Release Date:
Friday, March 20, 2009
Directed by: Tony Gilroy
The Skinny: A former MI-6 operative-turned-corporate spy (Clive Owen) and a former CIA agent-turned-corporate spy (Julia Roberts) mix business with pleasure and spend a great deal of time romancing, scheming, and, of course, distrusting one another.
The Good: Director/writer Gilroy also penned the Bourne movies, so he's adept at twisty, back-stabby plots. Duplicity is, for lack of a better term, a spy rom-com that, unlike the similar Mr. and Mrs. Smith relies on whip-smart banter and verbal duels rather than straight up domestic violence. Owen and Roberts are a great matchin fact, we can't recall ever enjoying a Roberts performance as much as we did this one. She seems looser, more relaxed, like she's stopped trying to convince anyone she's a "serious actress." The movie moves at a brisk pace, and has some genuinely funny moments.
The Bad: The "big reveal" midway through is played a little too seriously, so it may elicit some chuckles from the audience when characters keep repeating well, we won't spoil it, but suffice to say once the "mystery product" is unveiled, some of the ensuing dialogue gets a little silly. Other than that, we would have liked to have seen more of Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti as dueling CEOs. But, of course, they do good work with the limited time they're given.
We're Confused: So this is a movie not based on a graphic novel, not about teenagers, and featuring smart adults doing adult things? And it isn't a foreign film? Wow
Theater, DVD, or TNT in five years? This is a great slice of entertainment that you don't have to geek out over to enjoy. So enjoy.
The Skinny: A former MI-6 operative-turned-corporate spy (Clive Owen) and a former CIA agent-turned-corporate spy (Julia Roberts) mix business with pleasure and spend a great deal of time romancing, scheming, and, of course, distrusting one another.
The Good: Director/writer Gilroy also penned the Bourne movies, so he's adept at twisty, back-stabby plots. Duplicity is, for lack of a better term, a spy rom-com that, unlike the similar Mr. and Mrs. Smith relies on whip-smart banter and verbal duels rather than straight up domestic violence. Owen and Roberts are a great matchin fact, we can't recall ever enjoying a Roberts performance as much as we did this one. She seems looser, more relaxed, like she's stopped trying to convince anyone she's a "serious actress." The movie moves at a brisk pace, and has some genuinely funny moments.
The Bad: The "big reveal" midway through is played a little too seriously, so it may elicit some chuckles from the audience when characters keep repeating well, we won't spoil it, but suffice to say once the "mystery product" is unveiled, some of the ensuing dialogue gets a little silly. Other than that, we would have liked to have seen more of Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti as dueling CEOs. But, of course, they do good work with the limited time they're given.
We're Confused: So this is a movie not based on a graphic novel, not about teenagers, and featuring smart adults doing adult things? And it isn't a foreign film? Wow
Theater, DVD, or TNT in five years? This is a great slice of entertainment that you don't have to geek out over to enjoy. So enjoy.