The goal of two corporate spies, Claire (Julia Roberts) and Ray (Clive Owen) is to “Outwit, Outspy, Outsmart, Outplay and then get out” as the movie ads say. But it doesn’t quite work that way. That’s because Claire and Ray have the hots for each other. It all started in Dubai, where they had a fling in a hotel room several years ago. Fast forward five years, and they run see each other in a New York City department store. Is it planned, is it staged, is it real? That’s the thing about writer/director Tony Gilroy’s “Duplicity” – you just never know. And then there’s the sub-story of two corporate and competitive CEOs Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and Richard Garsik (Paul Giamatti) going neck-to-neck over a mysterious product that once developed, will make them millions. But while the business of “Duplicity” is hard to follow until about ¾ through the movie – when the secret product is revealed – that’s okay. Our confusion works to its advantage. Seems the business angle only makes us long for more of Owens and Roberts in the bedroom. On screen the two have a real chemistry though Owen is by far the flirtier of the pair. Owen is sexy, silly, evil and a bit of a cad all wrapped in one – top it off with his British accent and you’ve got the best Clive Owen performance to date. As a matter of fact, as good as it is to see Roberts back on screen, it’s Owen who feels more like the “Pretty Woman” with Roberts playing the solemn Richard Gere type. That said, Roberts is lovely to have back, and while physically older and more mature, she’s still at her best when she launches that big white smile – something she should have done a little more of in this movie. Three and a half tiaras
