Be true to yourself

Rating: 8/10 (6 December 2008)

I think the big thing this film portrays is the word "Sacrfice" (i think i read that somewhere in tag lines etc.). For those of you that want to side with one character, it is somewhat difficult because each character has their flaws but definitely Clive owen and Natalie portman's is the easiest to side with and her lines really portray what love is all about. Its not about saying "i love you" it also takes sacrifice even in situations when you don't want to. Best analogy is it's all about give and take. If you give to much the other person gets smothered while you are left unsatisfied. If you take too much you are seen as selfish and the other person feels unloved and abused.
In terms of Natalie portman her flaw throughout the movie was pretending to be someone shes not instead of being true with Jude law strait up. Her good points though, as stated, is she truly does know what love is all about. As Clive Owen said, she may be young but is definitely deceitful (meaning more mature and older for her age). At the end of the movie she learns the lesson that she should have been honest with Jude and also should have been true to herself (she knew he was cheating but choose to ignore it).
Jude law's flaw on the other hand was believing in love at first sight without really looking at what matters: the inside. If you think about it, he loved Natalie portman first off but later saw Julia Roberts and immediately fell in love with her to the point where he was willing to risk someone who actually cared for him because he thought it would be better. Later as he is with Julia he lies to himself to believe that she would never cheat on him (even though she already did so with Clive Owen) but eventually his love begins to fade. Jude laws character is interesting because he is conflicted by his own nature. In the end he learns that he was deceived by both women (Julia never truly loved him as much as Natalie, yet Natalie deceived him by being someone else). The lesson he learns is sometimes its better to have one in the hand then none at all as well as the phrase "love is blind"
Julia Roberts character flaw was not taking a stance and choosing to give up a good marriage for something that she felt. She essentially lied herself into loving Clive Owen initially instead of just "getting it out of her system" with Jude law. Of course she didn't want to disturb Natalie portman, but again that's Jude's fault for convincing her to believe it would be OK. For her, she should have took a stance against getting with Jude law for her marriage sake and for Natalie's sake. At the end though she learns to take a stance and becomes the bigger person and goes back to Clive Owen to retry her marriage satisfied.
Clive Owen's character i found really no flaw. He's the rule of "for every action there's a reaction". He loved Julia, saw something in Natalie portman but was willing not to do anything to disturb his marriage. It's only later that he actually has sex with Natalie but only because Julia's actions (plus they were already separated).
Basically in a breakdown of sacrifice, Jude's sacrifice was to not give into his emotions but love Natalie portman regardless because she gave love. Natalie's sacrifice was to be herself even if people may not like who she was rather than living a lie with someone who gave no love. Julia's sacrifice was to preserve her marriage at all cost rather than gamble with someone who truly loved her. Clive's sacrifice (which he did correctly) was to try to repair his relationship even at the expense of never having something he wanted:Natalie portman.
Overall the movie is about being true to yourself. Don't stick in a relationship if your not sure. Don't love someone who loves someone else. Many of the characters don't want to tell the truth but the truth will eventually be revealed. Be truthful to a person but don't let it get to the point where someone will be hurt. If your gonna do something, break it off initially, don't wait. Most of all, for every action you take in love, think about what future consequences may be.
"Love can be right or wrong"-Bread "Make it with you"