I know I’ve raved to no end about how indubitably smitten I am with Natalie Portman as an actress. I think she is brilliant, fearless, insanely talented, and has the distinct ability to deliver a powerful performance in whichever role she takes on. This was again proven in this powerful Indie pick, The Other Woman. I heard about this film back in early 2010, but because of difficulties I had in finding this film, I put watching it on the back burner for quite some time. And then I heard that it was adapted from the book Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman, so because I couldn't watch the film I decided to read directly from it's orgins instead. Well...This just made me feel as though I desperately needed to watch the film. In fact I can say without hesitation that I probably harassed 15 people (or more) on a weekly basis everywhere from convenient stores with fully stoked Redbox machines out front, to on-line movie rental shops in hopes of finally catching a break and crossing my fingers that someone would have it. So, here I am more then a year later, finally victorious in my pursuit of hunting down this film, and all I can say is...It was so friggin worth it! Kudos to my girl Natalie for knocking another one out the park, and delivering an emotionally charged, power-house performance that proves she is legend worthy.
Her portrayal of the lead character was definitely a raw depiction of the human condition; flawed, cumbersome, fraudulently beguiling, but yet so true to it's core it almost knocks you into dead silence. Even as the character radiates the most appalling behavior you could imagine, Natalie still has the ability to bring such humanity to the character that you can't help but feel remorse for her. It was just great. Oh so flippin' great.
But enough of the mush, let's get to the story shall we.
The Other Woman was directed by Don Roos who also wrote the screenplay, and stars Natalie Portman, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Cohen, Charlie Tahan, and Lauren Ambrose.
20 something year old Emilia (Portman) a Harvard Law graduate has just taken a job as an associate in a prominent New York law firm where she meets Jack (Cohen), a handsome and very well established, however, very married firm partner. Emilia from the very start develops a crush on Jack, and after a few close encounters they soon begin to have an office affair. Not very long after the affair begins Emilia finds out that she is pregnant which needless to say destroys Jack's marriage to his wife Carolyne (Kudrow), but in turn allowed him the chance to marry Emilia. Life for the pair however does not go on without it's challenges. Jack has a son from his previous marriage named William; a bright and somewhat socially abrupt child that tends to rattle Emilia's cage a bit. Emilia seems to be optimistic about her newly married life and is thrilled about having a baby, until the unexpected sudden death of the new born just days after birth. As the story unfolds, the viewers are taken on Emilia's emotional journey as she struggles to come to terms with the untimely death of her baby, as well as her efforts to open herself up to her life as a stepmother to William and wife.
It was a heart-wrenching and intimate portrait of an extremely damaged woman's struggle to put her self back together, and how she built relationships in the most unexpected place, under the most tragic circumstances. This is for sure a LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT. I hope you all get the chance to watch it and enjoy.
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