British obituary writer Dan (Law) takes up in London with newly-arrived New Yorker Alice (Portman), who waits tables but then goes back to her old line of work, nude dancing. After they've lived together for three years, Dan publishes a novel that borrows liberally from Alice's life, and falls for the photographer that shoots him for the book's publicity, Anna (Roberts).
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Anna knows Dan is trouble and tries to stay away, and she meets an aggressive young doctor, Larry (Owen), who is a dermatologist. Dan inadvertantly hooks Larry and Anna up as a practical joke after the two men have had cybersex over the Internet (with Dan pretending to be Anna). Anna eventually gives in to Dan's pressure, Alice breaks up with Dan, Larry has a fling with Alice, and both men strive hard to win the women back (with varying results). This 2004 movie, directed by Mike Nichols and written by Patrick Marber based on his stage play, is intense, foul-mouthed, emotionally brutal, and a marvel of sharp acting by all four leads, especially Portman.
The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus
The movie presents two attractive couples and their various couplings over a four year period in London. Daniel and Alice meet on the street, are attracted to and fascinated with each other, and fall in love. Meanwhile, Daniel has a wandering eye and his gaze comes across photographer Anna, another beautiful American woman living in London. He pursues her obsessively, but inadvertently sets her up with a doctor who becomes her lover and ultimately her husband. But Daniel's persistence pays off, and he becomes Anna's lover even after she has married the doctor. The foursome's passions and obsessions ensure that no one is happy or settled for long.
The review of this Movie prepared by Katie
This is a story about two men who keep switching off between two women, going back and forth and back and forth between them. But the dialogue is very vulgar, with the word "fuck" or something similar appearing every 5-10 minutes or so. It's also very depressing as each character constantly betrays the other to sleep with one of the other two characters. Especially unpleasant to watch was Jude Law having cybersex with Clive Owen, although given Jude's femininity, it isn't hard to imagine him doing in real life. Natalie Portman (Hershlag) plays a stripper, but you don't get to see her nude, and, given her stick figure, there really isn't much to see. And finally the lyrics are really, really irritating--they consist of one phrase, repeated over and over and over, by some nasal folksinger.
The review of this Movie prepared by Steve
