Is it just me? We get it, it's a competitive dance world and it can drive you mad.

Rating: 1/10 (11 January 2011)

Thumbs down. I've compared this movie to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, that is if Mr. Hyde went M.I.A. It was self-indulgent, over-rated and for my money, a waste of time. Sure, Natalie Portman deserves credit for losing 20 pounds and learning some dance moves, but, her acting was flat. Most of the film she played Nina as the Naive, frustrated woman the role required. However, where was the redemptive aggression of the Black Swan? That would have been an action challenge! It was reduced to a few scenes at the end. Wasn't that the whole point of the film? It felt like, "OK, we're almost out of money so let's wrap this up." And don't try to label the movie sophisticated or artsy. Please!!!! There's no more sophistication here than a skin-flick on Cinemax. Just because Nina grows wings on stage and her eyes turn red does not make an art-house masterpiece. And the tired lesbian scene is so gratuitous and, frankly, offensive. Yep, another gay predator trying to take the good straight girl to the dark side. I believe this story could have been told beautifully. And not all of it is bad. The music was good and some of the dance scenes were believable. I also liked the camera-work. But, somehow - let's blame the screenwriter and the director - it all turns into a boring cliché': resentful mother pushing her daughter to the brink, lesbian sex-scene, the older man/younger women love triangle, etc. Can anyone tell an original story anymore? Boring! As for Portman, she will win the Oscar for "Black Swan," however, she should have won it for "Closer."