‘Vanilla Sky’ Voted Most Confusing Movie of All Time

Christopher Nolan’s latest film, “Inception,” a name that seems to be on everyone’s lips these days as it’s poised to become the blockbuster of the summer, if not even of the year, has sparked talk about which other movies may stand next to it should anyone go ahead and comprise a list about confusing films. LoveFilm did just that, asking moviegoers to vote for their choice, Den of Geek reports.

Surprisingly, “Inception” did not make the cut but that’s not necessarily saying something about how confusing it is or not, since it’s just been released in the US, with other territories to follow. However, Nolan did make the cut with his “Memento,” while the top spot went to a remake of the Spanish original “Abre los ojos” (“Open Your Eyes”), called “Vanilla Sky” and starring heavy names like Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz.

“As Christopher Nolan’s dream burglary blockbuster causes furrowed brows in cinemas everywhere, DVD rental company LoveFilm has conducted a poll to discover what its customers believe is the most confusing movie of all time. Winning the top spot over bewildering hopefuls such as David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and The Matrix Revolutions was Cameron Crowe’s 2001 sci-fi thriller Vanilla Sky starring Tom Cruise. A remake of Spanish film Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes), Vanilla Sky wove a surreal tale of a wealthy publishing heir (Cruise) who, after a car accident leaves him horribly disfigured, begins to suffer from a series of strange hallucinations,” Den of Geek says.

“Falling in behind Vanilla Sky on the confusing films list are, in descending order: Mulholland Drive, Donnie Darko, The Matrix Revolutions, Memento, 12 Monkeys, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Revolver, and A Clockwork Orange. We can’t argue with many of the choices on the list. Classic though it is, Donnie Darko’s one of those films that actually makes less sense the more you try to rationalize it, though the inclusion of A Clockwork Orange is somewhat mystifying. Even the language is less opaque than the Nadsat argot Anthony Burgess used in the original novel,” the movie-oriented e-zine further writes.

Again, as also noted above, that “Inception” did not make the top 10 doesn’t mean that it’s not confusing or perceived as such by audiences. As esteemed film critic Roger Ebert put it in his 4-star review, giving away the ending means nothing if one doesn’t know how one got there. At the same time, trying to explain in words how one gets there is even more baffling because, above all, “Inception” is an experience, a process in progress. 

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