MOVIE: DUPLICITY

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen star in this puzzling, romantic comedy thriller about two former spies who work together as spurious, undercover agents-turned-moles in rival pharmaceutical companies that are at war with each other as they rush to patent the holy grail of consumer product. While the chemistry between the two leads is magnetic and the dialogue is brimming with sharp and witty speech, ultimately the film is lacking and borrows too much from previous tales that render it derivative. A convoluted jumble of flashbacks amounts to very little at the end (despite the time invested in these previous encounters), but at least the journey allows you to sit back and question precisely who is “gaming” who at any given moment. (Natalie Salvo)