Vicky Cristina Barcelona *** ½ - Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexuality and smoking; starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson; directed by Woody Allen; opening Friday at the University 8 in Carbondale.

At this point in his career, it's practically impossible to separate Woody Allen the artist from Woody Allen the Guy Who Can Convince Really Big Movie Stars to Appear in His Little Films.

Years ago, you could argue that Allen's fussy and singular big-screen vision was the key to his success. Now his greatest talent seems to have become the ability to parlay his reputation (which, incidentally, ebbs and flows like an uncommonly high tide) into an almost unheard amount of creative freedom. He's able to talk A-list stars into appearing in his films practically sight unread.

Such casting prowess is a key to the success of Allen's latest film, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," which he wrote and directed. This funny yet surly ensemble piece, featuring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson in a wacky-shaped love triangle, is a well-crafted and prickly platform for Allen to muse on the vagaries and complications of love.

Though the film is filled with some of the quirks and affectations that drive some anti-Allen folks bonkers (including a chatty narrator who keeps popping up and various characters madly spending money without any visible means of support), this latest Allen outing has a restrained, even simplistic, structure that relies on the chemistry of its talented performers rather than melodramatic gimmicks.

Two best friends travel from New York to Barcelona to spend the summer. Cristina (a fiery Johansson), with a bit of a wild streak, is anxious to stretch the rules and thumb her nose at conformity. Vicky (a compelling Rebecca Hall), studious and careful, already has a meticulous plan for her life, which includes marriage to her amiable and boring boyfriend (Chris Messina).

When they meet a carefree artist, a charismatic guy named Juan Antonio (a wonderfully low-key Bardem), both Vicky and Cristina are deeply attracted to him. But for Vicky, who can't fathom a life of disorder, acting on that attraction would require a much greater disruption to her life.

Complicating matters further is Juan's unbalanced ex-wife (Cruz, just the right amount of crazy), who has a habit of popping up in his life at the most inopportune moments.

While the story line has a certain predictability to it, Allen is able to instill in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" a fresh, fierce sense of uniqueness. It's the sense that a cliche only holds until it happens to you. When a troubled heart does ache, it doesn't matter if untold numbers of people have suffered the same doubts about a relationship or life path - when you're in the middle of the situation yourself, it can't help but feel raw and real. Allen isn't always able to connect on such a universal level in his films, especially when he sets them in his rarefied and self-absorbed world of New York City. This time he's successful.

And though Allen could be considered in this film to be something of a pessimist about affairs of the heart - Cruz's character likes to say that only unfulfilled love can be truly romantic - he isn't dour about it.

It certainly helps that his top-notch cast is so warm and adept when it comes to capturing the darker shadings of love.