Despressing but fascinating

Rating: 8/10 (28 July 2010)

Grim look at two relationships and how they interact and change over the course of a few years. There's Dan (Jude Law) who seems to love young Alice (Natalie Portman). He also seems to love Anna (Julia Roberts) but she ends up with Larry (Clive Owen).
A lot of people seem to hate this film a lot...probably because it's way too realistic. It's grim and has no comedy or light moments at all. The entire cast consists of those four actors--there's no small supporting roles at all. It was (pretty obviously) based on a play and sometimes sounds like a play. Some of the characters make speeches instead of talking to each other. Still I love this film. It's beautifully directed and has some very sharp but truthful observations about love, life and relationships. Almost the entire cast is excellent. Owen and Portman are easily the best actors here. Every line they say rings true. They also share a VERY sexually explicit (in terms of dialogue) sequence that is painful to watch but necessary for the film. Law is just OK in his role. He's not bad but he's not up to Owen and Portman. Roberts unfortunately is pretty terrible. She always has this blank look on her face and is unemotional to a ridiculous degree. Still, her aside, I recommend this film and find it one of the most truthful films I've ever seen on relationships. However be warned--it has VERY sexually graphic dialogue and is not a fun film to watch.