Vanilla Sky (2001)

CinemaScore audiences gave Vanilla Sky a D minus, which is a crowd handing back the test with a frown. Fair, mostly. Cameron Crowe takes a genuinely creepy idea and buries it under a giant mixtape, a pile of dream fake-outs and a lot of Tom Cruise staring into mirrors. Cruise is committed and strange as David, a rich guy who’s never heard the word no until one bad decision flips his whole life. Penélope Cruz is lovely and underwritten. Cameron Diaz is the jolt of real danger early on, and she’s the most alive person on screen. Kurt Russell keeps the interview scenes grounded. Where it falls apart is the ending, which explains its own mystery in long, patient speeches, like a magician walking you through every trick after the show. It made $203.4 million worldwide on a reported $68M. A 5.0 because the ideas are wild and the movie keeps telling you about them instead of showing you. $794.12 says you catch a weirdly pretty sunset this week and quietly wonder if it’s real.

What works: Cameron Diaz’s unsettling turn and the dreamy, song-packed mood give the first hour real pull.

What doesn’t: The ending explains everything in long speeches, and the dream fake-outs pile up until nothing feels like it matters.

Who it’s for: Fans of mind-bending mysteries who don’t mind a movie that pauses to walk them through it.