Sunday, August 30, 2009

Movie Review "Duplicity"

"Duplicity," with Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, and Paul Giamatti

Duplicity is a good movie. It is. But it's main problem is that almost nothing in it makes sense. It constantly switches tracks so fast you're going to be confused. Usually it means going back in time to show something in the past (oddly, every time it happens it's almost exactly the same as the time before it). The plot is easy to learn, but hard to master. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen work for two rival companies (think much more eccentric versions of Microsoft and Apple), but they're also working together to find a new product one of the companies is making and create it before they do, or something. The product, once you figure out what it is, is so stupid that you'll go into hysterics. But the movie ends abruptly right after the main climax. They spend almost the entire time arguing and running around and having sex. Just like a married couple. Except that there are some problems with the movie other than that, too. The main one is Julia Roberts.


It's not her, exactly, but she's loaded so much Botox into herself that her mouth and boobs look like someone inflated them with a balloon. She tries so hard to look 10 years younger that she actually looks older. I'm not a big makeup expert. I'm just saying that she looks ridiculous. The first time you see her, in a "past" moment, you will say "What the HELL is up with her?" That's what I did. Clive Owen does a good enough job, he's cool, and he actually does the best job. Paul Giamatti is Paul Giamatti, with his typical sarcastic nasal voice and personality (if you've seen anything with him in it, you know what I mean). But he did a good job too, actually, he's in the opening credits, and the opening credits is actually the best part of the movie. Which isn't bad, because the rest of the movie is good. I may make no sense, but you will like it. Or if you don't, you can get a good laugh out of Julia Roberts' botched Botox job.

Score: 7/10

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