Love has never been more painful.

Rating: 9/10 (11 August 2005)

I'd read only three positive reviews before I saw this movie,and I still don't understand why people hated it.Okay,the language is quite explicit,and it may be shocking to hear it from actors we don't expect to be foul-mouthed in movies(I don't think anyone would have complained about the profanity if Joe Pesci had been in the film),but when you're dealing with such subjects as love,sex and couples being destroyed,and you really want to show their pain or,as in the case of Clive Owen's character,their determination to win the war,sometimes colorful language is necessary.
A part from that,this movie is really heartbreaking,as director Mike Nichols (an expert in odd relationship-dramas)and screenwriter Patrick Marber,who also wrote the play this movie is based on,narrate a "war" between two couples,who are determined to obtain what they want,no matter what sacrifices might be necessary.Marber's dialogue is gripping and believable,and it does actually provide some laughs (the highlight is the on line-sex between Jude Law and Clive Owen),although the movie is actually a great tragedy.The script is also complex,as it moves from month to month and year to year and almost never fills the gaps(you have to listen to the characters in order to understand what happened).
As for the actors,Jude Law and Julia Roberts are very good,but they're hugely overshadowed by Natalie Portman,who is really impressive as a stripper who actually only wants to be loved,and Clive Owen,quite simply OUTSTANDING as merciless dermatologist Larry.Not even his portrayal of Dwight McCarthy (from Sin City) can match the energy,passion and rage(or brutality)he displays in this incredibly compelling film,strangely overlooked by some critics and by the Academy.
This movie is one of the best of 2004 and also an excellent choice for those who don't like big-budget,effects-heavy films.
Not recommended if you believe in happy endings.