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Duplicity
Directed by: Tony Gilroy Starring: Clive Owen Genre: Drama/Comedy/ Romance Run Time: 125 min. Release Date: March 2009 On The Web: Official Site Teaser: Movie Trailer Reviewed by Byron Merritt |
A confusing yet entertaining romantic spy flick, DUPLICITY tries too hard to be witty but fails due to some forced dialogue and an aging Julia Roberts (CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR) who doesn’t steam up the screen with hunk-meister Clive Owen (CHILDREN OF MEN). The two seem to try and channel Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell from HIS GIRL FRIDAY or perhaps William Powell and Irene Bullock from MY MAN GODFREY. But neither comparison is needed nor deserved. Those two older classics stand head and shoulders above Duplicity because of their more natural flowing – and straightforward – story and dialogue. Corporate espionage is nothing new, nor is having the opposite sex bantering back and forth while falling for one another. So, in this respect, Duplicity offers nothing new to grab hold of. It does, however, have the occasional funny pun, mostly thanks to the acting chops of Owen and Roberts but not due to the circumstances surrounding the story (which is not just confusing but impossible and strung out). Tom Wilkinson (THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE) shows he’s still got "it" even though his role in this film is short-lived. He doesn’t have much screen time but what time he does have proves why he’s such a talent. His cut-throat corporate nature oozes off the screen. Paul Giamatti (SHOOT ‘EM UP) stars as Wilkinson’s counterpart and equal bad-boy CEO who will stop at nothing to have the latest and greatest secret out there. The two only appear once together during a tough musical montage on the tarmac, looking like their ready to tear each others intestines out. The romance is befuddling between Owen’s and Roberts’ characters, as neither has much of a spark for the other and seems only interested in appeasing corporate and self greed. In this respect, they seem more suited for a lonely rise up the corporate ladder rather than having steamy sex in hotels and apartments. The one thing the two of them do have (occasionally) is some interesting dialogue where they try to figure out if each of them is playing the other. But that’s about it. The film locations in New York’s West Village and Rome Italy is tantalizing but doesn’t offer up much substance when compared with the rest of the film. It is interesting to see Owen and Roberts together again after their exciting tryst in the movie CLOSER, but if you’re looking for something comparable, you won’t find it here.
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Image from Duplicity
DVD cost: $20.33 Purchase: Tower.com Blu-Ray Film Review Stew Favorite? No. Stew Poo-Poo? No. Newsworthy: Writer-director Tony Gilroy named Julia Roberts' character "Stenwick" as a tribute to the classic-era movie actress Barbara Stanwyck. Movie Quote: "I think about you all the time. I think about you even when you're with me. I look at you, I can't stop looking at you. I look at you, and I think, "That woman... That woman knows who I am and loves me anyway."
Other Actors/Actresses from Duplicity
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Images from Duplicity
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