The Other Woman Review: Big Budget Lifetime Fare

Do you remember back in the late 90’s when then TV star Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was trying hard to break into films and be seen for more than her blonde, good-girl southern California image? You remember, she played a brunette scheming New York City socialite in the fondly remembered Cruel Intentions (a modern interpretation of Dangerous Liaisons), and followed it with the not so fondly remembered role as a struggling brunette New York City restaurateur in Simply Irresistible? Okay, you may have forgotten that one. I blame the magic crab. You may be wondering what bearing this history lesson has on this current review, so here it is: Natalie Portman seems to be desperate to shake up her image. The question I have is why?

Based on the book Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman, The Other Woman follows young second wife Emilia Greenleaf (Portman) as she tries to move on with her life after the tragic death of her infant daughter. She finds conflict with her husband (Scott Cohen), stepson (Charlie Tahan), and the ex-wife (Lisa Kudrow) he left for her. Having left her job behind and also enduring a long standing feud with her father, she struggles to find her way as a stepmother and wife while failing to move past her baby’s death.

The Other Woman isn’t a bad movie, but is that really good enough? Portman, who also serves as producer, gives the subtly layered performance she’s become known for. Referring to my earlier point, she seems rather desperate to shake herself from the teen/young woman looking for love roles that most actresses her age are relegated to, and I understand her concern. Still, Portman boasts one of the most diverse resumes of an actress her age, and should probably worry less about whether or not a role would get her typecast than if the project could truly stand on its own cinematically.

Kudrow steps well outside her comfort zone and into the role of jilted first wife Carolyne. Her blatantly poor parenting provides a necessary tip to the scale, making the adulterous nature of Emilia and Jack’s relationship seem not so bad. Charlie Tahan’s quirky William proves a missed opportunity as a great onscreen foil for Emilia. I wish they’d spent more time together. Truth is, the dramatic elements of the movie all work, but we are so quickly pushed from one to the next that there’s hardly time to process it all. By the time a major plot twist arrives, it seems unnecessary and relatively unbelievable.

It’s in these moments I found myself wishing writer/director Don Roos had chosen a few key emotional elements and focused on them, as well as spent more time with the self-righteous, defensive side of Emilia that we only glimpse during one encounter early on with other mothers at her stepson’s school. Underwhelming supporting friends from work, played by the usually enjoyable Lauren Ambrose and Anthony Rapp, seem starved for something more to do than give Emilia a break from family drama.

With five movies in theaters over the course of six months, I’m fairly confident The Other Woman will fall quickly into obscurity in Portman’s True Hollywood Story. The awards season darling Black Swan is still in full momentum at the box office, complimented by Portman’s surprisingly enjoyable foray into comedy with No Strings Attached. This spring she’ll also costar in the stoner renaissance comedy Your Highness with James Franco, which will probably amuse its intended audience, and the Marvel Studios Avengers lead-in Thor. The Other Woman doesn’t deserved to be entirely overlooked, but is sure to live a long life on Oxygen and Lifetime, but is far from a career high point on Ms. Portman’s resume.

Images courtesy of IFC Films