Solid, Emotionally Intense Film

Rating: 8/10 (24 March 2005)

This movie was, in my opinion, one of the year's best films. The acting was incredible and completely engrossing. I am partial to Natalie Portman and Clive Owen, but I really dislike Julia Roberts, so I figure it balances out. The editing did exactly what it needed to, no more and no less. It was nothing to get excited about but it aided in the film's pace which is exactly what it should have done. The directing made it easy to see that this film was a stage production first. It was translated well onto celluloid, more than likely due to the fact that Mike Nichols directed both incarnations of the story. It is disheartening that the academy all but forgot about this film (despite the Supporting actor/actress categories). There is no doubt that it deserved Best Picture, Editing, and Director nominations that Ray got. The only negatives I found with this film was that it dragged in some places and fell victim to the overly emotional virus in one or two scenes. If you aren't opposed to either of these things, do yourself a favor and see this film.