Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual content.
Directed by Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
Starring Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti
Todd’s Word: Duplicity is the epitome of shallow…really pretty on the surface, but absolutely no substance.
Jonathan’s Word: Nicely said. Now my turn. Duplicity sucks!
Todd’s Word: Julia Roberts and Clive Owen reunite for Oscar-nominated director Tony Gilroy's drama tracing the illicit love affair between two spies-turned-corporate operatives. The Cold War has thawed, and CIA agents are seeking to make easy money in multinational corporations. CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and MI6 operative Ray Koval (Owen) are both racing to secure the formula for a product that will bring untold wealth to the company that lands the patent first. As the stakes begin to rise, their passions start to flare. Meanwhile, their mutual employers, industry giant Howerd Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and trailblazing CEO Dick Garsil (Paul Giamatti) start resorting to some seriously underhanded tactics in hope of gaining an advantage over the competition. Loners by definition of their own careers, Claire and Ray engage in a series of schemes and double-crosses while contending with the fact that their mutual attraction could ultimately jeopardize their entire missions.
Jonathan’s Word: It sounds like it would be a good film: spies, Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti. It has all the ingredients for success.
Todd’s Word: I keep waiting for a movie that makes me a fan of Julia Roberts and I keep waiting for Clive Owen to make another good movie (his last good one was 2006’s Inside Man). I was hoping this would be it. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
Jonathan’s Word: I was bored six minutes into it. Twenty minutes into it I looked at my wife and said, “There is nothing interesting about this film at ALL!”
Todd’s Word: Tony Gilroy is an acclaimed director…
Jonathan’s Word: Hold on there… he’s only directed Michael Clayton. Not bad. I would call him an acclaimed writer, but even his writing is hit and miss. He did the Bourne movie trilogy. The first was great… the other two were progressively worse. His other films are debatable.
Todd’s Word: Okay. But Julia Roberts and Clive Owen are some of Hollywood’s biggest names (and pretties faces – well at least that’s what the magazines say). But even with their star power, good looks and a big budget, the movie is painfully slow and the plot isn’t interesting enough to be confusing. After the first hour I had no idea what was happening and honestly…I didn’t care.
Jonathan’s Word: I agree 100 percent. The film truly is rated ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Todd’s Word: I will say that it is well-acted, quirky at times and each scene is beautifully shot. I just wish they treated the story with such care. Instead it is painfully dull and I can’t help but say…Skip it.
Jonathan’s Word: I agree. Skip it.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No, first of all because they’ll be bored to death. And It’s rated PG-13 for language and some sexual content. That about sums it up.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
