Love is war

Rating: 9/10 (13 July 2007)

The first time I watched this, I didn't think it was amazing, but the second time I watched it, it blew me away. It's a deeply layered character study from the director of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (another excellent character study). It plays like a play, which makes sense, because it's based on a play.
The acting was amazing (although I'm surprised Jude Law and Julia Roberts weren't recognized...I'm glad Natalie Portman was, as she was probably the strongest actor, but Clive Owen I felt was the weakest, although he was convincing).
I can see why some people may not like it, as the plot consists of its main characters deceiving each other and selfishly destroying each other's lives. Some experience karma, others don't. It's very realistic and the emotions are high and raw. There are many reversals - every character experiences what the others experience at different points. The characters are very flawed, complex, self-contradictory, and very human. There are many themes - truth, betrayal, deception, guilt, love, forgiveness, the horrible things we do for love, the tremulous nature of love, etc.
The screenplay doesn't insult the viewer. The dialogue is fantastic - almost every line is a double entendre. It's a moving, funny, beautiful, heartbreaking experience, if you're willing to sit through the graphic sexual dialogue. It may take repeated viewings to capture every bit of dialogue, every emotion portrayed on screen, every subtle nuance, every reversal, every metaphor...I don't really have a good ending to this review, so just watch it.