THE OTHER WOMAN
CAROLINE: There’s yet another new Natalie Portman movie in town, The Other Woman, which co-stars Lisa Kudrow and this guy from Kissing Jessica Stein who I always found oddly handsome.
RYAN: This one’s only out in limited release though.
CAROLINE: Yeah, just NY and LA this weekend, but it’s also available on demand already. It’s a weird situation. Plus it was filmed two years ago, so I was thinking it might suck.
RYAN: I’m bummed I didn’t get to see it with you. Maybe I’ll check it out on demand. How was it?
CAROLINE: I was shocked at how much I liked this movie. Natalie Portman stars and also executive produced it, much like her recent movie, No Strings Attached, which was so lame.
RYAN: I liked it!
CAROLINE: Whatever. The Other Woman movie couldn’t be more different, and I seriously loved it. I don’t want to overpraise it because it’s not really a must-see on the big screen, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. It’s a very intense drama. I wept a couple of times.
RYAN: I’ve seen the trailer; isn’t there a dead baby involved? That doesn’t sound fun to me.
CAROLINE: Yes, and it’s obviously very sad. Natalie plays a girl who basically moves in on this married guy at her legal firm and they wind up getting pregnant and married. He leaves his wife, and Natalie is now step-mom to his 8-year-old son, but loses her own baby. And Nat’s BFFs are played by Lauren Ambrose and Rent‘s Anthony Rapp!
RYAN: No way! I love him. So nice to see him getting other work these days.
CAROLINE: I loved the rapport between the three friends. Even though this movie isn’t a comedy, their scenes together were so much more fun than the scenes with the friends in No Strings Attached.
RYAN: How’s Lisa Kudrow?
CAROLINE: She’s amazing as the scorned wife. She’s so angry and bitter, for obvious reasons. I found the whole movie very realistic. They didn’t sugar coat anything. Angry ex-wife, new hot, younger wife, pissed off step-son who hates his new mom, dad just trying to keep everything together. Plus it was shot in NYC so I loved seeing all the city streets and locations.
RYAN: It sounds so sad though.
CAROLINE: It has some truly devastating moments. Obviously the baby; but also the relationship drama between Natalie and her husband and how they handle their difficult circumstances. This is a really well-written movie, which isn’t a surprise, because the screenwriter, Don Roos, has written lots of other stuff like Marley & Me, Single White Female and The Opposite of Sex.
RYAN: Maybe I’d like it. It just seems a little depressing.
CAROLINE: I can’t lie; it is depressing. But maybe I was just in the mood for that when I saw it. I found the whole thing very true-to-life; like this is how real people would act in these scenarios. What’s even more shocking is how amazing Natalie Portman is! As you know, I normally don’t think much of her acting, but in this she’s so natural and great. It’s a really good role for her. I was duly impressed.
RYAN: I can’t believe my ears! We love to hate her acting abilities.
CAROLINE: Believe me, I know. I’m just as shocked as you are.
— BOTTOM LINE —
CAROLINE: This is a very intense, very adult movie and I loved every minute of it. The cast is great and it’s incredibly realistic. It’s probably not for everyone due to its subject matter, but if you can handle some intensity, I really think it’s worth your while. It’s one of the better movies I’ve seen in a while.
— RATING —
