>
Natalie Portman and Lisa Kudrow deliver fine performances in The Other Woman, but they're muted by Don Roos' clumsy direction and cluttered, melodramatic script. Read critic reviews
What to know
You might also like
See More
Flawless
Married Life
Flash of Genius
Bottle Shock
Take Me Home Tonight
Where to watch Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
Watch Love and Other Impossible Pursuits with a subscription on Hulu, rent on Apple TV, or buy on Apple TV.
Rate And Review
-
What did you think of the movie? (optional)
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
What did you think of the movie? (optional)
How did you buy your ticket?
-
Fandango
-
AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
-
Cinemark Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Regal Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Theater box office or somewhere else
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits Photos
Movie Info
A woman (Natalie Portman) tries to mend her relationship with her stepson and deal with her husband's jealous ex-wife (Lisa Kudrow) while trying to come to terms with the loss of her newborn.
-
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language)
-
Genre: Comedy, Drama
-
Original Language: English
-
Director: Don Roos
-
Producer: Marc Platt, Carol Cuddy
-
Writer: Don Roos
-
Release Date (Theaters): limited
-
Release Date (Streaming):
-
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.6K
-
Runtime:
-
Distributor: IFC Films
-
Production Co: Incentive Filmed Entertainment, Marc Platt Productions, Handsomecharlie Films
Cast & Crew
News & Interviews for Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
Critic Reviews for Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
Audience Reviews for Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
-
The movie is interesting, well acted and realistic. That makes it a better-than-average movie.
-
A new wife struggles to find her place in the husband/wife/son-from-a-previous-marriage dynamic as she mourns the death of her newborn. Natalie Portman was once one of film's rising stars, but now she chooses some of the worst projects, and this one is even worse than <i>No Strings Attached</i>; I didn't even waste my time on <i>Your Highness</i>. The film front-loads a ton of exposition, and then the rest of the film is spent with characters spouting bullshit pop psychology at and about Emilia. She becomes the project of the film -- characters trying to figure her out -- but she's never an interesting character. The third act's engine is a suspicion about the child's death, and this plot line comes out of the walls, but by the time this film pulls that shit out its ass, I ceased believing that I would ever start caring about these characters. Overall, Natalie Portman's career choices were so much better at the beginning.
-
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 gets 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?
walter m Super Reviewer -
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 husband (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.
Verified