames

Penélope Cruz

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Movie Clips

Vanilla Sky Explained: Unraveling the Mind-Bending Tale

In the realm of psychological thrillers, few films have captivated audiences quite like “ Vanilla Sky .” Directed by Cameron Crowe, this 2001 remake of the Spanish film “Abre Los Ojos” challenges the boundaries of reality and delves deep into the intricate workings of the human mind. Starring Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz, “Vanilla Sky” takes viewers on a mind-bending journey filled with mystery, romance, and existential exploration.

Unveiling the Plot

The story revolves around David Aames, a wealthy and charismatic bachelor who inherits his father’s publishing company. Though seemingly living a picture-perfect life, David’s world takes a dramatic turn when he meets Sofia Serrano, played by Penélope Cruz. Their connection sparks a deep infatuation within David, much to the dismay of his friend with benefits, Julie Gianni, portrayed by Cameron Diaz.

Love, Jealousy, and Tragedy

As David’s feelings for Sofia intensify, Julie becomes consumed by jealousy. In a fit of rage, she orchestrates a car accident in an attempt to kill David and herself. The accident leaves David disfigured and emotionally scarred. The film then takes a surreal turn as David recounts his story to a psychologist named Dr. Curtis McCabe while wearing a mask to hide his disfigurement.

The Blurred Lines Between Dreams and Reality

“Vanilla Sky” blurs the lines between dreams and reality, with multiple dream sequences scattered throughout the film. David’s dreams often intertwine with his waking life, creating a sense of confusion and uncertainty for both the character and the audience. The dreams are filled with symbolism and hidden messages, challenging viewers to unravel the true nature of David’s existence.

The Lucid Dream Option

One of the key elements of the film is the concept of lucid dreaming. In the world of “Vanilla Sky,” a company called Life Extension offers cryogenic freezing of bodies, allowing individuals to enter a lucid dream state. Within this dream, they can create an alternate reality that feels indistinguishable from actual life. David eventually chooses to enter this lucid dream, leading to a series of mind-bending experiences.

Hidden Clues and Easter Eggs

Throughout “Vanilla Sky,” there are numerous hidden clues and Easter eggs that add layers of depth to the narrative. These subtle hints and references, reminiscent of the Beatles’ “Paul is Dead” rumor, encourage viewers to analyze and interpret the film in various ways. From visual cues to song lyrics, each clue offers a glimpse into the intricate web of David’s mind.

Theories and Interpretations

As with any thought-provoking film, “Vanilla Sky” has inspired a range of theories and interpretations among its viewers. Some theories suggest that the entire film is a dream or a reflection of David’s subconscious, while others propose metaphysical and religious interpretations. These diverse perspectives highlight the complexity and open-ended nature of the film’s narrative.

The Ending Unveiled

The ending of “Vanilla Sky” has been a topic of much discussion and debate. Without revealing too much, the conclusion of the film offers a surprising twist that challenges the viewer’s perception of reality. It forces us to question the nature of identity, choice, and the power of the mind. The ending can be seen as both satisfying and thought-provoking, leaving room for individual interpretation.

Analysis of Key Scenes

Several key scenes in “Vanilla Sky” hold significant meaning and contribute to the overarching themes of the film. From the deserted Times Square to the nightclub encounter with Sofia and Brian, each scene adds layers of complexity to David’s journey. Analyzing these scenes provides deeper insight into the character’s psyche and the film’s exploration of reality and perception.

Music and Pop Culture References

Music plays a crucial role in “Vanilla Sky,” with carefully selected songs that enhance the emotional impact of each scene. From Radiohead’s “Everything in its Right Place” to The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” the soundtrack mirrors the character’s state of mind and serves as a backdrop for the film’s exploration of identity and existence. Additionally, pop culture references, such as Bob Dylan’s album cover and French New Wave film posters, add depth to the visual storytelling.

The Legacy of “Vanilla Sky”

Over the years, “Vanilla Sky” has gained a cult following and continues to intrigue audiences with its enigmatic narrative. The film’s exploration of identity, perception, and the power of dreams has solidified its place in the realm of psychological thrillers. Its thought-provoking themes and hidden complexities make it a captivating and enduring cinematic experience.

“Vanilla Sky” is a film that defies easy categorization, blurring the lines between dreams and reality. Through its complex narrative, hidden clues, and thought-provoking themes, it challenges viewers to question their own perceptions of identity and existence. With its unforgettable performances and mind-bending twists, “Vanilla Sky” is a cinematic journey that continues to captivate and intrigue audiences to this day.

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Vanilla Sky explained | Dream a little dream

Welcome to our Colossus Movie Guide for Vanilla Sky . This guide contains everything you need to understand the film. Dive into our detailed library of content, covering key aspects of the movie. We encourage your comments to help us create the best possible guide. Thank you!

Last updated: July 2023

What is Vanilla Sky about?

For those who want a quick answer— Vanilla Sky is pretty straightforward. Everything that Tech Support says in the final scene is true. Tom Cruise is having a lucid dream. He did die (sort of) and was saved by Life Extension. He didn’t kill Sofia. He does have a choice of waking up or continuing the dream. And David chooses to wake up about 150 years in the future.

What’s less straightforward is this: how much of what we saw was from real life and how much was the lucid dream? Of course, even if the ending is straightforward, that doesn’t mean Vanilla Sky is without depth, themes, or deeper meanings. Through visuals like the empty streets of Times Square and the vivid glow of the heavens that frame David, the film has a lot to say about self-esteem, perception, therapy, and the relationship between mind and body. As well as technology and mortality.

Movie Guide table of contents

Why is the movie called Vanilla Sky?

The themes and meaning of Vanilla Sky

The ending of vanilla sky explained, important motifs in vanilla sky.

Questions and answers about Vanilla Sky
David Aames – Tom Cruise
Julie Gianni – Cameron Diaz
Brian Shelby – Jason Lee
Sofía Serrano – Penélope Cruz
Thomas Tipp – Timothy Spall
Dr. Curtis McCabe – Kurt Russell
Edmund Ventura (Tech Support) – Noah Taylor
Rebecca Dearborn – Tilda Swinton
Aaron (the guard) – Michael Shannon
Steven Spielberg – himself
Based on – Abre Los Ojos ( Open Your Eyes )
Written by – Cameron Crowe
Directed by – Cameron Crow

Why is the movie called Vanilla Sky ?

Vanilla Sky is a remake of the 1997 Spanish film Abre los ojos , or Open Your Eyes , made by Alejandro Amenábar, also starring Penelope Cruz as Sofia. The plot is almost verbatim. Handsome guy. Crazy ex. Sofia. Car crash. Disfigurement. Prosthetic mask. In jail and talking to a psychiatrist. Mystery. Thrills. Murder. Life Extension revelation. Jumps to wake up. It’s all there.

David Aames looks back at the camera, a glowing sky in the background

So why change the title from Open Your Eyes to Vanilla Sky ?

The original title is a generic term for waking up or coming to your senses or facing reality. If a friend was being catfished, you might say to them, “Open your eyes. That person isn’t real!” Or, “I thought I could become a famous juggler. But I’ve opened my eyes to the fact that I don’t actually like juggling.”

It’s a fitting title, because in both movies, the hero, David/César, chooses to close his eyes to the real world in order to escape the negative emotions that plague him after the car accident. Only to reach a point where he’d rather open his eyes than continue to live in the lovely state of denial that L.E created for him.

Vanilla Sky accomplishes a similar goal in a less direct, more poetic way. At his birthday party, David shows Sofia the painting The Seine at Argenteuil , by Claude Monet. “That is the real thing. His paintbrush painted the vanilla sky.” At the very end of the movie, when David is at the version of Life Extension in his mind, Rebecca Dearborn shows him the presentation about what Life Extension offers. Pay attention to the words that have to do with painting.

Narrator: Portrait of a modern human life. American. Male. Birth and death. Imagine that you are suffering from a terminal illness. You’d like to be cryonized but you’d rather be resurrected to continue your own life as you know it now. L.E. offers you the answer. Upon resurrection, you will continue in an ageless state, preserved but living in th represent with a future of your choosing. Your death will be wiped from your memory. Your life will continue as a realistic work of art, painted by you , minute to minute, and you’ll live it with the romantic abandon of a summer day, with the feeling of a great movie, or a pop song you always loved, with no memory of how it all occurred, save for the knowledge that everything simply improved. And in any instance of discontent, you’ll be visited by technical support. It’s all just around the corner. The day after tomorrow. Another chapter begins seamlessly. A living dream. Life Extension’s promise to you. Life, part two.

This is why Cameron Crowe went with the title Vanilla Sky . Because it captures the larger idea of the cinematic denial that David has escaped into. It represents the idealization. That summer day. That great movie. That pop song that we wish our lives could be. Monet’s painting is at once beautiful and artificial. It’s the same for dreams. These amazing things can happen but they still aren’t real, no matter how much they might seem like it.

The new title extends beyond David, to the viewer, as the movie takes on philosophical questions about the way in which we use media and entertainment as a means of escapism.

Paul McCartney’s song

Paul wrote the song “Vanilla Sky” specifically for the film. Cameron Crowe approached McCartney, showed him about half an hour of the film, then Paul went to work. So even though they share a title, the song probably doesn’t provide a window into the title or movie in the way one may think, hope, or expect. You can watch the interview Paul did with ET in 2002 .

Reality vs dream

Vanilla Sky opens with a bit of a joke. David drives around New York City, right into the heart of Times Square, with zero traffic. He’s alone in one of the most popular, populated places in the entire world. Being able to easily get around NYC is a dream come true. Except David isn’t thrilled. He’s terrified. What happened to the people? They should be there. Even if that means traffic and annoyances. It’s what should be.

That gets at the central tension between dreams and real life. As amazing as a dream can be, it always has that degree of artificiality to it. You can’t shake the fake. Nor can you escape your subconscious and the things that plague you. Which is why a dream can easily glitch into a nightmare. That’s how Sofia becomes Julianna. David’s subconscious, even after 150 years, hasn’t fully processed what happened with Julie and how it impacted any chance he had with Sofia. He carries this guilt, shame, and blame that causes his lucid dream to literally put him in prison. Peace is only found “out there”, in the world, through hard work. That’s how you repair yourself.

Entertainment and escapism

Art is a subtle throughline throughout Vanilla Sky . Diegetically, it’s there in the references to famous works, like The Seine at Argenteuil , or Joni Mitchell, or the Jules and Jim poster on David’s bedroom wall, the quick look at Sabrina on the TV in the opening scene, the talk show interview about Benny the Dog, the Bob Dylan album cover. Non-diegetically, we have the barrage of pop music that Crowe fills the score with. From “Everything In Its Right Place” by Radiohead to “Last Goodbye” by Jeff Buckley to Paul McCartney’s “Vanilla Sky”.

It isn’t until the end that we get more about the relevance and importance of this theme. Specifically, the way in which Life Extension sells people on the opportunity to make their life into entertainment. McCabe makes the joke about it being cryo-tainment.

All of this adds up to a commentary on the increasing use of technology and entertainment as means of escapism. In some ways, Vanilla Sky is the same movie as The Matrix , as both explore the allure of escape into technology and artificiality in order to avoid the ugly aspects of life. In The Matrix , that’s the post-war world in which intelligent machines bested humanity, with the remnants of humanity living in a very bleak, underground city. In different ways, both films ask questions about the pros and cons of each world. It comes back to the texture of the dream state versus that of real life. It never quite feels right. Even when it’s seemingly perfect, like David’s life could have been.

This was already a topic in the late 90s and early 00s. Now, in the 2020s, with the rise of social media and the interconnectivity the Internet offers, those films seem prescient. Not only can you use movies and music to escape, you can supplement it with online tribes that will gladly engage on the topic 24 hours a day. In 2022, the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health published a paper called “ Escapism and Excessive Online Behaviors: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study in Finland during the COVID-19 Pandemic ” that looked into a link between “excessive online behaviors” and if escapism links to other excessive behaviors and how this highlights “ a need to focus prevention efforts on healthy coping methods”

In an interview with Vulture that came out in 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Crowe said: “It feels like we’re right on the cusp of being able to do some of that stuff now, for better or worse. Everybody living in their own virtual reality — in some ways, it’s just a half-step away from what’s in the movie. It’s odd. The ripple effect of that movie is really interesting.”

We like to think that a life like a movie or a song would be better than what we deal with. But what if the movie is Schindler’s List ? What if the song is Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails? From that same Vulture interview, Crowe: … the idea that pop culture can be so ingrained in what your vision of the perfect relationship, or the perfect life, or the perfect Bob Dylan song playing at the perfect time can change your life choices, change who you are.

Obviously, entertainment isn’t inherently a bad thing. People have wonderful, healthy, empowering relationships with movies, novels, poetry, art, TV, music, etc. It’s just that, as with most things, there’s a line between healthy and unhealthy. A line that can completely vanish in the wake of trauma.

Trauma, self-esteem, and perception

There’s that famous saying that the eyes are the window to the soul. Typically, we think of that as looking into the eyes of someone else and perceiving their emotions and thoughts. Whether there’s worry, joy, boredom, anticipation, passion, fear, etc. But there’s something about applying that phrase to our own eyes. You know, the things through which we perceive the world around us.

If our soul is in a good place, how does that affect how we perceive the world around us? Likewise, if our soul is in a bad place, doesn’t that change everything? Two different people, looking at the same object, can see very different things, all because of what’s going on inside of them. What we’ve experienced, what we’re feeling, all of its shapes our perception.

David before the accident is confident, care-free, charming, and quick to laugh. He has money. He has power. He has an easy, breezy, happy life. Sure, there’s pressure from the board about his father’s company. But the Seven Dwarfs, as he calls them, are minor inconveniences. He doesn’t seem to have many close friends, aside from best friend Brian. But that’s okay. Because everyone treats him well. So his self-esteem is through the roof.

Then the accident happens. The car crash. Once Julie drives off that bridge, nothing is ever the same. David found validation and pride in his looks. Now those are gone. One of his eyes is messed up. Partially closed. Because his soul’s in anguish, he now sees the world differently, and behaves differently. It’s no longer the wonderful place it was before. David isolates himself, disconnects from people. When he does interact, he’s rude, bitter, and awkward.

This establishes a paradox between the inner and outer worlds, akin to the age-old question of what came first, the chicken or the egg. If his outer appearance were perfect again, would he be happy again? Or is his outer world a mess because he’s been unable to process his trauma?

It ends up being a bit of both. The damage to his appearance causes a doom spiral that ultimately leads him to Life Extension. But even in the lucid dream, after the splice, when he has all of his looks back, when the outer world has seemingly returned to the great place it once was—he can’t find happiness. What Julie did to him continues to manifest. Which leads to his inability to accept dream Sofia and the murder that puts him in dream jail, talking to a dream psychologist. It’s all a manifestation of his continued inner turmoil.

In short, we could all probably use a little bit of therapy in our lives.

David and McCabe go to the headquarters of Life Extension, escorted by a police officer. There, they encounter Rebecca Dearborn. She reminds David that he is a client of Life Extension and chose the Lucid Dream package. Overwhelmed by this revelation, David escapes from the office and cries out for tech support. Edmund Ventura, aka Tech Support, appears, introducing himself as someone from “Oasis Project, formerly Life Extension—L.E.”.

On a journey to the skyscraper’s roof, Tech Support explains that he and David first met 150 years ago. Then refreshes David’s memory on what happened.

Tech Support: That night, after Sofia left you and you fell asleep on the pavement, that was the moment you chose for the splice… The end of your real life and the beginning of L.E.’s Lucid Dream. A splice of many, many years, which passed while you were frozen and dreaming. From the moment you woke up on that street, nothing was real in a traditional sense. Your Lucid Dream is monitored by Life Extension and a panel of experts who are following your every thought, even at this moment. …

We erased what really happened from your memory. Replaced by a better life. Under these beautiful, Monet-like skies. A better life, because you had Sofia. You sculpted your Lucid Dream out of the iconography of your youth. An album cover that once moved you. A movie you saw once late at night that showed you what a father could be like. Or what love could be like. This was a kind woman. An individual. More than your equal. You barely knew her in your real life, but in your Lucid Dream, she was your savior.

David then asks what happened in his real life. What did Life Extension erase?

Tech Support: The Morning after the Nightclub, you woke up on that street, hungover and alone. You got up, and you walked away. You never saw Sofia again. You battled your board, the Seven Dwarfs, for control of the company. In the end, it was Thomas Tipp, your father’s friend, the man whose job you saved, who wrenched the company back into your control. You longed for Sofia. You shut yourself away from months. You were alone. You couldn’t stand the pain anymore, the headaches. You could barely function.

At this point, we see a quick montage of David as he discovers Life Extensions, signs a contract, then takes enough pills to end his life.

Tech Support: And on a day in late December, you gave yourself to us. You’re now in a suspended state. Your friend Brian Shelby threw a three-day memorial in your old home. He was a true friend. You were missed, David. [We see Sofia show up to the funeral, look overwhelmed, then leave] . It was Sofia who never fully recovered. It was she who somehow knew you best. And like you, she never forgot that one night where true love seemed possible. Consequences, David. It’s the little things.

To which David responds: The little things. There’s nothing bigger, is there?

This leads to David having a choice. Because of his unsettled subconscious, the lucid dream became a nightmare. But Tech Support states the glitch has been fixed. He can return to the dream world. Return to Sofia. To a fixed face. Everything. Or. He can wake up. 150 years in the future. With dwindling finances. But the technology to fix his face and bring him back to full health, just like Benny the Dog.

Ultimately, David decides to wake up, jumping off the building, despite his fear of heights, as a demonstration of his conviction to return. His childhood flashes in his mind. Then, a woman’s voice says, “Relax, David, open your eyes.” And we see his eye open.

The end.

Explanation

In the 2020 interview with Vulture , Cameron Crowe confirmed that not everything Tech Support said is true.

Crowe: The clues are all there, and some of the stuff that’s “explained” toward the end is not fully — Noah Tayor is not fully a responsible “host” at that point. Not everything he says can be trusted. It’s a fun game to play with the movie and I’m glad that people have come back to it.

The Wikipedia page for Vanilla Sky has an Interpretations section that mentions five different possible endings. The source it has for these is the Vulture interview that only links to the Wikipedia page. Maybe something was there previously?

The 5 interpretations are:

“Tech Support” is telling the truth
The entire film is a dream
The events after the crash are a dream Aames has while comatose
The entire film is the plot of the book that Brian is writing
The entire film after the crash is a hallucination caused by drugs administered during Aames’s reconstructive surgery

Points 3 and 5 feel very similar and very silly and anti-climactic.

Crowe himself said that he really likes the idea that everything is from Brian’s book. Quote: “ I’m probably saying too much, but sometimes I watch it and I think, This is all his novel.” That definitely adds an entirely different layer to Vanilla Sky . But it does beg the question if the movie does enough to earn such a reading? Or at least validate it as a possibility aside from Brian saying he’s working on a novel. It would be like if Matthew Reeves came out and said The Batman was actually a metaphor for World War II. That’s a nice idea. But does anything in The Batman justify reading it that way aside from Reeves saying it?

That’s something that writers often encounter early on. They’ll write something, have a loved one read it, then say something like, “Did you pick up that the red sweater represented her childhood trauma because her grandma always had tomato juice in the refrigerator?” The answer is always: no. Why? Because how could anyone connect those two things?

That’s why Crowe seems to be saying it’s more of a personal reading of Vanilla Sky rather than him saying it was what he intended. There’s a big difference there.

That leaves, then, interpretations 1 and 2. Tech Support could be telling the truth. But it all feels a bit too neat. Especially with David defeating the board and Sofia continuing to long for him. Even without Crowe’s hints, Tech Support’s story has the same faux-quality of the Lucid Dream’s sky. It’s too perfect. Given that the entire movie has leaned into the idea that we should question the nature of David’s reality, it makes sense that we shouldn’t take everything Tech Support says as truth. He could just be giving David a happier version of events as part of the Lucid Dream package. Or he’s been slightly “corrupted” by being part of David’s subconscious for so long and thus prone to tell David some things that David wants to hear.

So that leaves interpretation 2. That it’s all a dream.

It was all a dream

“But couldn’t it also not be a dream?” No. That was semi-plausible up until the point McCabe can’t remember the name of his daughters. He’s clearly a mental construct of David’s Lucid Dream. If the whole thing was an elaborate ruse by the Seven Dwarfs to take control of the company, then, narratively speaking, they would be the main villains and incredibly underdeveloped. Normally, a story wouldn’t completely disregard the primary antagonists like that. But you don’t develop them if all they ever were was a red herring. Also, all the other characters just appear on the rooftop, out of nowhere. Either that’s because David has totally lost his mind or…Lucid Dream. That, and David waking up as the final shot.

If it was theory two, that David has just been in a coma, then 150 years wouldn’t have passed. Which means Sofia’s still alive and he would still have a chance with her. He’d only have dreamed of the failed date at the club and the fallout. If that was the case, then you would expect to see that as the ultimate twist. He would wake up, look around, and expect it to be 150 years in the future, just like Tech Support said, only for it to have been a month, or a year. You either end there with all that that implies or continue on for another 20 or 30 minutes and see how David behaves now that he’s home. Imagine if Wizard of Oz just ended with Dorothy clicking her heels but we never saw her back in Kansas or got the line, “There’s no place like home.” You could forgo it, but it’s weird. And lacking.

That leaves the dream. Crowe had mentioned there being clues. One that stands out would be the registration sticker on David’s Mustang. Not in the first dream where Times Square is empty. In the “real world” when he’s “awake”. The registration date reads 02/30/01. February 30th doesn’t exist. February has 28 days unless it’s Leap Year, then it’s 29. So the only way he could have a registration sticker with the date of 02/30 is if it’s a joke, which would be a stupid thing to have on such a nice car, or it’s not “real”. It’s one of those things a storyteller adds specifically as a hint to the viewer. And we have Crowe confirming he did just that.

Other clues? It’s Sofia who first says “Open your eyes” at the very beginning. Why would we hear her voice that early if David hadn’t met her yet? Also, preceding that, we have aerial shots of the camera drifting over New York City, almost as if flying. Adding to the sense of flying, we hear the wind, as if it’s rushing past us. What’s commonly associated with lucid dreaming? Flying. It would be one thing to just have the camera giving us establishing shots of New York City. That’s a very common film practice. But to have the sound of the wind? That’s not common. It implies we’re in the perspective of someone who is flying.

Also, if everything prior to the splice point had been real, it wouldn’t make sense for us to see David talking to McCabe before that. We know that in real life David never murdered Sofia. Which means that in real life, David would have never been talking with McCabe. All of those early, pre-splice scenes are in the context of David’s conversation with McCabe. Which means, naturally, that they’re the memories he has while in Life Extension’s Lucid Dream. That makes them unreliable.

Remember, Life Extension said that customers will have “no memory of how it all occurred, save for the knowledge that everything simply…improved.”

What we see of David’s life in the “real” portion of the film is ridiculously perfect. The banter. How much everyone loves him. His success. It’s to the point where everyone seems kind of crazy. To the point where it’s out of a Hallmark movie. Could those scenes, those memories, have been “slightly improved”? Were David and Brian friends? Sure. Did he and Sofia hit it off? Yes. But was the dialogue verbatim what happened in real life? We’re seeing David’s memory processed through the Lucid Dream’s romanticizing, so that everything had the feeling of a “great movie” or a “pop song”. Even the car crash could be ripped from the movie Jules and Jim rather than something that actually happened.

Based on all of this, you have to wonder if we ever actually met the real David or the real Sofia or the real Brian, Julie, etc. Everyone could be a heightened version of themselves, either made perfect by the Lucid Dream or made into a monster by the glitch.

So what was the point?

Ultimately, Vanilla Sky is a coming of age story. Despite being 33 years old, David still acts like an adolescent. He is pretty naive about the world. Takes without thought. Mistreats Brian, Julie, and even Sofia. He’s irresponsible at work. He is not a very serious person. The car crash is the consequence of his actions. If he had been a better friend to Brian, does Brian tell Julie what David said? If he had been more upfront with Julie, does she go crazy or move on? If he had turned down getting in the car that morning because he knew he was starting something with Sofia, would he have been okay? Probably.

His time with the mask and the nightmare is essentially his Christmas Carol period of seeing the ghosts of his past, present, and future. By experiencing everything he experiences, he reaches a new level of self-knowledge and acceptance. The immature thing to do would be to stay in the dream. That would be the act of someone still in denial and acting out of fear. But because David’s matured, he understands that the ups and downs of reality are better than a hollow dream, no matter how good the dream is.

This extends to the earlier point about the relationships people form with entertainment and other forms of media. As fun as it is to achieve something in a video game, that can’t replace real life. As satisfying as it is to build an audience on TikTok or Instagram, that can’t replace real loved ones. As great as a great movie can be, is it better than the happiest moments of your life? As long as we maintain a healthy relationship with the things that make us happy, that’s awesome. But the moment we start escaping into them because we’re scared—that’s a glitch. And it can send us spiraling.

When David wakes up, it’s to a whole new world, with limited resources. That’s terrifying. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be bad. The same applies to real life. That’s why David, in his final conversation with dream Sofia, says, “Do you remember what you told me once? That every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.”

With that in mind, it doesn’t necessarily matter what was real in David’s past. All that’s important is to know he went on a journey from being scared and running from reality to confident, appreciative, and ready to do the hard work. It’s the story of someone confronting their heartache, working through it, and arriving at some sort of catharsis. When David finally understands, he asks Tech Support, “And I chose this scenario, didn’t I?” Tech Support responds with, “Yes, to face your last remaining fear of heights.”

Vanilla Sky supports the concept that to heal and move forward we need time, introspection, and self-confrontation. It’s not always pretty. It’s not always fun. But it’s the way through the sh*ttiness. If you avoid these things, then you waste time. Everything can’t always be sweet. You need the sour, too. It’s the only way we learn and grow. Vanilla Sky reminds us to do our best to be honest with ourselves.

The Vanilla Sky

It’s been mentioned throughout the article, but the Vanilla Sky of the Lucid Dream is a callback to the sky in Monet’s painting The Seine at Argenteuil . The Lucid Dream embodies the way in which art becomes a means of escape and the tension of art being beautiful but also a representation of life rather than life itself. You can admire the sky in The Seine at Argenteuil but it can’t replace the real sky. Just like Dream Sofia,while wonderful, can’t replace having a relationship with an actual person. Art can’t be life. It can add to someone’s life. But it can’t replace the real things.

The Jules and Jim poster

Jules and Jim is a classic film major movie. Part of the French New Wave revolution of the 50s and 60s, it’s this dreamy story of two friends, Jules and Jim, and the woman, Catherine, that they’re both in love with. She marries Jules and time passes. Jim visits and begins a romance with Catherine, one that Jules agrees to because it turns out Catherine kind of hates him and Jules believes this is the only way he can keep her in his life. Eventually, Jim leaves, goes back to his old girlfriend, and prepares to marry her. Catherine wants Jim, he wants nothing to do with her, she threatens him with a gun, he escapes. Later, all three hang out. Everything seems fine. Until Catherine asks Jim to get into her car. She then drives them off—this may sound familiar—a bridge. Neither survives and it’s up to Brian—er, Jules—to scatter their ashes.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the foundation of the first portion of Vanilla Sky . The same way Cameron Crowe incorporated the Bob Dylan cover and the Monet sky, he has the plot of Vanilla Sky literally recreate Jules and Jim . The poster in David’s bedroom is a very important clue that eventually gains context when we learn about Life Extension and what goes into creating the Lucid Dream.

Empty Times Square

On the one hand, the scene in an empty Times Square doesn’t need to mean anything more than just being a great visual. On the other hand, it does serve as a nice contrast to the very end of the film.

Compare the Times Square scene to the final conversation on the rooftop of Life Extension headquarters. In the former, Cruise is on the ground, completely alone. Even though his life seems perfect, it’s empty. By the end, he’s high up on a roof and has with him some very important people—Sofia, Brian, McCabe, and Tech Support. Those are to him what the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion, and Glinda were to Dorothy in Wizard of Oz . These manifestations of heart, intelligence, courage, and guidance.

You can argue that the roof is symbolic of the perspective David has gained over the course of the film, a visual contrast to the confusion and loneliness he felt at the beginning.

Questions & answers about Vanilla Sky

Was it sofia or julie that david smothered.

Even though he thinks it was Julie, David sees the mole that he knew Sofia had. Which is why he thinks he killed Sofia. There’s a scene earlier in the movie where he makes a big deal about that mole. That’s there specifically to set up the later “reveal”.

Was Julie actually Sofia? Did Sofia ever exist?

There’s a whole argument to be made that no one in the dream ever existed in David’s life and his real life was completely different from whatever we see in the dream. But if we accept some of the facts that the movie gave us in the first 30 minutes, then Julie and Sofia really were separate people.

Why did David think Julie was Sofia or that Sofia was Julie?

The simple answer is it was just the glitch causing the dream to become a nightmare. That’s it.

The deeper, thematic answer is that it’s a byproduct of David’s subconscious and relates to a guilt he feels about what happened with Sofia and Julie. If he hadn’t gotten into the car with the one, then he could have had a life with the other. He “chose” Julie. So her becoming Sofia in the dream is just a hyperbolic embodiment of David’s guilt and remorse. That momentary choice had a profound ripple effect on his life and ultimately led to the “death” of him and Sofia.

Is Vanilla Sky like Inception ?

Somewhat! Cobb and David go on similar journeys of working through their baggage in dream worlds. Both have glitches. David’s is a best more conceptual but takes the form of Julie becoming Sofia. While in Inception , Cobb’s guilt over his wife’s death manifests as his wife invading the various dreams Cobb’s in and sabotaging whatever mission he’s on. Both movies end with escaping the dream and returning to real life, having found a sense of closure.

Is it Sophia or Sofia?

Sofia.

Now it’s your turn

Have more unanswered questions about Vanilla Sky ? Are there themes or motifs we missed? Is there more to explain about the ending? Please post your questions and thoughts in the comments section! We’ll do our best to address every one of them. If we like what you have to say, you could become part of our movie guide!

Chris Lambert is co-founder of Colossus. He writes about complex movie endings, narrative construction, and how movies connect to the psychology of our day-to-day lives.

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The Untold Truth Of Vanilla Sky

Released in the United States on December 10, 2001 , "Vanilla Sky" is a tragically beautiful and surreal story about a man who's been living the dream his entire life, but now he's finally waking up and finding the process to be more difficult than you'd typically imagine. It stars Tom Cruise as protagonist David Aames, a publishing magnate who never knew real love before meeting Sofia (Penélope Cruz), a dental assistant with the kind of simple life he could never attain.

Following a car wreck caused by jilted lover Julie (Cameron Diaz), David becomes disfigured. Without his good looks, he finds it difficult to believe that anyone would want to be with him, and he ruins his social and professional life. Things only get more complicated and poignant from there as the film slides into the realm of science fiction that perfectly encapsulates everything incredible about the story while still sneaking up on you.

After two decades, the public has had a chance to reconsider writer-director Cameron Crowe's divisive masterpiece (based on the 1997 film "Abre Los Ojos") and finally appreciate it for the unconventional, big-screen tone poem that it is. To honor that, we'll be exploring some lesser-known behind-the-scenes details you may not be familiar with. So, open your eyes and venture into the untold truth of "Vanilla Sky." Warning — there are spoilers below.

Remixing Abre Los Ojos

In the mini-documentary on the making of "Vanilla Sky" called " Prelude to a Dream ," Cameron Crowe describes his experience of seeing "Abre Los Ojos" for the first time, saying, "I couldn't get it out of my mind. The movie felt like a folk song to me; part fable, part poem, partly a committed conversation that you'd have with someone late at night, when big ideas flowed easily. I wanted to be a part of that conversation."

The title of the original film translates in English to "Open Your Eyes," and the opening of "Vanilla Sky" begins with a shot over New York City, with the voice of Penélope Cruz saying "abre los ojos" before transitioning to "open your eyes." This is an obvious reference to the original film. Not only does "Abre Los Ojos" begin the exact same way (in a different location and without the English), but speaking the original film's title is almost a way of acknowledging what came before, then shifting into something new.

Both films are very similar. Obviously, the subject matter is the same, and the overall structure is the same, but many of the specifics are different. While "Abre Los Ojos" is in many ways a traditional film with a unique narrative, "Vanilla Sky" is a stranger, more personal film. As Crowe is reported as saying on his official website , "Vanilla Sky" is more of a re mix than a re make.

Alejandro Amenabar knew Tom Cruise would be in it

When you're telling a story about someone with an unbelievably privileged lifestyle, more money than they could ever know what to do with, and no idea just how many people they touch on a daily basis, you need to cast a movie star like Tom Cruise. "Abre Los Ojos" co-writer and director Alejandro Amenábar knew this long before he had any idea that Hollywood would come around looking to remake it one day.

According to an interview he did with The Hollywood Interview , Alejandro stated as much when describing his reaction to the prospect of Cameron Crowe and Tom Cruise remaking it. He said, "I felt very honored and very excited. Actually, when we were writing the Spanish version, I remember that we thought, 'If this were in America, Tom would play the lead role.'"

However, he did also point out one issue he had with Cruise's look in the film. "My biggest peeve with 'Vanilla Sky' is that when Cruise has the disfiguring accident that is supposed to ruin his life and any possibility of real romance ... he still sort of looks like Tom Cruise but with some scars. Some guys would still be happy looking like that."

A dialogue between two films

In interviews during the promotion of "Vanilla Sky," both Cameron Crowe and Tom Cruise brought up this idea of "Abre Los Ojos" and their film engaging in a conversation. For instance, Cruise told reporter Bobbie Wygant that he was intrigued by the idea of recreating a movie with a new take, similar to theater. "In theater ... you do the plays over and over again. This film, although it was Spanish, it deals in universal themes, and it's not cultural dependent. I also thought it would be interesting to have another version of that and to have the two films have a dialogue with each other."

While also talking to Wygant, Cameron Crowe elaborated some more, saying, "We wanted to honor the original, you know? And change the tone of it at times and expand some of the characters. ... I just figured there's one way to remake a movie, which is to start from scratch. And the other way is to try and be a fan of what made the original great and also start a dialogue with it. Which is what we went for."

This goes along with the idea of "Vanilla Sky" really working as a remix of the original film — taking its concepts and putting them through a new filter and exploring different avenues. In that way, both films are talking about the same subject matter but coming at it from a different direction.

Penelope Cruz put more of herself in Sophia

The character of Sophia almost falls into the trope of the manic pixie dream girl thanks to her quirky behavior and optimism. However, we see enough depth there to suggest a genuine human being beneath. Besides, she literally is a dream girl through most of the movie, so it's understandable. Penélope Cruz played Sophia in "Abre Los Ojos" and was apparently very interested in the idea of playing her again.

While appearing on "Charlie Rose," Cameron Crowe confirmed Cruz's enthusiasm for returning. Rose said, "Even though the character is not the same, Penélope basically plays Sophia in both films and says if you don't cast her in your film, she's bringing over an Uzi and taking you out. Is that about right?" Cameron joked that's why he knew he had to meet her right away.

Perhaps more interesting, though, is the way in which Cruz decided to alter her performance. Crowe described the process of working with her to craft this new rendition of Sophia to ScreenSlam, saying, "There's a lot of Penélope in the character of Sophia in our movie. Penélope was a dancer for 14 years. She lived in New York and had many jobs to keep afloat there. There were some lines in the movie that she thought of. I like that this Sophia was a little like Penélope herself."

Cameron Diaz riveted Crowe

Played by Cameron Diaz , Julie is an integral part of "Vanilla Sky." We first meet her in David's bed. Her excitement over being with him juxtaposed against his barely veiled indifference to her makes it obvious that she has feelings for him that he has no intention of reciprocating. When they meet later, things take a horrific turn as Julie lets him know just how she feels about him taking advantage of her.

It's a difficult part to play. You risk coming across as unhinged and campy when the audience should be seeing you as heartbroken and afraid. As far as Cameron Crowe is concerned, Diaz (who'd just been filming "Gangs of New York" in Italy) pulled it off perfectly. Talking to People during the 20th anniversary of the film, Cameron said, "I just remember those electric blue eyes that matched the car that she drove and her kinetic energy that she brought from Italy."

Crowe believes she pulled not only from all her experience as a performer but the exhaustion of travel to help film the scene where David gets in her car, sealing his fate. "We didn't have a lot of time and what happened was something about the exhaustion of not having the time off and having come straight from Italy, something came out," he said. "She used all of her skill to both use all of her craft, but she also used all of her exhaustion, and it's riveting."

A tale of two cameos

As if you needed more proof that David Aames is incredibly famous in the world of "Vanilla Sky," none other than filmmaker extraordinaire Steven Spielberg shows up in a scene and wishes him a happy birthday. And as it turns out, Spielberg's appearance resulted in a bit of a cameo trade.

Not long after "Vanilla Sky" was released, Spielberg's "Minority Report" — also starring Tom Cruise — hit theaters. In this sci-fi flick, during a scene where Cruise's character is trying to travel on a train without being noticed, a curious passenger reading the newspaper takes an interest in him. This stranger was played by Cameron Crowe. On his website , Crowe discussed the cameo exchange.

"Steven Spielberg came to the 'Vanilla Sky' set one day to visit Tom Cruise, and I urged him to walk into the birthday sequence we were filming," Crowe explained. "He was a big hit, improvised dialogue, stayed a couple hours, and left threatening to put me into 'Minority Report.'" Initially, Spielberg wanted Crowe to play a homeless man. However, he later changed his role to a businessman and sat Cameron Diaz behind him.

They really shut down Times Square

"Vanilla Sky" has the audience questioning reality before they even have a chance to get comfortable in their seats, kicking things off with a dream that perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the film. David Aames wakes up to find New York City is eerily silent. He drives through Manhattan streets that are completely devoid of people. Seeking some semblance of life, he heads to Times Square (a notoriously crowded and noisy place) and doesn't encounter a soul.

Back at the turn of the 21st century, pulling a shot like that off digitally wasn't an option. So they had to actually empty Times Square for real. Cameron Crowe told Vulture that filming that scene in Times Square was always set in stone. All they had to do was get permission and stick to a strict plan. "We started preparing the movie, and very early on, our producers Don Lee and Paula Wagner and Tom Cruise went to see Rudy Giuliani and his people to see if we could do this," Crowe said.

The one condition was Crowe couldn't do as many takes as he usually would because they only had three hours. They planned the shot for weeks, often rehearsing it after filming other scenes. When the day came, it was a strange sight. "It was empty almost as far as you could see. Unbelievable." Everything went off without a hitch, and they even finished shooting early.

Nancy Wilson helped with more than just score

Other than being the guitarist for Heart, Nancy Wilson is also a film composer . During her marriage to Cameron Crowe, she composed the scores for three of his films: "Almost Famous," "Vanilla Sky," and "Elizabethtown." Given her status as a rock icon and his history as a rock journalist, it's easy to see why their professional collaborations were so successful. Wilson gave her own explanation for why they worked so well together to Eric Blair on the red carpet for "Vanilla Sky."

"We really identify with the same stuff musically," Wilson said, "because we're sort of from the same generation ... we communicate in ESP, pretty much." She also admitted that the score wasn't the only musical area of the film that she had a hand in. When asked if she helped pick any of the songs on the soundtrack, she said, "Some of it. I mean, ultimately Cameron had the most killer ideas."

However, according to the soundtrack's liner notes , Wilson and Crowe both wrote a song (with lyrics and everything) for the film called "I Fall Apart" and credited it to Julie, Cameron Diaz's character.

Vanilla Sky's original ending

The ending of "Vanilla Sky" is one of those classic movie endings that can be debated for ages, which was done by design. However, the original ending likely would've resulted in even more discourse, according to Crowe. He told Film School Rejects that because production on the film happened so quickly, they didn't have time to question things — they just went for it. After showing the film to test audiences, they decided to trim to ending down and make it a little more streamlined.

"It's a different version of the same ending, but it's a little more challenging and less is explained," Crowe said. "You want people to understand what you're going for, so the question is, looking at both endings: Did the pendulum swing too much in the direction of us explaining stuff? I think it did."

When watching the original ending , you can see how different it was. In the theatrical version of the film, David learns about his dream, has a mini-meltdown, and is greeted by tech support in the form of Edmund Ventura (Noah Taylor). Originally, the meltdown continued and escalated to such a degree that David would have a shoot-out with the security guard played by Michael Shannon. It's a wild clash of tones that doesn't quite solidify. The version we got back in 2001 is still ambiguous, but everything is more focused. There is a quiet acceptance to it that eases the audience into these heady ideas.

Crowe's secret theory

Although the film's ending was augmented to give the audience a clearer understanding of what's happening, it still leaves plenty of questions for curious viewers to chew on. If taken literally, the movie is split in two: David Aames' life before the car wreck and his unnaturally prolonged dream afterward. Then again, you could also see it as one long dream from beginning to end. Sophia never existed, there was no wreck, no Life Extension — just one guy struggling with the demons hiding in his subconscious.

On the commentary for the film, Cameron Crowe isn't interested in providing a definitive answer. To him, the questions are the interesting part. He does, however, offer a few possible interpretations — including a personal one of his own involving Jason Lee's character, Brian.

If you've seen the film, then you remember that Brian is a struggling writer who sometimes yearns to live David's life. In Brian's view, the drawback to David's existence is that he's never experienced heartbreak and pain. In that way, he's never known true love. Throughout the movie, Brian explains that the sweet things in life ain't as sweet without the sour, but David doesn't understand what he means until the end. Cameron's "secret" interpretation is that "Vanilla Sky" is Brian's book, and he wrote it to show David what true love feels like.

The 9/11 effect

We can theorize about why "Vanilla Sky" was so divisive at the time , but chances are it would've split critics and audiences regardless of its release date. Delving into the nature of life through the subconscious isn't something general audiences are too keen on, and some critics are so caught up in the "rules" of storytelling that the film never would have connected with them. That's not to say, however, that its release date had no effect on the audience's reaction.

While talking to Film School Rejects , Crowe pointed out that he thought seeing the film so soon after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 bothered some people. If you recall, the ending of the film takes place atop a skyscraper overlooking Manhattan. Just over Edmund's shoulder, the Twin Towers (which were destroyed in the attacks) are clearly visible. Of their inclusion, Crowe said, "There was a big discussion about taking them out, but my feeling was we shouldn't destroy them again, they should be there, and live on."

Also, the fact that one of the last images of the film is of a man leaping from a building made people feel a mix of emotions. "The days right after 9/11 when we were showing the movie," Crowe said, "when Tom jumps off that building, you could feel the wave go over the audience. People were electrified, whether positive or negative. That was kind of amazing."

Vanilla Sky is not the movie you think it is

The marketing for "Vanilla Sky" didn't exactly give audiences a clear picture of what to expect when walking into theaters back in 2001. Watching the theatrical trailer now is baffling, as it chose to focus primarily on the film's opening act, making it look like a thriller about a jealous woman. Cameron Crowe said the marketing made the film look like a "Fatal Attraction" kind of story when talking to Vulture .

The marketing was so misleading that, according to Crowe, a movie theater employee told patrons to get a refund before the movie starts. "The opening weekend, I went to see it, and there was a guy roaming the aisles, saying, 'This is not the movie you think it is. If anybody needs a refund now, ask for a refund.'" Crowe described him as an upper-management guy and remarked on how stunned he was to see this.

I was like, "How do you know what movie they think it is?" It was traumatic. ... I was like, 'You could turn this into a plus, you know. You could make it a wonderful assignment for a wonderful audience to wrap their heads around.' But ... no." To be fair, while the guy's actions were rude and uncalled for, his statement was probably right.

20 years ago, Tom Cruise made the most incoherent sci-fi movie of the century

If you really think about it, this is all Christopher Nolan’s fault.

A woman removing a mask from Tom Cruise's face, who is playing David Aames in the Vanilla Sky romanc...

Penélope Cruz tells a wealthy ne'er-do-well played by Tom Cruise that “every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around.” At this moment, Cruise (David Aames) feels he’s reached that critical point where he can make a meaningful change in his otherwise shallow life — notably, by opening himself up to real love with Cruz (Sofia Serrano).

David is feeling positive about turning his life around. What he doesn’t know is that he’ll soon make another choice that will come with dire consequences. It’s one of the more positive moments in Vanilla Sky , which premiered 20 years ago on December 10, 2001, that drives home a simple message at the heart of this absurdly complex sci-fi movie:

It’s the little things we do that can have the most impact on our lives.

Vanilla Sky is a bizarre cinematic hybrid; equal parts science fiction, psychological thriller, and romance. The early 2000s were a popular time for the psychological thriller, a genre Christopher Nolan had mastered a year earlier with 2000’s Memento . Nolan’s mind-bending movie was a huge critical success, so naturally, everyone in Hollywood wanted to copy him.

In that context, Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, it didn’t make sense to critics and moviegoers. The star-studded movie (Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Lee are also in the cast) went on to attain cult classic status as one of the most underrated sci-fi thrillers of the century (so far). But 20 years later, does Vanilla Sky actually hold up?

Tom Cruise as the wealthy publishing tycoon, David Aames, Jr.

Vanilla Sky stars Tom Cruise as David Aames, a publishing mogul at the age of 33 (due to a substantial inheritance) who lives the filthy rich Manhattanite playboy lifestyle. David goes to work when he feels like it. He plays daily racquetball with his novelist buddy, Brian, and spends his nights sleeping with his friend-with-benefits, singer/model Julie Gianni (Cameron Diaz) with no intention of commitment.

David and his friend-with-benefits, Julie Gianni.

Yes, David lives a charmed life. He only has two worries:

His company’s board of directors
A single, errant gray hair

David and Brian driving to play racquetball before work.

I’m not the biggest Tom Cruise fan, but he plays the part of David perfectly. Cruise excels in roles where he’s supposed to be a jerk. Whenever he plays a good guy hero, it just feels unnatural. Thankfully, David is the former.

David gets to know Sofia Serrano.

While David is seemingly the man who has everything, once he encounters Sofia Serrano (Penélope Cruz) at his birthday party, he feels he’s met the love of his life.

Cruz is very charming as Sofia, but we barely get to know her. David falls madly in love after only a few hours simply because she’s “guileless” and “ an artist.” While we are seeing her from David’s perspective, she seems to embody the traits of just another manic pixie dream girl.

Regardless, David is smitten. But unfortunately, he makes the fateful decision to get in a car with the unstable Julie, who’s decided that she’s sick of being a side-piece and wants a real relationship.

To drive her point home, Julie drives off a bridge.

Julie picks up David in her car and eventually drives off a bridge.

This accident shapes the rest of David’s life. Julie doesn’t survive, but David does — while sustaining extensive facial scarring. Plastic surgery helps, it’s still not enough to completely restore his face to its previous Tom Cruise glory.

David tries to get his face completely restored after the car accident.

For the rest of the film, David is desperate to get his life back to the way it was before the accident — his face, his company, and his budding relationship with Sofia that had been cut so short.

David questioning his reality.

After the accident, the rest of the movie is one mind trip after another. You don’t know what’s supposed to be reality and what’s a dream. Is David actually going crazy or is someone screwing with his head?

A trippy story can keep an audience’s attention (e.g. Memento ), but the twists and turns here are so relentless that watching it can feel like drowning. There’s nothing concrete for the audience to grasp.

It was all a dream.

It feels like Cameron Crowe was trying to recapture Memento ’s success with Vanilla Sky by having one long puzzle that keeps the audience guessing. Where Nolan succeeds and Crowe fails is in the ultimate execution of the puzzle and the piecing together of the mystery.

With Memento , once the mystery is revealed, it might be a surprise twist, but it’s easier for the audience to look back to the earlier parts of the movie, and think, Oh, that makes sense, now. But in Vanilla Sky , there are so many convoluted plot points and such a minimal payoff (spoilers: David has been having a lucid dream in cryogenic suspension for 150 years and his subconscious just glitched) that trying to make sense of earlier twists is practically futile.

The underlying message of Vanilla Sky — that the small moments in life that can have the greatest consequences — still works. But it’s so buried in unnecessary complexity that you might not even see it. Then again, at least you’ll still be watching a visually stunning movie full of beautiful people and a fun soundtrack.

This article was originally published on Dec. 10, 2021

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David Aames is a New York media magnate who inherited everything he had from his father. He can do whatever he wants with whomever he likes whenever he pleases. For the most part, that includes hanging out with his best friend, Brian, and having sleepovers with Julia Gianni.

Related: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Making Of Magnolia

All of that changes when he meets the fetching Sofia and as he tries to woo her, he pushes Julia away. Jilted, she crashes a car with both of them in it, and David is now in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. In Vanilla Sky, nothing is at seems at all and David can’t seem to piece together the events of his life. Here are ten things you didn’t know about the making of this strange and mesmerizing movie .

It's A Remake Of A Spanish Movie

Vanilla Sky is actually a remake of a 1997 Spanish film, Abre Los Ojos, or Open Your Eyes . Tom Cruise had attended the premiere of the film at The Sundance Film Festival and liked it so much that he purchased the rights to it and got Cameron Crowe onboard to helm the picture.

The remake follows the original story fairly closely, swapping out Madrid for New York. Interestingly, one thing that stayed the same was Penélope Cruz, who reprised her role as Sofía .

Sgt. Pepper Influenced The Film's Style

The Beatles played a huge influence on Cameron Crowe during the making of this film. Perhaps the biggest influence of all would be the album cover to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The psychedelic album cover features the Fab Four surrounded by all sorts of pop culture icons and various other gurus and artists.

The art so intricate that it takes a lot more than one look to take it all it. That was the idea that Crowe was going for when it came to making the film.

Times Square Was Really Empty For That One Scene

One of the early images of Vanilla Sky has become the iconic shot of the movie. Here, David Aames runs through New York’s famously and consistently crowded Times Square. But in the film, it’s a barren wasteland and it’s all real.

Instead of digitally recreating the landmark or removing the people in post-production, Cameron Crowe was able to secure a few hours on a Sunday morning and was really able to close off several blocks for filming this one scene.

The Twilight Zone Foreshadows The Story

With a bevy of pop culture references in the film, it’s hard to spot them all. But one of these homages that also is a clue to everything that is happening can be seen during the Times Square scene. On one of the screens is showing footage from “The Shadow Play,” an episode of The Twilight Zone.

Related: Every Mission: Impossible And Bourne Movie, Ranked (According To MetaCritic)

The episode is about a man sentenced to die. The man swears up and down that everyone in the courtroom and the jail cell are just figments of his imagination in a dream he can’t wake up from. Sound familiar?

The 429th Pop Culture Reference Is A Clue

There's a slew of references in the film, if you know where to look. Some of these include: the cover of a Bob Dylan album, David labeling his board members The Seven Dwarves, all kinds of paintings and pictures, and more. According to director Cameron Crowe, there are a total of 428 separate pop culture references. But thanks to the production crew, there’s actually one more, bringing it to a total of 429.

The registration date on David’s car is 02/30/2001, a date which will never exists and certainly didn’t 19 years ago. The error helped lend credence to one of the interpretations of the film (more on that in a bit).

The Director Says There Are Five Interpretations

As with many dream-based films, Vanilla Sky has several different interpretations. According to Crowe, there are five different ways to read the film. The first and easiest explanation is that Tech Support is telling David the truth. Second, the movie could also be David’s fever dream after the car crash.

Related: Tom Cruise: Top 10 Non-Action Movies Ranked, According To IMDb

A third option is that David’s hallucinations happen thanks to the drugs administered during his reconstruction surgery. A fourth possibility is that the events of the film might also be the events of Brian’s novel that David commissioned. The fifth and final theory is that the entire movie is a dream, as evidenced by David’s car registration date being purely fictional in the setting's context.

The Song Revolution 9 Influenced The Film's Style

Former Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe always has music on the brain in his films. For Vanilla Sky , he had a slew of Beatles music. Specifically, the nigh-incoherent and entirely abstract song “Revolution 9” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono weighs heavily on the film.

Much like Lennon went for a fever dream song collage, Crowe sought to create that feeling onscreen. There’s also a slew of instances where the number nine shows up as well.

Steven Spielberg Has A Cameo

One of the greatest directors in the history of medium makes an appearance at David’s party. Steven Spielberg had stopped by the set to talk with Tom Cruise about their first ever collaboration, the then-upcoming Minority Report, hence why he’s seen wearing a Pre-Crime hat.

During the filming of the party scene, Crowe urged Spielberg to “get in there.” It was a quick moment that Crowe repaid when he showed up in Minority Report .

The Beatles' Influence Extends Beyond The Soundtrack

The influence of one of the greatest bands in the world was extremely prevalent throughout the film. The film’s title song was written and performed by Paul McCartney, and it even received an Oscar nomination.

David Aames also lives New York’s uptown Dakota building, which is the very building John lived in and was unfortunately tragically murdered outside of.

The Numbers Mean Something

In dreams, it’s often hard to read words and they come off as incoherent babble. But when you’re filming the story of a dream, you can make that incoherent babble mean something. David’s mugshot photo, for example, has a bunch of seemingly random letters and numbers. However, this weird code actually means something and alludes to what the film is really about.

If you pause the scene and try to decode it, it reads “When did the dream become a nightmare.” It’s not the only coded message in the film, according to Crowe’s commentary. David’s X-Ray reads “Do not wake him up,” and “Pleasant Dreams.”

Next: Tom Cruise: His 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Movie Roles, According To IMDb

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Product Description

A renowned womanizer meets his match in his best friend's girlfriend. Just as begins to develop feelings for her, his last girlfriend shows up in a jealous rage. She ends up crashing her car which leaves the womanizer disfigured. His beauty gone, the womanizer goes to extreme measures to recapture the life he once had.

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 ounces
Item model number ‏ : ‎ MFR097363393641#VG
Director ‏ : ‎ Cameron Crowe
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Closed-captioned, Subtitled, NTSC, Widescreen, Dolby, Color
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 16 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ May 31, 2011
Actors ‏ : ‎ Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
Producers ‏ : ‎ Bill Block, Cameron Crowe, Danny Bramson, Donald J. Lee Jr.
Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified
Studio ‏ : ‎ Paramount
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00005JKMZ
Writers ‏ : ‎ Alejandro Amenábar, Cameron Crowe, Mateo Gil
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
#1,874 in Science Fiction DVDs
#3,512 in Romance (Movies & TV)
#4,403 in Mystery & Thrillers (Movies & TV)

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DVD & Streaming

Vanilla Sky

Content caution.

In Theaters

Tom Cruise as David Aames; Penélope Cruz as Sofia Serrano; Kurt Russell as Dr. Curtis McCabe; Cameron Diaz as Julie Gianni; Jason Lee as Brian Shelby

Home Release Date

Cameron Crowe

Distributor

Paramount Pictures

Movie Review

“What is it that makes you happy?” the soon-to-be fatally frustrated Julie asks David. “Because this is what makes me happy, being with you.” Seconds later, she steers her speeding car off an overpass, crashing head-on into a concrete embankment.

David is plagued by dreams. Nightmares, really. He’s not always sure where his nocturnal fantasies end and his day-to-day life begins. Moviegoers will be even less sure than he is. Just when you think you’ve pegged what’s what, Vanilla Sky ’s dreamscape takes another turn. David is a playboy. A rich kid who inherited his father’s publishing empire. He’s always had everything he ever wanted. Even good looks. He never goes home from the party without the girl. But his easy life has led to lax living. And he’s used up one to many women for selfish ends. Julie is the last. He’s in the midst of falling for a new girl (Sofia) when Julie, frustrated and suicidally angry over his callousness, takes that fateful plunge. David survives the horrific wreckage, but barely. He’s badly mangled. His face and arm shattered beyond repair. And so is his life. His nightmares may now prove more inviting than what remains of his reality. That’s when what you thought was strictly an exploration into life, love, loss and destruction turns decidedly sci-fi.

positive elements: The film explores the idea of making a choice between the ethereal pleasantness of fantasy (dreams, all-consuming entertainment, etc.) and the harsh realities of real life. David’s best friend, Brian, points out several times that the beauty and luster of life is only truly appreciated when the bitterness and trials are also fully felt and experienced. The consequences of one’s actions are also given a nod, as is the idea that it’s never too late to make a fresh start (“Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around”).

spiritual content: Moments before destroying their lives, Julie asks David if he believes in God (presumably because they are to meet Him shortly). Trying to dodge work responsibilities, David tells his secretary, “I don’t care if God calls, I’m very, very busy.” Going into surgery, he sings Joan Osborne’s song, “One of Us.”

sexual content: Intense and violent . [Spoiler Warning] Suffering from delusions and hallucinations, David climaxes an act of sexual intercourse with Sofia by forcibly smothering her to death (he sees her as Julie). Explicit sexual movement isn’t accompanied by nudity in this scene, but it is both visceral and prolonged. In an earlier sexual encounter, Sofia bares her breasts to the camera and David longingly wishes he could “live” inside a beauty mark located between them. The aftermath of a sexual encounter between David and Julie is shown. The two of them discuss their activities in obscene detail. Julie figures that if they have sex four times in a single night, that it should “mean something” between them. “Your body makes a promise whether you do or not,” she yells. She’s right, of course, she’s just on the wrong side of the sheets to win much credibility. David and Brian exchange graphic and gratuitous comments about David’s sex life. Also, David is shown getting dressed, and a picture of Sofia shows her posing nude.

violent content: The car crash is brutal (but the car’s occupants are never shown). Far more explicit and troubling are scenes in which David ties up, brutalizes and ultimately kills Sophia (who appears as Julie). Elsewhere, David and Brian get into a pushing match. David angrily smashes a bottle against a wall. A suicide (by pills) is shown.

crude or profane language: The f-word is frequently used (about 40 times). Often it is used to refer to sex. The s-word is also used several times. Sofia exclaims, “Holy god, this is going to change my life in a zillion different ways.” A photo shows a man making an obscene hand gesture. David’s nickname is an object generally associated with masturbation.

drug and alcohol content: Parties are for drinking in this movie. And drinking is for getting drunk. David, Brian, Sofia and Julie all get drunk at various times in the story. Jack Daniels. Martinis. Beer. They all claim quite a bit of screen time.

conclusion: Tight directing and clever twists make Vanilla Sky a colorful, surreal experience. What turns it black as night is a firmament full of obscenities, sexualized violence and murder, and glamorized alcohol abuse.

Steven Isaac

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Vanilla Sky (2001)

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Vanilla sky.

Directed by Cameron Crowe

Forget everything you know, and open your eyes.

David Aames has it all: wealth, good looks and gorgeous women on his arm. But just as he begins falling for the warmhearted Sofia, his face is horribly disfigured in a car accident. That's just the beginning of his troubles as the lines between illusion and reality, between life and death, are blurred.

Tom Cruise Penélope Cruz Cameron Diaz Kurt Russell Jason Lee Noah Taylor Timothy Spall Tilda Swinton Michael Shannon Delaina Mitchell Shalom Harlow Oona Hart Ivana Miličević Johnny Galecki Jhaemi Willens Armand Schultz Cameron Watson Robertson Dean W. Earl Brown Ray Proscia Tim Hopper Alicia Witt Ken Leung Carolyn Byrne Mark Pinter Jeff Weiss Conan O'Brien James Murtaugh Mark Kozelek Show All… John Fedevich Bobby Walsh Stacey Sher Fred Schruers Jessica Siemens Julia Carothers Hughes Holly Raye Marty Collins Mark Bramhall Jack Hall David Lewison Jennifer Griffin Adam LeGrant John Kepley Robin Van Sharner Laurel Wiley Nicole Taylor Hart Julia Decker Jennifer Marie Kelley Erin McElmurry Alice Marie Crowe Mel Thompson Jonathan Sanger Tommy Lee Ana Maria Quintana Paul Haggar Randy Woodside Robert F. Harrison Carly Starr Brullo Niles Jane Pratt Patrick McMullen Steven Colvin Cindy Crowe John Sypolt Michael G. Kehoe Danielle Wolff Scotch Ellis Loring Brent Sexton Curt Skaggs Jennifer Gimenez Lori Lezama Todd Harrison Laura Fraser Steven Spielberg Jennifer Aspen Celina Belizan Craig Callow Jean Carol Tony Collucci Janine Foster Zach Hudson Ryan Keating Roger Lim Tara Lipinski William Mapother Christy Meyers Jan Munroe Marie Paquim Ronald Rand Tasha Tae Bryan Todd Christie Will

Director Director

Cameron Crowe

Producers Producers

Cameron Crowe Tom Cruise Paula Wagner Michael Doven Donald J. Lee Jr.

Writer Writer

Original writers original writers.

Mateo Gil Alejandro Amenábar

Casting Casting

Editors editors.

Mark Livolsi Joe Hutshing

Cinematography Cinematography

Assistant directors asst. directors.

David McGiffert Stephen E. Hagen

Additional Directing Add. Directing

Buddy Joe Hooker Jonathan Sanger

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Fernando Bovaira Danny Bramson Bill Block Jonathan Sanger Patrick Wachsberger

Additional Photography Add. Photography

Craig Haagensen

Production Design Production Design

Catherine Hardwicke

Art Direction Art Direction

Beat Frutiger

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Cloudia Rebar

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Kevin Scott Mack

Stunts Stunts

Brian Smrz John Cenatiempo Chris Cenatiempo Buddy Joe Hooker Jake Lombard Jim Stephan Keith Campbell Jeff Habberstad Jake Brake Chris Barnes John Casino Liisa Cohen John Branagan Job Alonso Richard Bucher Roy Farfel Dustin Meier Steven Ho Denney Pierce J.P. Romano Carrick O'Quinn Brian Simpson Gregg Smrz William Morts Kevin Squires

Composer Composer

Nancy Wilson

Costume Design Costume Design

Betsy Heimann

Makeup Makeup

Gary Archer Howard Berger Bridget Bergman Michèle Burke Robert Kurtzman Camille Calvet Dennis Liddiard Greg Nicotero Peggy Teague

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Kerrie Smith Christina Raye Candy L. Walken Darrell Redleaf-Fielder

Paramount Pictures Cruise/Wagner Productions Vinyl Films Sogecine Summit Entertainment Artisan Entertainment

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

English Spanish Portuguese

Releases by Date

10 dec 2001, 14 dec 2001, 20 dec 2001, 21 dec 2001, 22 dec 2001, 18 jan 2002, 22 jan 2002, 23 jan 2002, 24 jan 2002, 25 jan 2002, 14 oct 2004, 15 mar 2002, 13 nov 2012, 25 aug 2019, 01 aug 2022, 08 oct 2037, 21 may 2002, 03 oct 2002, 13 feb 2004, 07 oct 2015, releases by country.

Theatrical M
Theatrical 14
Theatrical 15+
Theatrical U
Physical DVD
Digital VOD
Physical Blu-Ray
Digital 18 Prime Video
Digital 16 Netflix
Theatrical 16
Theatrical 18

Netherlands

Theatrical 12
Physical 12 DVD
Theatrical 12 Net 5
Theatrical M/16

South Korea

Theatrical 19
Theatrical 11

Switzerland

Theatrical 15
Premiere R Hollywood, California
Theatrical R

136 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Eric ★★★★ 5

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

" I swallowed your cum! That means something! "

It certainly does.

Review by Parker ★★★★★ 8

I'll review this movie in another life when all of Letterboxd is cats.

Review by trav 7

my therapist just told me i should watch this movie because it reminds her of me.. not sure what the fuck that means

Review by chloe ★★★★½ 7

this is what happens when you listen to radiohead

Review by Josh Lewis ★★★★ 11

A completely ludicrous, sentimental, and (lucid) dreamy sci-fi rom-com psychodrama thriller(?) that has a bizarrely gripping emotional vanity and narcissism to it that I think made Tom Cruise reveal a few things that he didn't mean to at the time. This movie feels like what I imagine the inside of his brain to be in a genuinely kind of real and raw way despite how delightfully strange and slickly artificial this has been engineered to be. Love that it goes from Bond right into Björk in the corporate montage. "The saddest girl to ever hold a martini." What you were allowed to put in a movie right up until those towers dropped man, just breathtaking.

Review by grag ★★★ 3

When tom cruise yelled "what the fuck is happening" I felt that

Review by Chris Evangelista ★★★★ 8

Someone force Hollywood to make movies like this again.

Review by Ayo Edebiri

incredible Scientology vibes from this….

Review by maria ★★★★½ 8

i actually lucid dream without trying to make it happen and this movie fucked my shit up

Review by Nakul ★★★★ 5

Always been a big fan of this movie. Never understood the hate it gets. It's the kind of weird, audacious studio movie with a big star Hollywood doesn't make so much anymore. Tom Cruise gives such an eerie performance (which may be even one of his best). It also features one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. And that shot of Tom Cruise absolutely alone in Times Square & Radiohead is playing will forever be imprinted in my mind.

Review by cassandra ★★★½ 1

I can't believe Christopher Nolan didn't invent lucid dreaming.

Review by Ale ★★★★ 2

Penelope Cruz: *talking in spanish* Tom Cruise: *having the time of his life* (She goes away, he is visibly in love) Jason Lee: What did she say? Tom Cruise: I have no idea

the power Spanish holds

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Vanilla Sky (2001) : Movie Plot Ending Explained

Vanilla Sky is a beautiful remake of the Spanish film “Abre Los Ojos” (Open Your Eyes) by Cameron Crowe. The Vanilla Sky cast includes Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz and Cameron Diaz in leading roles. What begins as a romantic tale with a murder mystery slowly unfolds to become something that warps reality. You know I can’t say more without spoiling it for you. Go watch. Come back. Read on. Here’s the explanation of the plot and ending of the film Vanilla Sky.

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Where To Watch?

To find where to stream any movie or series based on your country, use This Is Barry’s Where To Watch .

Oh, and if this article doesn’t answer all of your questions, drop me a comment or an FB chat message, and I’ll get you the answer . You can find other film explanations using the search option on top of the site.

Vanilla Sky is almost like Tom Cruise’s reply to Brad Pitt’s Fight Club , no?

Here are links to the key aspects of the movie:

– Plot Explanation
– What is Lucid Dream?
– What happens in reality?
– Alternate Reality
– Who is Ellie?
– Ending Explained

Vanilla Sky: Plot Explanation

The characters:.

David Aames (Tom) – Wealthy owner of a big publishing firm Julie Gianni (Cameron) – David’s friend with benefits. Brian Shelby – David’s best friend. Sofia Serrano (Penélope) – Brian’s crush and the girl David falls in love with. Dr. Curtis McCabe (Kurt Russell) – David’s psychologist inside the Lucid Dream Tommy – One of David’s firm’s attorney Edmund Ventura – Tech Support inside the Lucid Dream

We’ll get to Lucid Dream in a bit.

David is a wealthy bachelor and has inherited his father’s company at 51% ownership. The board of directors, who he calls The Seven Dwarfs, hate David as they assumed that one of them would become the eventual owners of the company.

David lives a rockstar lifestyle which involves many women. One such is Julie. Julie and David are friends who sometimes sleep together. Though David considers this relationship no more casually than it is, Julie has developed stronger feelings for David. She loves him but doesn’t tell him that. She expects and assumes that he too loves her back. In one such sleepover, David has a dream about being all alone at Times Square. He wakes up and leaves for work. Julie, however, misses an audition to be with David.

David throws a party on his 33rd birthday and doesn’t care to invite Julie. She shows up anyway. At the party, we are quickly shown a bunch of people that David hardly cares about. Brian shows up to the party with Sofia. David and Sofia are interested in one another and flirt lightly.

Tommy approaches David and thanks him for putting him up for an attorney’s job in London. Tommy has been fired, but in a nice way by David. Tommy, drunk, explains how he understands he has become old and incompetent. He then tells David about how the seven dwarfs are always looking to overthrow David. David gets Tommy driven home and also reinstates his job with a 50% hike. He realizes that Tommy is someone who actually cared for his father and now cares for him.

Julie is Hurt

Upstairs, David receives a naked greeting from Julie. David doesn’t like the fact that she has shown up without being invited. Julie is hurt that she wasn’t invited. David leaves her and heads down.

David and Sofia

He runs into Sofia and they hit it off real quick. Julie watches with a tear rolling down her cheek. David and Sofia disappear into his private office where they talk for a while. Brian shows up and is drunk. He also confesses that he digs Sofia but will give her up because David is interested. Brian leaves. David and Sofia head to her place and they talk all night long, sketch each other, but don’t sleep together.

Vanilla Sky: Life Extension

On TV, there is a show about how a dog, Benny, who was frozen and preserved alive in ice and was thawed back into animation. It’s a company called Life Extension that is offering people cryogenic freezing of their bodies as they sleep the rest of their lives. Soon after the person is dead, the body is frozen and the brain is kept alive in a suspended state. The company also claims that the person can unfreeze a human back to life (provided the person’s body and age support it).

The Car Accident

David and Sofia kiss as the night ends. They are about to begin a relationship. He leaves her home and heads to his car. Julie approaches him. She’s been following him and admits to it too. She can’t accept that David is falling in love with Sofia. Julie offers one more fling and asks David to ride with her. He gets in her car and they leave. While driving, Julie tells David that she loves him. She’s also extremely annoyed that he told Brian about being a “F&^k Buddy”. She begins driving real fast and decides to kill them both by driving off a bridge.

Post Accident Events

Julie dies. David goes into a coma for three and a half weeks with a busted arm and jaw. Because of the coma, no surgery could be performed and his face gets deformed beyond repair by plastic surgery. Dejected, David returns to his life. He avoids everyone. Tommy calls David to tell him to take control of the company or the board would take over.

David meets with his doctors and they tell him that there is no further help that plastic surgery can do for him. They offer David a prosthetic mask and this really angers him. After this, David emerges out of his silos. He begins taking board meetings over video calls. He goes to Sofia’s dance class to meet her. She meets him and is visually disturbed by his disfigured face. They plan to meet again but Sofia asks Brian to join.

I’ll tell you in another life when we are both cats

He goes to a club to meet Brian and Sofia. David’s sourness makes Brian get annoyed and they argue. David heads to the bar and gets drunk. He comes back and begins talking to Sofia. Sofia is still disturbed and is not able to come to terms with the way David looks now. They leave the club and Sofia parts ways.

What did Brian tell Julie in Vanilla Sky?

David asks Brian if he told Julie that she was a “F&^k Buddy”. Brian denies it by saying he never talked to her. But at the party, we are shown Brian talking to Julie. Perhaps Brian was way too drunk and ended up saying this to Julie but he can’t remember. If you think about it, Brian came in with Sofia and if he stayed with her, he wouldn’t have gotten that drunk. Because David makes away with Sofia, he gets drunk and blabbers things to Julie which eventually causes the accident. David and Brian part ways. David imagines Brian and Sofia hooking up and passes out on the street.

At this point, we have a tangent. The film splits into “ Reality ” and the “ Lucid Dream ”

Vanilla Sky: What is Lucid Dream by Life Extension?

At Life Extension, apart from freezing and preserving the body soon after death, they also allow for an endless state of a dream based on what the person wants. The memories from a particular point in life will be erased and replaced with alternate memories chosen by the person. After this, the person remains in cryonised state dreaming of an alternate life, eternally.

What actually happens in reality in Vanilla Sky?

After the drunken night, David wakes up alone on the street. He never meets Sofia after that. David battles the Board with the help of Tommy and gains back the control. After that, David shuts himself away for months. Edmund Ventura, from Life Extension, finds David on the Internet and connects with him. David opts for the Lucid Dream and decides to end his life. Life Extension cryogenically freezes David’s body. As instructed by David, the company erases the memories of his death and events that occur post the drunken night on the street. They replace it with an alternate version and David begins dreaming. Brian Shelby throws a three-day memorial in David’s old home. Sofia attends the memorial and is unable to forget that first night with David.

Alternate Reality in Vanilla Sky: The Lucid Dream

In this version, David decides that he gets back together with Sofia. As instructed by him, the company splices his life events with an alternate reality. A reality where Sofia appears in the morning, picks him up, and takes him home. They begin their relationship.

The dream goes on to doctors flying down someone from Berlin and attempting a new form of reconstructive surgery on his face. After that, his face is fixed and he continues to live a happy life with Sofia. In the real world, 150 years pass.

Then the nightmare begins. One day he wakes up (within the Lucid Dream) to notice that Julie is in bed instead of Sofia. Julie claims that she is Sofia. David ties her up and calls the cops. He believes that the Seven Dwarfs are behind this. That the whole accident was a setup and the real Sofia has been kidnapped.

David’s Guilt

David is in custody. Tommy comes in to help take him out. He shows David pictures of Julie with bruises all over her face. Tommy too refers to her as Sofia. David leaves. Brian meets him outside and grabs him by the collar. He tells David to never hit a girl. David explains to Brian that it was Julie and not Sofia. Brian says he met with Sofia and saw the bruises on her face. Brian also says “Yes! And you stole her from me. The one girl I really wanted and you took her from me”. This is David’s subconscious guilt surfacing up for stealing Brian’s girl. But soon he declares that Brian too is part of the conspiracy and leaves.

Later, David is at a bar. Life Extension is monitoring the Lucid Dream and they have realized that David’s subconscious is turning the dream into a nightmare. They send Tech Support (a digital version of Edmund Ventura) to go meet David. Edmund tells David to calm down and take back control. He tells David that the people in the bar are mere projections and when David says “What I’d love for them to do is shut up”, they do, everyone goes quiet. He’s confused and leaves.

Sofia and Julie – all mixed up

David goes to Sofia’s home and all the pictures in the house are replaced with Julie’s, even his sketch. This is all part of the Lucid Dream going wrong . Julie comes in and hits David thinking he’s a thief. Later she gets him a towel. When Julie returns from the room, she turns back into Sofia again. As viewers of the film, we are made to believe that the accident has caused David to have hallucinations, but it’s the Lucid Dream being steered away by David’s subconscious.

Killing Julie and Sofia

David and Sofia make love but then she turns back into Julie again. David is unable to process this and ends up suffocating Julie to death. After which he notices the mole on the chest which confirms that he has killed Sofia.

The authorities arrest David and a psychologist, McCabe, is called in. Remember, this is all still part of the Lucid Dream. David is interviewed by McCabe. This is how the film starts. What you have read till now is narrated by David as a flashback. The conversation between David and McCabe is basically David’s subconscious battling the dream state.

Who is Ellie in Vanilla Sky?

McCabe mentions that David happened to be screaming for Ellie in one of the nights. This is not Ellie, it is L.E – Life Extension. David’s mind is trying to remind him of the company that has put him in this state of dream. Many a time in this conversation with McCabe, David feels like he hasn’t murdered anyone and that all of this feels like a dream. Because, it is, he just doesn’t know yet . McCabe, upset that David has confessed to killing Sofie, leaves. He states that the plea will be for temporary insanity.

David then sees a television which is playing the add for Life Extension. Again this is his subconscious calling out to him. David calls back McCabe asking to be taken to the Life Extension office. The two of them head there. As they go in, they see people that David begins to recollect. This entire office and its people are part of the Lucid Dream. None of these people exist in the current day as it has been 150 years since the dream began.

Vanilla Sky Ending Explained

Who is rebecca dearborn.

Eventually, they meet with a Rebecca Dearborn who tells them about L.E and Lucid Dream. Finally, David remembers that he is in a dream state and calls out to Tech Support and says he wants to wake up. He runs out and the door to the lift opens. He enters to find Edmund (digital Tech Support) inside. Edmund explains what has happened to David in his real life and the glitch in the dream state. Once on the roof, David imagines McCabe to be back and he appears from a door. Next, Brian appears. David is given a choice. Edmund says that the glitch has been corrected and can go back to the Lucid Dream with no memories of the nightmare involving Julie. That he can choose go back to Sofia in the dream or he can choose to wake up in the real world. Edmund says that it has been 150 years since David was frozen and that his face and body can now be fixed but the world is different and the finances won’t last.

Open Your Eyes!

To wake up in the real world, David would need to jump off the really tall building. This has been chosen by him to overcome his fear of heights. He has chosen this scenario to ensure it is not easy to decide to wake up . McCabe, David’s projection, tries to convince him against it. Edmund explains he is not real, McCabe doesn’t know the name of his two kids. David chooses to wake up in the real world and live a real life. Edmund asks if he has any last wishes. David asks to meet with Sofia (by asking the technicians to read his mind). Sofia appears and David pledges his love for her one last time. He takes a running leap off the building. He falls. He wakes up in the real world.

He hears the voice of a woman say “Relax, David. Open your eyes”.

No, this is not Sofia. This is one of the staffs of the company bringing David back to life from his cryogenic state. Where he goes from here is up to David and is not part of this film.

Barry is a technologist who helps start-ups build successful products. His love for movies and production has led him to write his well-received film explanation and analysis articles to help everyone appreciate the films better. He’s regularly available for a chat conversation on his website and consults on storyboarding from time to time. Click to browse all his film articles

otsoNY Comments: The Dakota no longer permits filming, so only the exterior was used. For the interior shots, the filmmakers built the glamorous apartment on a soundstage.

otsoNY Comments: In this opening scene, David drives out of his garage and you can clearly see on the registration sticker on car's windscreen showing the date 02/30/01. The significance is that this is ok in a dream sequence. There’s no Feb 30. Not only is that in the first scene on his Ferrari, but it is also on his Mustang throughout the whole movie, which supports that the whole thing, from beginning to end is one big dream.

otsoNY Comments: The scene with Tom Cruise alone in Times Square is not computer enhanced. The production was given unprecedented permission to shut down Times Square for one Sunday. At the time, the news ticker was providing updates on the Bush-Gore election. To avoid dating the film, Crowe got permission to change the NASDAQ sign in post-production.

otsoNY Comments: During the subliminal imagery in this scene where Tom Cruise runs through Times Square, an image of Katie Holmes on a rubber tire is seen with a split second. The same photograph was used on the cover of Rolling Stone in the late 90s.

otsoNY Comments: The exterior shot for Aames Publishing was at 42 West 44th Street, but all interior shots were done in the office of Vanity Fair in the Condé Nast Building at 4 Times Square, which was temporarily empty during the Christmas holiday period.

otsoNY Comments: Penélope Cruz also starred in Abre los ojos (1997), of which this film is a remake.

otsoNY Comments: This entire sequence was shot on a bluescreen soundstage with the New York buildings added in post production.

otosNY Comments: This scene was shot on the New York studio backlot and is a copy of the Bob Dylan album cover, "The Freewheelin."

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Tom Cruise All Smiles as He Trades Friendship Bracelets With Swifties at Eras Tour

Tom Cruise was spotted trading friendship bracelets with fans at Taylor Swift ‘s Eras Tour in London over the weekend.

“There’s no way I just traded bracelets with Tom Cruise and was able to tell him my favorite film ever is Vanilla Sky ,” the caption said in a video posted to TikTok.

“AND HE ASKED ME FOR A PHOTO AFTERWARDS!!!” the fan added with excitement.

Cruise was seen beaming as he accepted the handmade bracelets from fans and shook hands.

“So cool,” he commented after looking at one of the bracelets. “Thank you!”

READ MORE: Paul McCartney Dances With Fans at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour

“It’s pretty cute that he looks at what the bracelet says. You can tell he’s being intentional with his fan interaction here,” one fan commented on the video.

“He [genuinely] looks happy to be there !” another person said.

“This tour has been crazy. The experiences we are getting with these celebrities is insane omg,” another viewer wrote in the comments section.

Others shared the fan’s love for Cruise’s film Vanilla Sky , while some wondered about his relationship with his daughter Suri, 18, whose mom is Katie Holmes .

Suri graduated from LaGuardia High School in New York City on June 21 and reportedly dropped her father’s last name for the ceremony.

The actor reportedly has “no part” in Suri’s life and hasn’t for years.

Cruise was not in attendance at Suri’s graduation, as he was at Wembley Stadium at the same time for the Eras Tour.

According to Entertainment Tonight , Cruise was seen dancing with Travis Kelce , Jason Kelce and Greta Gerwig during Night Two of Swift’s stop in London.

The trio were captured on tape dancing along to “Shake It Off” in the VIP tent.

Click here to view photo gallery

This Tom Cruise Movie Missed the Target at the Box Office — But Its Hitting the Bullseye on Netflix

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The Big Picture

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning has found success on Netflix after struggling to outdo its hefty budget at the box office.
Despite its box office woes, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.
The shift towards digital consumption has given the film a second chance to shine and attract new fans.

Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt might be known for pulling off the impossible, but the latest mission didn't quite skyrocket at the box office. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning , co-written and directed by franchise veteran Christopher McQuarrie , initially seemed like it couldn't dodge the box office bullet. But much like Ethan Hunt escaping an exploding Kremlin, the seventh installment of this adrenaline-fueled saga has found a new avenue for victory: Netflix.

Nearly a year after its theatrical release, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning has surged back into the spotlight, climbing Netflix's Global Top 10 chart for the week of June 10-16. With 5.6 million views and a staggering 15.3 million hours clocked in, it secured the third spot, nestled comfortably behind Four Brothers and Hit Man . While it isn't available on Netflix in the United States — where it continues its mission on Paramount+ and MGM+ — the international Netflix audience has embraced Ethan Hunt's latest escapade.

Despite garnering a hefty $567 million worldwide, Dead Reckoning faced an unexpected challenge that even Ethan Hunt might struggle with: the double whammy of Barbie and Oppenheimer (affectionately dubbed "Barbenheimer") releasing the following weekend. The simultaneous drop of these cinematic heavyweights overshadowed what was supposed to be a dominating performance for the IMF crew.

How Good Is 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning'?

Critics and audiences alike hailed Dead Reckoning as one of the franchise's finest, boasting a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 94% audience rating . These accolades placed it just a notch below the revered Fallout , but the $291 million production budget, which reached such a height due to COVID constraints , demanded more than just applause. To break even, the film needed to rake in $582-727 million — a mission made nearly impossible by pandemic-induced delays and stiff competition.

Though the theatrical run didn't hit the expected highs, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning is doing what Ethan Hunt does best : adapting and overcoming. Its resurgence on Netflix isn't just a testament to its lasting appeal but also a reminder of the shifting landscapes of film consumption. With audiences now binge-watching Hunt's fight against the rogue AI known as the Entity, the film is experiencing a renaissance.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning may have stumbled at the box office, but its digital success underscores a vital truth in today’s entertainment world: the game isn’t over when the credits roll on opening weekend. With its gripping action sequences and edge-of-your-seat plot twists, it’s no wonder fans are flocking to Netflix to catch Ethan Hunt in action once more. Stay tuned to Collider for more. International fans can catch the film on Netflix and U.S. readers can head over to Paramount+ .

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.

Watch on Netflix

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‘Interview With the Vampire’ Director on Casting Tom Cruise Over Daniel Day-Lewis and the Backlash That Followed: ‘The Entire World’ Said ‘You Are Miscast’

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, Tom Cruise, 1994. © Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection

When Neil Jordan ‘s “ Interview With the Vampire ” film adaptation released in 1994, Tom Cruise was already a worldwide star. He had led the highly successful “Risky Business” and “Top Gun” and received an Oscar nomination for “Born on the Fourth of July.” But, not everyone was convinced he could play the titular vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt, and his casting caused a considerable amount of backlash among fans of Anne Rice’s original book.

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Tom Cruise says release of Mission: Impossible 7 'a beautiful moment' after COVID restrictions

His comments come three years after the Sun newspaper published an audio recording of Cruise screaming obscenities at crew members working on the film after apparent breaches of on-set social distancing.

Arts and entertainment correspondent @SkyKatieSpencer

Friday 23 June 2023 03:11, UK

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Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise has told Sky News the release of the seventh instalment of the Mission: Impossible film series was "a beautiful moment" after difficulties with COVID restrictions.

Speaking at the film's London premiere, Cruise said: "I don't take anything for granted when making these films, especially with that time period, I'm just very proud of what we all did together.

The Sun newspaper published an audio recording in 2020 of Cruise screaming obscenities at crew members working on the film after apparent breaches of on-set social distancing.

Pegg (right) and Cruise (second right) and their Mission: Impossible Fallout co-stars

But the legendary actor said the film's release was "a beautiful moment to be able to share with the crew".

He said: "You know, when you look at the film and see what we accomplished together, it meant even more.

"I'm proud of everyone with what they did to get through that."

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

The latest film in the 26-year franchise, and reportedly its most expensive costing $290m (£228m), sees Cruise complete his most dangerous stunt to date.

More on Tom Cruise

Backstage podcast: Tom Cruise, Scarlett Johansson, Maya Hawke and Jennifer Lawrence

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Vanilla Sky

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Vanilla Sky Explained: Unraveling the Mind-Bending Tale

Unveiling the Plot

Love, Jealousy, and Tragedy

The Blurred Lines Between Dreams and Reality

The Lucid Dream Option

Hidden Clues and Easter Eggs

Theories and Interpretations

The Ending Unveiled

Analysis of Key Scenes

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The Legacy of “Vanilla Sky”

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Vanilla Sky explained | Dream a little dream

What is Vanilla Sky about?

Movie Guide table of contents

The themes and meaning of Vanilla Sky

Why is the movie called Vanilla Sky ?

Paul McCartney’s song

Reality vs dream

Entertainment and escapism

Trauma, self-esteem, and perception

Explanation

It was all a dream

So what was the point?

The Vanilla Sky

The Jules and Jim poster

Empty Times Square

Questions & answers about Vanilla Sky

Was Julie actually Sofia? Did Sofia ever exist?

Why did David think Julie was Sofia or that Sofia was Julie?

Is Vanilla Sky like Inception ?

Is it Sophia or Sofia?

Now it’s your turn

Like Vanilla Sky (2001)?

The Untold Truth Of Vanilla Sky

Remixing Abre Los Ojos

Alejandro Amenabar knew Tom Cruise would be in it

A dialogue between two films

Penelope Cruz put more of herself in Sophia

Cameron Diaz riveted Crowe

A tale of two cameos

They really shut down Times Square

Nancy Wilson helped with more than just score

Vanilla Sky's original ending

Crowe's secret theory

The 9/11 effect

Vanilla Sky is not the movie you think it is

20 years ago, Tom Cruise made the most incoherent sci-fi movie of the century

Screen Rant

The Acolyte Reveals The Sith Lord Identity, Sets Up Major Twists To Protect Star Wars Canon

It's A Remake Of A Spanish Movie

Sgt. Pepper Influenced The Film's Style

Times Square Was Really Empty For That One Scene

The Twilight Zone Foreshadows The Story