Most Excellent Surprise

Rating: 10/10 (24 December 2005)

Being partial to "talky dramas", I wondered why I had somehow missed this one (on Broadway as well a few years back). Perhaps I balked on the film as I was not, frankly, not a major Julia Roberts fan (although quite intrigued by the talented male leads). Gave this a try tonite and, to my delight, totally engrossed. And surely this the following statement is represents the view of a tiny minority --- Julia Roberts has never been better. Nuanced, real, adult, bravo Ms. Roberts!
Mike Nichols directing shall we say a new Millennium spin-off of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", all these years later, and exquisitely well. One of the rare post-age 60 directors in film history to still have that touch (rival Clint Eastwood another).
Jude Law and Clive Owen delivered what I had hoped for, three dimensional portrayals of real people. They are among my favorite performers (the latter would have been a swell James Bond). Natalie Portman really good, filling-out a quartet that merits lots of praise.
With all the absurd remakes crowding the screen, the one-note violence and puerile humor, the absurdly bloated "tentpoles" crowding the screen, how refreshing, how grand to see a film about four well fleshed out characters, flawed, annoying, sympathetic, foolish ... I rate this a 9 of 10.