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Natalie Portman, Scott Cohen, Lisa Kudrow, Charlie Tahan, Lauren Ambrose

Natalie Portman (BLACK SWAN, STAR WARS) lights up the screen in this frank, funny, and heart-wrenching adaptation of bestselling author Ayelet Waldman's novel about life, loss, and family, "LOVE AND O... read more read more...THER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS." Emilia (Portman) is a Harvard law school graduate and a newlywed, having just married Jack (Scott Cohen, THE UNDERSTUDY), a high-powered New York lawyer, who was her boss - and married - when she began working at his law firm. Unfortunately, her life takes an unexpected turn when Jack and Emilia lose their newborn daughter. Emilia struggles through her grief to connect with her new stepson William (Charlie Tahan, I AM LEGEND), while also trying to overcome a long-standing rift in her relationship with her father caused by his own infidelity. But perhaps the most difficult obstacle of all for Emilia is trying to cope with the constant interferences of her husband's angry, jealous ex-wife, Carolyn (Lisa Kudrow, FRIENDS, ANALYZE THIS). Ultimately, Emilia's and Charlie's playful and sometimes tender exchanges help Emilia to open her heart. Can Emilia rediscover her own capacity for love in time to salvage her failing marriage, mend fences with her parents and build a family from the wreckage? Directed by Don Roos (THE OPPOSITE OF SEX) from his own screenplay, this tearful, terrific tale proves that even with a pursuit like love, nothing is impossible... -- (C) IFC Films

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46% liked it

13,402 ratings

Critics

39% liked it

44 critics

R, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: Don Roos

Release Date: February 4, 2011

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DVD Release Date: May 17, 2011

Stats: 594 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (594)

  • aliceinpunderland
    March 24, 2012
    aliceinpunderland
    Very well-paced melodrama in that everything happens when it needs to for optimal emotional impact. This film reminds me of Like Dandelion Dust - predictable and manipulative but not without some really good scenes. At first, all the characters are types - the upstanding husban... read mored (Scott Cohen from The 10th Kingdom HOOOWWWWLLL!!!), the bitchy ex-wife (a surprisingly icy Lisa Kudrow), the precocious, bratty stepson, and the other woman cum new wife who carries the burden of not measuring up.

    I can't quite put a finger on Emilia's character. She's supposed to be kinda young or punky or sarcastic, but I don't think NaPo quite hits those points. The best scene is compliments of Lisa Kudrow (the other half of Romy & Michele, coincidental in that Mira Sorvino is the one who gives the best scene in Dandelion) when Carolyn gives medical evidence to Emilia, absolving her of her baby's death. Her delivery is cold, almost begrudging, but ultimately kind.
  • cosmo313
    November 6, 2011
    cosmo313
    This film is based on a book called Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, and it started out with that title, but was for whatever reason changed to the more bland one it is now known by. They should have kept the original title. It's much snappier and memorable.

    The story concer... read morens a Harvard Law graduate named Emilia who begins with a relationship with her married boss Jack that results in her getting pregnant. After a swift divorce and a swift marriage, their daughter is born, only to tragically die three days later. Waht follows from there is Emilia's attempts to deal with her grief, as well as trying to win over her difficult and resentful stepson William and fend off Jack jealous and bitter ex-wife Carolyn.

    Not the most unique story in the world, but it works...mostly. The film has some really good performances (albeit some occasional inconsistencies) but is dragged down by the fact that tonally it is all over the map, and isn't completely successful at coming together by the end. Had the tone been more consistent, and the jumps from romantic comedy to heartwrenching drama not been so jarring, I think I could have gotten more into things. It's not a bad movie, just one that's a little shy from hitting the mark.

    There are some nice moments, and the film starts off on the right foot by opening to what just so happens to be my favorite song by the Flaming Lips, but from there kinda fumbles, mostly because it likes to jump around with flashbacks, which probably worked better in the book, but not so much here. Like I said though, the performances are mostly pretty good, and Natalie Portman has a tough role, but she mostly ges through it. She does well with playing cold and distant, but she's not as good at hitting the warmer moments. Lisa Kudrow is quite nice though as Carolyn, and it made me happy to see Lauren Ambrose and Anthony Rapp show up in small supporting roles.

    All in all, it's okay. It has it's moments, but I think it should have not tried to be both a somber drama and a lighter romance film. That sort of thing can work, but it just seemed too clashing the way it was done here. You can see this if you want, but it's okay if you don't. The cast have put in terrific work elsewhere so if you miss this you can still see them impress in those other films.
  • theunknownhobo
    November 1, 2011
    theunknownhobo
    I have to say this film missed the mark for me. Although the performances of both Portman and Kudrow were superb, not exempting Cohen who also delivered well, no level of acting ability or scripting skills could have made these characters likable. Hard to relate to, this film tak... read morees you to the edge of sadness but pulls you away before you can get to involved. Without a final climax of breaking down or breaking up, this film left me feeling tense and frustrated at the potential of such a brilliant story line not being portrayed cohesively enough on screen. A worthwhile film, that unfortunatley left one too many strings untied. Acceptable, but definitely a one watch wonder.
  • romy861
    October 9, 2011
    romy861
    Definitely not the light romantic comedy I was expecting from the cover! (The cover we had here in Australia, that is... also, over here the film was titled "Love and other impossible pursuits", which sounds more of a feel-good than this title... this is definitely the more fitt... read moreing one for the movie).
    Natalie is very good here. She plays Emilia, a woman who falls in love with a married man at work, a bit older than her who has a young son. When Emilia finds out she is pregnant, Jack leaves his wife, Carolyn, (Lisa Kudrow - playing one of the bitter women she does so well!), for her and they get married. Emilia's own child dies at only four days old and the movie mainly deals with her grief, the strained relationships she has with Jack and her stepson and Carolyn's resentment. It is definitely not a nice little chick flick to chuck on for a bit of light amusement!
    I enjoyed this (if enjoy was the right word), but I certainly can't see myself wanting to sit there and watch it again anytime soon. Even though I am not overly sentimental about babies and kids (i can imagine this would be a regular weep fest for a lot of people!), I still found this sad and quite moving.
    The small fault is that Natalie looks a little too young for the role (even though she is a married mother herself in real life), I guess she can't help being young faced!
  • itsjustme2004
    August 25, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    Ok so... critics hated this, I liked it alot. Critics loved Black Swan..me, not so much. Go figure. In my opinion, this is a great movie about real life situations, and about how messy our lives can really be. Natalie Portman was wonderful, as usual. The entire cast was exception... read moreal, and the script was very moving. What was not to like? I have no idea....
  • neverteaseaweasel
    August 3, 2011
    neverteaseaweasel
    I wish I had reviewed this sooner. There were various things that seemed interesting when watching the film, but now I'll be damned if I remember what they were... Overall, is it profound? No, but it at least dabbles in thought and conflict. A lot of the film revolves around what... read more defines family. It is an interesting line of thought, especially when you consider divorce, step-siblings, etc. However, the conclusion here comes out a bit cheesy. Essentially what we're left with is an oversimplified, even a bit cliched, idea that those-you-love-are-your-family. I guess, I can agree with that, but somehow it just doesn't seem that relevant when presented with the cheery bravado of a greeting card. Another theme throughout the film was grief. I really liked the way it was explored. Can we control our grief and sorrow? It certainly doesn't feel like a personal choice, but at the same time, it's rather empowering to think that it is something that can be controlled. Idk, overall, I enjoyed the film. It does what it does and does it well enough. It's a fine enough film to pass the time.
  • stevenecarrier
    May 28, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    Don Roos' film "Happy Endings" is one of my favorite films. I keep viewing his work hoping that someday he will recreate the fun, the depth and the nuance of that earlier film. Unfortunately this has not yet happened. "The Other Woman," starring Natalie Portman as a frank, grievi... read moreng stepmother is emotionally schizophrenic and loosely plotted. There seems to be no real rhythm to the pattern of flashbacks or emotional reveals. The films construction is distractingly haphazard. Portman is trying to navigate the tricky waters that need to be human, darkly comic, and emotional but she alone cannot steer this ship. The one saving grace is Lisa Kudrow, who is a Roos staple, and is continually surprising as a dramatic actress. Her volcanic ex-wife is the best part. Also look for a nice performance from Charlie Tahan (who was great in the inept "Charlie St. Cloud"). "The Other Woman" is an aimless, confused picture with very few redeeming qualities.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    April 18, 2011
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    It was a good movie with some controversial material meaning that it was meant to be a depressing film and have a normal story and not a great one. You can't expect alot from this film since Natalie Portman doesn't have alot of help on this one and still her character in her role... read more is tranquile and soft which you can't observe on the naked eye her true talents as an actress.

    Aspiring Lawyer Emilia Greenleaf (Natalie Portman) thought she knew what she wanted when she went after the sexy, married Senior Partner, Jack Woolf (Scott Cohen) . However, she didn't count on getting pregnant and married, and she certainly didn't plan on having to forge a relationship with her highly strung 5 year old stepson, William..
  • Screeny
    March 4, 2011
    Screeny
    "The Other Woman" is one of the most dramatic, emotional films I've seen since last year's "Rabbit Hole". With a plot almost similar, the two movie's have plenty of differences. This film makes me appreciate all my stepmother has done for me in the past, and it makes me very guil... read morety for the way I've treated her as well. With a script that complicates the bonds between a stepmother and stepson, "The Other Woman" stands as the best film of 2011 thus far.

    The film may seem like it has a little storyline, simple enough, but it grasps enough backround of all of the characters to make it a bit more complex. The movie works in a line of switching between past moments and present moments showing us how the characters got to the point where they are. Meet Emelia, she's married to Jack, a divorced man with an eight-year old son, William. William is just as complicated as Jack's annoying ex-wife Carolyne and Emelia does all she can to win the affection of William, even though it always turns out bad. With that complicated situation in Emelia's life, she also faces a recent trajedy, the death of her and Jack's newborn baby Isabel, who only lived for three days. With a struggle to find love from William, it only complicates Emelia and Jack's relationship more and she soon finds herself alone in her emotions.

    Natalie Portman does it again! Her performance as Emelia is just as fantastic as her latest performance was in "Black Swan", if not better. In the past two months, Portman has released three different films, "Black Swan", "No Strings Attached", and this. She never seems to disappoint in any performance and there is no differance here. This is why Portman stands as one of the best actresses' of our time. Yes, I stand by that statement. Portman's character, Emelia, is as real as they come. Emelia's broken, but watching her trying to stand strong through the entire movie is heartbreaking. "The Other Woman" is a film in which actually does a great job with the crafting of each charac ter, all having a point, all having a situation they can't seem to solve.Lisa Kudrow ("Friends") plays a role unlike her usual genre. Normally playing the goofy, obnoxious type here she plays Carolyne, while still obnoxious but very serious about everything as well. Before seeing the movie I never imagined Kudrow to do as well as she did and I'm happy she proved me wrong. Charlie Tahan, playing eight-year old William reminded me of the kid from "The Switch" in every scene he was in. His bright, know-it-all character with Portman's character was great and their chemistry was fantastic. Scott Cohen as Jack, Emelia's husband, also gives a solid performance. I'm not too familar with anything he's done from the past, but, I'd like to see him do more in the future.

    Don Roos wrote and directed this film based off the novel by Ayelet Waldman. With a story that seems simple, Roos crafts it into something much more complicated than it could have been, which makes it much more marvellous. His skill with the dialog between Emelia and William is great and his mellow-dramatic scenes can be breath-taking. As for the direction, I loved Roos' shots of the city. His zoom-in shots were perfect and I loved his idea of having one scene in particular in split-screen using one frame for the past, present, and future. It made it all the more emotional and realistic. If your interested in other works from Don Roos, he directed 2005's "Happy Endings" and wrote 2008's "Marley and Me".

    The film does a great job balancing humor with drama. It places dry-humor when most needed especially in the scenes between William and Emelia. While their scenes can sometimes be over-dramatic, they can also be hilarious, as well. I loved Emelia's sarcastic-wit to most of William's comments, being hilarious each time.

    It normally takes alot for me to learn something from a movie. A lesson, I mean. Having growing up with a stepmother myself, "The Other Woman" did a fine job making me feel guility for the ways I treated mine growing up. My family didn't have the complications of getting through a newborn's death, but, like William, I'd do all I could to get my stepmother in trouble with my father and never care at all. Before watching this movie I'd never think it'd take a toll on my childhood and had me thinking of something I'd never think I'd care about today.

    Overall, "The Other Woman" is a fantastic little movie that stands as the best film of 2011 thus far. It's fantastic script brings out the best of each actor in the film making it feel more real. This is a movie that doesn't deserve to be looked away from and it not getting a wide-release is a mistake because I know it could have sucedded more. It sure deserved it.
  • gator681
    May 4, 2012
    gator681
    In "The Other Woman," Emilia Greenleaf(Natalie Portman) is a newly hired lawyer, fresh out of law school. However, she soon gets sidetracked when she begins an affair with Jack Woolf(Scott Cohen), a senior partner at the firm. That eventually turns into marriage where Emilia ge... read morets to share custody of William(Charles Tahan), Jack's precocious ten-year old son from a previous marriage, with his first wife Carolyn(Lisa Kudrow), through her proxy/nanny Sonia(Mona Lerche). At least, William tries to be helpful by suggesting the selling of unneeded possessions on eBay.

    On the surface, there is no reason why "The Other Woman" should not work. It has a good leading performance from Natalie Portman, a different point of view and some interesting thoughts about family. Sadly, a lot of that is undone by an odd story structure that renders the movie narratively inert by suggesting that the characters have already lived through their most important moments, with nothing left for them but going through the motions, like the movie. And then there is the unseemly feeling that Emilia might be just working out her daddy issues in her relationship with Jack while not exploring her giving up the law and her career. Yes, it is nice that the movie is not interested at all in dispensing blame, wisely suggesting in fact that we would all be better off in being less judgmental. But can I still blame Lisa Kudrow for her shrill performance which puts the movie unevenly in Emilia's favor?

View All The Other Woman Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss
December 13, 2011
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

It's a kind of unofficial sequel or sibling, three decades later, to Robert Benton's Oscar-winning Kramer vs. Kramer. Full Review

William Goss
May 24, 2011
William Goss, Film.com

Often mistakes hollow hysterics for gripping drama. Full Review

Richard Roeper
February 11, 2011
Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com

One of the bigger challenges in Natalie Portman's career, and she responds with sublime work. Full Review

Kathleen Murphy
February 4, 2011
Kathleen Murphy, MSN Movies

Soap opera for the bourgeoisie, The Other Woman is the kind of movie Lifetime audiences would gush over as sensitive and wise. Full Review

Dana Stevens
February 4, 2011
Dana Stevens, Slate

Natalie Portman may have the black swan and the white swan down, but she's still working on the gray. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
February 4, 2011
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

While Natalie Portman and Lisa Kudrow do some terrific work, it's hard to care about these awful characters. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
February 4, 2011
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Thanks to Portman's superb work, we feel her pain acutely. Full Review

A.O. Scott
February 3, 2011
A.O. Scott, New York Times

A not-bad movie (written and directed by Don Roos) based on a pretty good book ("Love and Other Impossible Pursuits" by Ayelet Waldman). Full Review

Sheri Linden
February 3, 2011
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times

Equating interpersonal issues with drama, "The Other Woman" is mostly flat and plodding. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
February 3, 2011
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

I didn't like a single one of these insufferable narcissists, the kid included. Full Review

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    • Jack: I'm married, is that okay?
    • Emilia: I'm the new associate.
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