Duplicity and I Love You Man

Expectations. Marketing. Stars. These are factors that frequently impact my critique of a film whether I like or admit it or not. The films Duplicity and I Love You Man are excellent examples of these concepts.

Expectations: I went in with very high expectations for Duplicity based on several things: spectacular reviews by major critics, a thoughtful profile of Gilroy in the New Yorker, my overwhelming love of Clive Owen and any frame of film he chooses to enter. When the movie was only average (and frankly, dull for the caper genre), I was even more disappointed than I would have been had I caught this on cable years later (it will obviously live on one of the channels currently populated by What Women Want).
With I Love You Man, I had very low expectations. I nearly walked out of Superbad. I almost submitted an op-ed on the degradation of the female professional in Knocked Up. So as you can imagine, I did not think I would be amused by this latest frat pack outing. However, when it was charming and delightful, I was thrilled. I laughed out loud several times.

Marketing: Duplicity was made to look slick and fastpaced. It was not. I imagine it is actually a challenge to make Julia Roberts look frumpy. Success! It was slow moving. I fell asleep. The plot was less about them duping each other (as it seemed in the commercials) and more about, well I don't really know as I was asleep.
I Love You Man captured the exact audience it was intended for. And for this reason, the crowd was really responsive and made the experience that much more fun. I like when going to the movies is audience participatory (like not in a negative way with cell phones and annoying talkers back i.e. seeing Watchmen in Vegas with a bunch of spring break drunkards).

Stars: With Duplicity the stars seemed to have their own agendas and I don't mean that in a "sneaky espionage" way. I mean that they probably refused to take direction. Like someone probably said "calm down Paul Giamatti" and he was like, "No, I want to eat the scenery...yum, chomp chomp." They overpowered their scenes. Spies should be unassuming.
With I Love You Man, full of character actors and familiar favorites, the cast coalesced perfectly. Rashida Jones was actually spot on. I felt her role as the girlfriend was actually a fairly hard balance to strike -- adorable, worth pursuing, a girl girl and a guy's guy's girl. Not all young actresses can drink root beer floats with the girls and attend RUSH concerts. Paul Rudd was also perfect. I was completely with him the entire film.

For these reasons, I will recommend I Love You Man and spurn Duplicity. And maybe Juan Valdez on 57th. First it looks like any other chain, but inside, some fun drinks and snacks.