His Take/Her Take: Duplicity
Posted March 20, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Worth the price of admission, or a waste of time? Brian McKechnie and Suzanne Ellis offer you their take on the latest movies hitting screens. Read their reviews every Friday, exclusively on CityNews.ca.
Let Brian and Suzanne know what you think of His Take/Her Take via email at brian.mckechnie@citynews.ca or suzanne.ellis@citynews.ca .
DUPLICITY
Rated PG-13
Cast: Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti, Tom Wilkinson
Directed by: Tony Gilroy
Official Site IMDb
An ex-CIA agent (Roberts) and an ex-MI6 agent (Owen) combine their knowledge to scam two large corporations.
Brian’s Take
** out of 5 stars
A movie like Duplicity sounds promising in premise – two ex secret agents hook up to con two large feuding companies. Unfortunately it falls completely flat in its execution and is a second-rate attempt at a romantic comedy/espionage film. When you consider this is writer/director Tony Gilroy’s follow-up to the brilliant Michael Clayton and this is the same man who wrote the screenplay for The Bourne Identity (and the two Bourne sequels) it’s a really big letdown.
I’m not the biggest fan of Julia Roberts and I tend to avoid her movies at all cost. It’s her laugh. Like fingernails on a chalkboard it eats my soul and makes my head explode. With the exception of four films – Pretty Woman, Sleeping With The Enemy, Mystic Pizza and Closer – I can’t recommend any other film she’s been in. Clive Owen on the other hand has never let me down. Even at his worst he’s amazing and fun to watch. Surprisingly they seem to balance each other out. Neither of them are spectacular or annoying – they actually look bored sometimes like this is just another job. The supporting cast of Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson is completely wasted. Other than a great moment between them in the opening credits they never get to show their seasoned acting chops.
I could enjoy Duplicity on a Sunday afternoon from the comfort of my couch. It’s definitely not a movie worth going to the theatre for on a Friday night.
Suzanne’s Take
*** out of 5 stars
“You’re gaming me!?” an incredulous Clive Owen asks a smug Julia Roberts in a memorable scene from Duplicity. Truthfully we, the audience, have no idea. But that’s the fun of Tony Gilroy’s latest flick – a romantic caper that’s miles away from his last film, the Oscar-nominated Michael Clayton, in terms of tone, but one that shows his formidable talents both as a writer and a director.
Owen and Roberts had great chemistry in Mike Nichols’s Closer, and that spark is evident again here. Their characters are both experts at deception and you never really know who has the upper hand. At one instant you’re certain it’s ex-CIA agent Claire (Roberts), who now works counter-intelligence for a major personal care products company, but then Ray (Owen), a former MI6 agent who’s taken a job with her company’s chief rival, comes out swinging.
The film flips back and forth in time, which makes for some confusion, but that’s all part of the puzzle. We’re made to think that Claire and Ray are working together to scheme the corporations they work for out of tens of millions of dollars. But can they really trust each other to get the job done?
A film like this could’ve easily fallen into a formula, but it doesn’t. It’s full of surprises, twists, and a ton of laughs. I will forgive a lot in a film if it has a good script, and this one was packed with great lines. I was sad to see Paul Giamatti had a rather thankless role, and Tom Wilkinson was completely wasted. These actors are both top notch, give them some screen time! I suppose though next to Oscar-winner Roberts, and Owen, who looks in every scene as though he’s stepped from a Lancome ad, there’s just not enough room for supporting players, no matter how talented.
If you’re looking for a fun flick that simply exists to entertain, Duplicity is a solid choice. Trust me on this one.
ALSO OPENING THIS WEEK: Polytechnique, Knowing, 12, The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins
Top image: Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Courtesy Universal Pictures.
Middle image: Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson. Courtesy Universal Pictures.
