The play plays well.

Rating: 8/10 (3 December 2005)

The twists and turns of coincidence and rivalry are Shakespearean. The acting is superb. The cast is an intriguing mixture of British masculinity and American femininity. As the final credits turned, I was stunned at my own lack of awareness during the film that it was indeed a cast of four, performing a well written play, based in excellent dialog. The play indeed plays well in the movie. I was particularly entertained by the unusual nature of parts played by Natalie Portman and Jude Law. She uncharacteristically plays a sex worker of sorts. He uncharacteristically plays a neurotic underachiever. Their chemistry and dissonance is well done. And who doesn't like to watch Julia Roberts and/or Clive Owen being sexually tortured and/or torturing? Something for everyone there. My only negative criticism is that some of the plot devices bringing them all together seemed a bit arcane, despite being gussied up in sexy gear.