Disturbing, Hard to watch but Truthful.

Rating: 10/10 (24 August 2005)

SPOILER
This movie is not for everyone, and i applaud Mike Nichols for having the guts to put this extraordinary movie out there. The story is simple, Dan (Law) a mediocre writer, goes to Anna (Roberts) to get a photo taken. Dan seems to know all the right things to say even though Anna keeps writing him off and from the start it is clear that for him this is love at first sight. Alice(Portman) is Dan's stripper girlfriend who saw Dan kiss Anna though he dosn't know. We are introduced to Larry (Owen) a dermatologist, in a on-line sex chat with a supposed women (in reality it is Dan's little joke.) who sets up a date with him. He includes things about Anna as a way to find "her" at the aquarium. Well Anna is really there and this leads to a very embarrassing situation. Some time later and Larry and Anna are married, and when Anna comes out with her affair with Dan to him this is where the movie starts.
Jude Law is the perfect example of what i call a great actor, he was good as the heartbroken, lovesick Dan and he could not have done any better, he seems to be so pure in this movie but he is out shined by the two supporting actors.
Julia Roberts falls flat. she just has no charm, no intensity, she seems bland. Jude Law outshone her in all there scenes, and i can only imagine how great it would have been if Cate Blanchett had done it.
Natalie Portman is amazing. She is funny, cruel, cold, vulnerable all in one role. She does not impress me till (in my opinion) the best scene in the movie. Where Larry goes into the strip bar and she is there. She is so calm and cold as he pours his heart out to her, as she says "Lying the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off, but it's better if you do." Her facial expressions are outstanding.
Clive Owen is what i call a brilliant actor. He could carry this whole character by the emotions that are shone through his eyes, but no thats not enough, he throws in some smoldering presence, a forceful voice, an intensity that is not usually found in most actors. He feels every line and while you know you should hate him in the scene where he is forcing Anna to tell him how she slept with Dan in very graphic detail, you can't help but feel sorry for him, you can feel his pain. It is funny that the films two most powerful and the most emotional have him in it. Him and Natalie Portman have amazing chemistry and are by far the best performances in the film. He blazes on the screen and leaves an impression like an uncovered light bulb.
In a summary, this film wile make you cry, make you want to throw up, make you realize the parallels in your own life. It brutalizes you with truth and leaves you scratched and bleeding when you leave.