So much hype, so little punch

Rating: 3/10 (6 June 2011)

I could feel this movie straining to not suck, but the struggle was futile. The back of the Blu-Ray describes it as a psycho-sexual thriller. It wasn't sexy, thrilling or psychological.
Natalie Portman was as mediocre as anything I've seen her in, and Barbara Hershey's character was truly one-dimensional. Mila Kunis gives the best performance in the film; my favorite moment was when she asked "Was I Good?".
Despite the plodding pace, there really wasn't enough character development. If the movie could just have genuinely, and succinctly, made me appreciate the non-life Nina was living, and built more palpable tension into the relationship with Erica, it would have been far better. Of course, it still would have needed to deliver a more powerful finish to capitalize on that tension.
I wondered if ballet fans might have seen value I failed to, but some of the other reviews seem to indicate the reverse.
All that said, once I got to the half-way point, it had JUST enough of my interest for me to watch the rest. That's why I gave it 3, instead of a 1.