A film about deep and meaningful conversations ends up being shallow and meaningless

Rating: 1/10 (9 September 2008)

I avoided this film like the plague when it came out; I hate films built around pretty actors. A combination of good reviews on this site and recommendations from a few friends changed my mind however and I watched it last night.
First the positives. The director showed enormous restraint by not showing any sex scenes in a film which is almost entirely about sex. Having said that he does strip Natalie Portman to a G-string at one point in one of the most gratuitous bits of on screen pornography that I've seen in a long time.
My main complaint about this film is that you are never given a chance to like any of the characters. We see almost nothing of their lives beyond the confines of their relationships. It's a huge mistake not to introduce the characters in a film like this because without feeling anything for them you just never really engage with the story. At no point was I ever really convinced that any of them were in love. Compare this to a great film I just saw, Mike Leigh's Happy-go-lucky, which contained one of the briefest, most understated, convincing scenes of two people falling for each other that I've ever seen.
In the end my worst fears were confirmed. This is just a soulless vehicle for four pretty people.