BarcelonaThe term "Ugly American" is a pejorative term used to describe an American visiting abroad behaving badly, exhibiting arrogance or similar less-than-admirable qualities. And although this might not apply toward mild-mannered salesman, Ted Boynton (Taylor Nichols), it becomes harder to avoid the descriptor as it applies to his visiting cousin, Fred Boynton (Chris Eigeman), who brazenly sports the uniform of a United States naval officer as an advance vanguard for the U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet in Barcelona at the end of the Cold War, when tensions toward Americans run high in Spain.
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Barcelona is the second film made by Whit Stillman, following Metropolitan; both movies embody the defining characteristics of his style and storytelling. Characters like Ted and Fred are urbane, witty, and knowledgeable; they are also very complex, although they do have superficial qualities. These two young men are the center of the story, although their interests range from the political situation, their respective assignments, and most of all, the romances they experience during their time abroad. Ted also serves as our narrator, which in turn is his confession to us about his own insecurities and doubts. He reveals that he had sought to improve himself by reading copious amounts of books to better his lot as a salesman for the Chicago-based company he represents, but is petrified that he will be fired when a marketing big shot announces his inevitable visit to the Spanish office. Ted is a bundle of neuroses, but he is suffering a crisis of faith--in himself and in his perception of love. He harbors a grudge against Fred for an incident some twenty years back involving a canoe; while this might seem extreme at first glance, Fred's behavior often suggests he is up to no good, and constantly trying to cover it up. Fred famously claims that he never stole anything...he just "borrowed" things and in some instances, was always about to tell Ted about it. Although Ted does not relish the company of his cousin, their proximity and familial bond invariably draw them closer together; even elements of their personality bleed a little off on one another. Fred exhibits a fervent zeal for the nation he represents. He cannot be so naive as to walk into a country with no other clothes than his uniform--prompting derisive mutterings from Spanish citizens of "facha", or "fascist" in response--but he does, necessitating Ted loaning him some clothes. Ted may not claim to like Fred, but shows him around the city he has grown to love at least, making comparisons between locales being in common with his other beloved city, Chicago.
Ted and Fred's dynamic is part Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and part Felix and Oscar of The Odd Couple. But as in other stories of two buddies, where they seem inexorably opposed in their worldview, neither is absolutely right nor absolutely wrong in their actions. Ted and Fred both identify as Americans, but encounter animosity in their foreign environment because of the times. Fred seems to--consciously or otherwise--stoke the flames of anti-Americanism by his own rigid interpretation of how the world should be, from altering offensive graffiti to changing the record from a jazz song he dislikes in favor of one he does, much to the chagrin of the other party goers. Fred's refusal to acknowledge the inherent danger of his virulent attitude in another nation proves to be unfortunate following a tragic encounter. And yet Fred shows a naturalism in his attitude, his apparent lack of a filter also representative of an unwillingness to mask his feelings, right or wrong. In matters of the heart, this makes his relationship with the lovely Marta (Mira Sorvino) one of apparent ease, while Ted struggles to sell himself to the object of his affections, Montserrat Raventos (Tushka Bergen)--both of whom work at the Barcelona Trade Fair--regardless of his so-called "Maneuver X", a sales-technique he describes designed to encourage buyers to make a conscious decision to buy. Ted exclaims early on--with a degree of self-righteousness--that he has avoided dating pretty girls, because he believes that he could not appreciate their personality. Fred calls him out on the absurdity of his assessment, and Ted ultimately doesn't hold to his prior vow anyway, when he finds himself involved with Montserrat, and almost with her predecessor, Aurora (Nuria Badia). Ted is, however, not without conviction, but he has been unsure of what his convictions are as of yet; thus his frequent retreats into books to enlighten himself. His most outstanding demonstration of his own unrecognized patriotism comes following a bevy of slanderous assertions made by Ramon (Pep Munné), a lothario and yellow journalist; admittedly his motivation to cry foul at Ramon's libel comes largely from the fact that Montserrat and he are not only former lovers, but in an open relationship. Suddenly, the political skirmish is not just fought for ideologies, but in Ted's case, it is also about his own conflicted feelings. Ted attempts to refute Ramon and his cronies' claims against U.S. foreign policy by an ill-chosen analogy about ants--with "red ants" being the oppressive minority, where the parallels between them and communists could not go unnoticed, even if Ted did not intend it as such. Consequently, Fred's response to the debate only serves to reinforce the attitudes against America, also in turn reinforcing that Fred was probably not the ideal vanguard for this mission. And yet for all the acrimony that the Boynton boys tend to draw as being emblematic of the "Ugly American", others like Ramon and Marta do little to endear Spain, being literally liars and thieves. But even with the political backdrop and the shuffling romances, Barcelona is a story about Ted and Fred finally coming to terms with their own relationship, finally budding into friendship, their own "cold war" having warmed over.
Recommended for: Fans of a clever and also very relatable story about a couple of men who may be so different, but yet they could be brothers. And Ted's private dance to himself set to Glenn Miller's "Pennsylvania 6-5000", while reading the Old Testament masked in an issue of The Economist, ranks up there as one of the best dryly funny, character-defining moments around.
Ted and Fred's dynamic is part Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and part Felix and Oscar of The Odd Couple. But as in other stories of two buddies, where they seem inexorably opposed in their worldview, neither is absolutely right nor absolutely wrong in their actions. Ted and Fred both identify as Americans, but encounter animosity in their foreign environment because of the times. Fred seems to--consciously or otherwise--stoke the flames of anti-Americanism by his own rigid interpretation of how the world should be, from altering offensive graffiti to changing the record from a jazz song he dislikes in favor of one he does, much to the chagrin of the other party goers. Fred's refusal to acknowledge the inherent danger of his virulent attitude in another nation proves to be unfortunate following a tragic encounter. And yet Fred shows a naturalism in his attitude, his apparent lack of a filter also representative of an unwillingness to mask his feelings, right or wrong. In matters of the heart, this makes his relationship with the lovely Marta (Mira Sorvino) one of apparent ease, while Ted struggles to sell himself to the object of his affections, Montserrat Raventos (Tushka Bergen)--both of whom work at the Barcelona Trade Fair--regardless of his so-called "Maneuver X", a sales-technique he describes designed to encourage buyers to make a conscious decision to buy. Ted exclaims early on--with a degree of self-righteousness--that he has avoided dating pretty girls, because he believes that he could not appreciate their personality. Fred calls him out on the absurdity of his assessment, and Ted ultimately doesn't hold to his prior vow anyway, when he finds himself involved with Montserrat, and almost with her predecessor, Aurora (Nuria Badia). Ted is, however, not without conviction, but he has been unsure of what his convictions are as of yet; thus his frequent retreats into books to enlighten himself. His most outstanding demonstration of his own unrecognized patriotism comes following a bevy of slanderous assertions made by Ramon (Pep Munné), a lothario and yellow journalist; admittedly his motivation to cry foul at Ramon's libel comes largely from the fact that Montserrat and he are not only former lovers, but in an open relationship. Suddenly, the political skirmish is not just fought for ideologies, but in Ted's case, it is also about his own conflicted feelings. Ted attempts to refute Ramon and his cronies' claims against U.S. foreign policy by an ill-chosen analogy about ants--with "red ants" being the oppressive minority, where the parallels between them and communists could not go unnoticed, even if Ted did not intend it as such. Consequently, Fred's response to the debate only serves to reinforce the attitudes against America, also in turn reinforcing that Fred was probably not the ideal vanguard for this mission. And yet for all the acrimony that the Boynton boys tend to draw as being emblematic of the "Ugly American", others like Ramon and Marta do little to endear Spain, being literally liars and thieves. But even with the political backdrop and the shuffling romances, Barcelona is a story about Ted and Fred finally coming to terms with their own relationship, finally budding into friendship, their own "cold war" having warmed over.
Recommended for: Fans of a clever and also very relatable story about a couple of men who may be so different, but yet they could be brothers. And Ted's private dance to himself set to Glenn Miller's "Pennsylvania 6-5000", while reading the Old Testament masked in an issue of The Economist, ranks up there as one of the best dryly funny, character-defining moments around.