Strangely moving, or movingly strange?

Rating: 6/10 (11 September 2005)

For me, Clive Owen was the draw here. Without him, I think this film would have been unbearably boring. The centerpiece of the story was the rather hilarious online exchange between "Dr Larry" and the person he thinks is an insatiable nymph.
Natalie Portman held up her end of things rather well. Her character possessed an inner strength that most of the others (except Larry) failed to give her credit for. Their exchange in the strip club was fascinating and real -- an intense war of wills.
Julia Roberts really was lovely to look at, and her character had more dimension and nuance than much of her previous work.
Jude Law? His character was the self-sabotaging jerk who doesn't deserve to win anything.
Some viewers may find this film a tad confusing. The jumps in time usually move the story forward, but at times, flashbacks are put in without us knowing until much later. Some may argue that this is an artistic device. I reserve judgment.
Is this a love story? Only for some of the characters. In many cases, it's a "need" story. I think for the two who end up staying together, it is a love story, in terms of the maturity and growth that is needed to make love work and move beyond infatuation status.
If Mike Nichols had written this, I would have had to wonder "What was he thinking?" But the fact that he directed another writer's adaptation of a play gives him more credit. It's good to see that he's still active as a director.