Part spy caper, part romantic comedy, Duplicity is one of the smartest and most satisfying movies I’ve seen in a long time. Sure, it’s rather lightweight, but I really can’t find a thing wrong with this film. Writer/director Tony Gilroy, who penned the Bourne trilogy and helmed the acclaimed Michael Clayton, has emerged as one of the brightest new talents in Hollywood today.
It doesn’t hurt that he has Julia Roberts and Clive Owen as his leads. Playing spies who are twice as smart as everybody around them but half as smart as they think they are, these two have chemistry to spare (as first displayed in the very different, very dark Closer). It’s nice to see them work a different sort of magic here, alternately fighting and flirting with playful glee. I can’t remember seeing Roberts this sexy or edgy before… I’ve always found her appealing but not attractive. But in Duplicity, she’s on fire. And Owen… let’s just say I sympathize with Stephen Colbert, who listed Clive Owen as one of the primary forces conspiring to turn him gay.
I don’t want to give away any plot details. It’s not that the film is twisty in the Usual Suspects or Sixth Sense sort of way, but much of its charm comes wrapped in unexpected little surprises. Gilroy has constructed a clever narrative that hopscotches through time and location in a way that reminds me of Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight.
With the help of Roberts and Owen (not to mention a strong supporting cast highlighted by Tom Wilkinson and Pual Giamatti), Gilroy has crafted a blend of satire, suspense and sexual tension that fires on every cylinder.
Meet Me In Montauk 
I am so excited about this film, we plan to see it on Saturday in Burlington. NY Times gave it the best review I’ve read in years! It’s great to see that you agree. Now rent Micahel Clayton!
I’ve been on the fence about this one – despite the great cast – because I wasn’t sure if the commercials were doing it justice or if what they’re showing was all there would be to it. I’m glad to know that it’s worth seeing. Thanks, in advance, for the good review.
On a separate matter, do I understand correctly that you haven’t seen “Michael Clayton”??? I won’t lie, it moved a little slow in parts, but overall it was great and shouldn’t be missed by a film aficianado such as yourself! Listen to your mother and get thee to thy Netflix queue! 🙂
I’m looking forward to this one, but I have no regrets that this past weekend we opted for I Love You, Man. Paul Rudd should win an Oscar for his telephone chats alone.
Paul Rudd, my other celebrity boyfriend. We’re planning to see that one next week.
Well, we saw it last night, and while I share your enthusiasm for Clive and Julia, I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed.
Without getting into spoilers, I’ll simply say that I found the ending unsatisfying, that I wanted at least one more scene with Tom Wilkinson, and that I think this film is no Out of Sight, despite their shared time tripping tendencies.
Still, I do want to point out how brilliant James Newton Howard’s score was. The opening scene – set to that fabulous score – will go down as one of my favorite of the year, though I doubt the film will be much higher than the middle of the pack by year’s end.
I don’t think the film is Out of Sight either, but I did love it. I agree more Tom Wilkinson would have been good (though that’s usually the case in any movie featuring Tom Wilkinson).
We saw it yesterday and I’m with Amy in general. Julia and Clive have great chemistry, but I, too, found the ending a little disappointing. I also thought Tom Wilkinson was under-utilized. I expected a lot more after that fantastic opening sequence (which was hilarious!). Actually, the music and the way it was filmed reminded me a bit of the Ocean’s franchise.
I knew Tony Gilroy’s name going into this one, but I didn’t realize he had such a diverse portfolio. The Cutting Edge??? I loved that in the early 90s but would never have guessed that the guy who wrote that went on to pen screenplays for the Bourne franchise AND Michael Clayton. I mean, can you get any different? Interesting.
Anyway, I enjoyed Duplicity, but wasn’t as satisfied as I hoped to be. I’d give it a 7.5 or 8… 🙂
He wrote The Cutting Edge? Wow. I loved that movie 🙂 D.B. Sweeney was tooooo cute. I’m with Kerrie on the rating, though I might go as low as 7.
Off to YouTube scenes of ice skating…
The Cutting Edge? Oh my, I’ve lost all respect for the man!
A 7 or 8 seems about right to me but I guess I’m using a different scale than you two. That translates to a 3 or 3 1/2 star review. Out of Sight is a 10.
The Cutting Edge… maybe a 5. 😉
The Cutting Edge is a guilty pleasure movie; they defy all traditional scales 😉
Also, in my estimation, a 7 out of 10 is the equivalent of 70% (teacher math here :), so I’ve passing Duplicity – but just.
We saw the movie yesterday, and I thought it was wonderful. Everything worked for me including the ending. I must say that they do make Cleveland look so dismal, but one of the funniest scenes came from there (pizza and underwear). It’s my first movie to rate in 2009 and I give it a 91/2 because it’s no Michael Clayton!