Now that I've seen it, actually, I beg to differ. I would go out on a limb and say that this is the best first date movie of all time.
And the limb would crack and I would fall to the ground and my heart would be impaled on a sharp stick.
Incidentally, I read Anthony Lane's original review and even though I hadn't seen the movie at the time, I could tell it was spot on. I expect nothing less from the man. Though his wit obscured how incredibly painful it was to watch. I squirmed, I laughed (at the cybersex scene), I was sad but didn't cry, sad because they used Damien Rice as the soundtrack before Austin had a chance to use it for his film, and I walked out of the theater trying not to admire Clive Owen's character for his cruel ingenuity and masterful manipulation in reducing Jude Law to a soggy lump (with whom I identified all too well). At least Owens' character was honest about his cruelty, right? Honesty is the best policy, sure, but what if you are, honestly, a selfish, manipulative asshole? I suppose a stipulation to the honesty policy is that it is timed properly, a pre-emptive honesty. (How much does that suck?) I wish that compassion were the best policy, actually, but compassion is too often mis-guided and mis-timed (ie, too little too late). The road to hell and all that.
Speaking of hearts, one of my favorite lines in the movie:
Dan: You act as if the heart were something simple. A diagram...
Larry: Have you ever seen a human heart? It looks like a fist wrapped in blood!
Interesting interesting that Clive Owens played Jude Law's character (Daniel) in the stage production in London. I wish I had seen that one.
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