Woody Allen’s latest is rather good: it features his usual concerns with love and sex, but they are translated to the city of Gaudí, a fair number of whose works we see. Allen himself does not star, which is usually a good sign at this late stage of his career — he doesn’t even do the voice-over. Two young American women, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johanssen) go to Spain for a long holiday, and within days have been hit upon, simultaneously, by a smoulderingly sexy painter, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). Their reactions indicate how different two women are, as neatly indicated by the brunette/blonde division: Vicky, relatively conservative and about to be married, is horrified by Juan Antonio’s proposal; Cristina is an artier, more romantic free spirit, and she’s intrigued. As it happens, Juan Antonio also has a demented ex-wife to deal with — that’s Penélope Cruz, giving a sterling performance. All the cast members do fine work, though; look out for Patricia Clarkson in a small but telling role. The story, given a novelistic narration, is engaging and amusing despite a slightly weak ending, and looks good too.