yakirice Natalie might be cast in the role of the "other woman" but this isn't about cheating, nor is it about step-parenting. The whole movie is about SIDS. The movie never really shows what second wives really go through, which is baby-momma drama. There was none of that. Natalie had hardly any dialogue in the entire film, and there was little to no character development. Natalie might be cast in the role of the "other woman" but this isn't about cheating, nor is it about step-parenting. The whole movie is about SIDS. The movie never really shows what second wives really go through, which is baby-momma drama. There was none of that. Natalie had hardly any dialogue in the entire film, and there was little to no character development.

hall895 Natalie Portman plays Emilia, the other woman. Emilia had an affair with her boss, Jack. Jack divorced his wife to marry Emilia. Everybody did not live happily ever after. From the moment we first meet her it is obvious Emilia is struggling. There is tension in her marriage, her efforts to be a stepmother to Jack's son are failing miserably. And there is an undercurrent of sadness always lingering, a horrible tragedy having occurred, a tragedy which haunts Emilia. The woman is a wreck, her life is a sad shambles. And she's not getting much sympathy. Jack's first wife Carolyn, not without reason, despises Emilia and does everything she can to make the life of the woman who replaced her completely miserable. Carolyn poisons her son, William, against Emilia. William has no respect for Emilia and acts out against his stepmother in rather cruel ways. All the mothers of William's classmates treat Emilia with utter disdain, scorning her as a home wrecker. Jack is the only person Emilia has to turn to but even that relationship is strained. It's a desperately sad situation yet many people would say Emilia is getting exactly what she deserves.Emilia certainly is not a perfect person by any means. She has gone down some morally deficient paths. And with her cold personality she's a very hard person to warm up to. But as the story unfolds, flashing back to happier times and then to desperately sad times before catching up with the present, you can see where that coldness might come from. This is a woman who has been emotionally wounded in the worst possible way and who carries around an unbearably burdensome guilt. Yes, she made mistakes but she is now doing the best she can to put things right. She could use a little help but that help is very hard to come by. A woman who breaks up a family is not the most sympathetic of characters and that is a bit of a problem for this movie. Because for the movie to work you really have to sympathize with, and pull for, Emilia. And at times that is very hard to do.Portman does a reasonably good job in the starring role. The story requires Emilia to be cold and often unpleasant. Perhaps Portman made Emilia just a little bit too cold for the movie's good. Lisa Kudrow, playing Carolyn, holds nothing back. If Emilia is somewhat cold Carolyn is the absolute ice queen. If anything makes you sympathize with Emilia it is the way Carolyn berates her at every opportunity. Charlie Tahan, playing young William, seems to grow into his role as the movie progresses. At first William comes across like a total brat but the kid has been put in a tough spot. It seems he wants to hurt Emilia but maybe he's just a kid, maybe he doesn't even realize the impact of his words and actions. As the relationship between William and Emilia evolves Tahan and Portman have some nice moments together. And in a movie filled with so much hurt we really need some nice moments. You would think the role of Jack would be vitally important, and it probably should be. But Scott Cohen does not make much of an impression in that role. A few other characters pop up with their own accompanying subplots, most notably Emilia's parents. But the movie is really all about Emilia, all that she has to deal with and her struggles to handle it all. In the end it does not come together perfectly. Things get a little melodramatic and the movie rushes through an awkward ending which doesn't really work. However there are enough good things here to make The Other Woman worth seeing. The story isn't perfect, the characters are flawed but the movie still holds your attention. Not a great movie by any means but reasonably compelling and entertaining.

leplatypus This American movie is full of all the crap that I can't stand no more in this cinema. First of all, it's about the lives of the upper class, privileged ones: in a country with millions poor, it's unacceptable to see again and always those successful lawyers, doctors, judges. What kind of ethic, values exist when an eight years kid is worried about not going to Harvard? And does it interest me? Nope... But I have a colleague that dreams with this kind of movie, so I suppose i'm just a particular specie.Next, the usual musical ellipsis has become today totally tasteless: in other words, it's a cheap way to tell the story all the more than as the lyrics of the songs featured here really don't blend with the subject.Another uninspired tool is the abusive use of flashbacks: instead of telling a linear story and building emotion to a climax, the movies are now cut and keep going back and forth, thus killing all involvement of the audience. For example, here i had to wait 15 minutes and the first flashback to understand the beginning of the movie ! Worst, it was not the only flashback, there are more after !Beyond, this movie just tries to deal with too much ideas: it's about the death of a child, an infidelity, a parents divorce, being a stepmother, raising kids... Willing to score in all fields instead of focusing about just one, the movie ultimately fails in each!The only redeeming factor here is Natalie. As usual, it's her kindness and softness that saves the day.

jerestringer I really did not appreciate the name of this movie. It is totally misleading as to the depth and sorrow surrounding this story. Not that it isn't a well crafted movie, just that I don't enjoy sorrowful movies. They depress me. I just didn't connect with the characters and there was no chemistry at all, between them. I don't understand why this site requires that you write a certain number of lines? I didn't need 10 lines to express my impression of this movie. Normally, I love all these actors, especially Lisa Kudrow. As well as Natalie Portman. However, I just never saw chemistry develop between the two leads. The actor playing William, the son, was terrific. He stole the show.9-10-13