The Other Woman Directed by: Don Roos Starring: Natalie Portman, Scott Cohen, Lisa Kudrow Rating: R Release Date: February 4, 2011
TRAILER SCORE: 7/10
MY THOUGHTS: Ya know that shameful thing that movie studios always tend to do where they've got a steamer on their hands but they wait to unload it until one of the actors or actresses hit it big? Welcome to The Other Woman, previously titled Love and Other Impossible Pursuits. Speaking as a Don Roos fan (The Opposite of Sex still being one of the only roles I can watch Christina Ricci in aside from Addams Family and Casper) I've been waiting for this one. Don Roos doesn't make a lot of movies, but every one of them has been worthwhile so far, so when I heard about The Other Woman I was intrigued. The problem is nobody else was ... seriously, there wasn't even a trailer available for this movie a month ago, unless we're counting the one in Russian on YouTube. Then Black Swan happened and Natalie Portman's popularity skyrocketed again. What's this got to do with The Other Woman? Well, not a whole lot to be honest, except I'd like to throw something out there. I don't think The Other Woman (I'm still getting used to how terrible the title is) has been put off so long because of its quality. I mean, think about it. How do you market a movie about the aftermath of an affair and the loss of a child? Plenty of movies have tackled one issue or the other, but rarely both.
Still, the movie looks like it has a lot more to offer than just a different perspective. It looks emotionally sincere and heartbreaking. Natalie Portman has always been a capable actress, but with this material, it allows us to see a different side of her. Even more different than Black Swan, but more restrained and even relatable. Plus, it's always nice to see Lauren Ambrose in new things since I'm no longer getting my Six Feet Under fix. Truth be told, I'm excited for the cast as a whole and for other Don Roos fans out there, I'm excited to see him tackle something dramatically different from his other directorial efforts.