DUPLICITY
RYAN: Two bankable Hollywood A-listers, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, re-team for the new corporate espionage flick, “Duplicity.”
CAROLINE: I had such high hopes for this movie, especially given how much I love Clive. I can kinda give or take Julia these days though. Her superstardom has transcended my ability to believe her as a character. They were great together in “Closer,” but I didn’t like them as much in this.
RYAN: They had some chemistry, and some quick, witty banter in a few scenes, but overall the movie is boring and way too long. It’s also very confusing, which isn’t usually a problem for me. I never knew where were in time.
CAROLINE: I had no idea what was going on from the very beginning. Glad I wasn’t the only one. I was bored too. I yawned and even dozed a couple times. I couldn’t follow the movie at all, and as a result, I found myself not caring, and I’m sad about that. I really wanted to love this.
RYAN: The director, Tony Gilroy, uses a very unique device to do flashbacks, which I’d never seen before in a movie, but it never made sense. I never knew if we were back in present time or what was going on. It threw the whole equilibrium of the film off.
CAROLINE: I couldn’t tell what the characters were after, who was working with whom, who was working against whom, etc. There were a couple of great scenes that had me on the edge of my seat, which I loved, but they were few and far between.
RYAN: I will say, however, that Julia Roberts has never looked better. I don’t think she’s had any plastic surgery.
CAROLINE: If she has, it’s flawless. She must have gone to the polar opposite of Nicole Kidman’s plastic surgeon.
RYAN: This is written and directed by the same guy who did “Michael Clayton,” and he’s known for his powerhouse endings; but I was totally underwhelmed by this movie’s ending.
CAROLINE: I didn’t mind it, but I’m disappointed overall. The cast is great though; Denis O’Hare, Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti are in it too. But it just didn’t mesh.
–BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: It’s a disappointment. Definitely go in with low expectations. I enjoyed the cast, of course, though I agree that it’s hard to separate Julia Roberts from the roles she’s playing. Frankly, this movie’s a waste of time.
CAROLINE: Ouch. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but it’s definitely not great. I’d be hard pressed to say to someone, “You’ve got to go out and see this movie.” If you love these actors, you might want to, and Clive Owen is gorgeous as always. But be prepared to be confused and a little bored.
— RATING —
