This is one of those movies that stops and you say, "You're kidding, that's the end?" Apparently, this was first a play, which shows in several overly-long scenes. But, even if I had seen this on stage, I would have been unhappy with the abruptness of the ending. I can handle ambiguous endings. In fact, many of my favorite films just sort of trail off, but this movies takes a very long time setting up an admittedly dramatic situation . . . and then just stops. Where's the rest of the story? There really should have been a more fully developed Act III or at the very least an epilogue. Since the movie has neither, it comes off as a one-trick pony, or worse yet, a cruel joke on the audience. I cannot recommend this one.

This was one of the best films I've seen in my life. I loved every moment of it. I really had no idea where the journey would end (as all journeys must) but it went in such a different direction than I originally thought. I love the literary allusions (which so subtly hint at what's to come) and I love the relationships that are built. This film felt more real to me than anything I've seen released in many years. The transformation of Paul Rudd's character (and indeed Paul Rudd himself) was startling, and Rachel Weisz was, as always, brilliant.I suddenly have a strong urge to perform in the stage version. Evelyn must be such a fun character to play!

After the first 30 minutes I felt like the film lacked energy. The pace was a little too slow for my taste, and the intensity too low. I wanted it to be snappier, more sizzling.But then, about halfway through, it got really interesting. The second half, although it still suffers from some pacing problems, makes up for the first. And then the third act is one of the most brilliant and satisfying third acts I saw in a long time. The ending brings together all of the elements and themes that were planted throughout the movie (our obsession with the way things look, the line between art and real life) to form insights about our lives that are as brutal as they are true.I am generally fond of Neil LaBute's work - most of the time his works contain more than what they initially seem to be (I haven't see "The Wicker Man" remake yet, but I heard it was horrible). Here, what starts off as your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy/drama, develops into a cynic's paradise, presenting insights into our lives which are as brutal as they are true.Three of the four actors do a splendid job (Weisz, Rudd & Mol). I especially liked Paul Rudd's performance, and the way his character changes throughout. All three, and especially Rachel Weisz, are convincing in their roles, and deliver multi-layered performances with lots of subtext. Fred Weller's performance leaves something to be desired, but the fact that his role is well written somewhat makes up for that. LaBute has successfully made all four characters three-dimensional and they feel like real people.Overall, I'd say it was a pretty great movie, certainly entertaining, and an important one to watch and analyze if you are into writing, directing or acting. Somewher, though, I feel like it didn't live up to its full potential. This script, if directed with more intensity, could have become one of my favorite movies, up there with films such as "Closer", "Glengary Glen Ross" or "Oleanna". Maybe it's the transition from the stage to the screen that made LaBute feel like he should make everything more minimalistic and restrained. But it's definitely worth checking out.

This film is badly produced, badly written, and the only reason I gave it three out of ten is because of the twist at the end. It was a very intelligent story with a lot of potential but was delivered in a way that did not do it justice. Rachel Weisz is a rather annoying actor in my view, but quite a reasonable one, however she obviously doesn't have the same skill when producing a film. At the same time the story leading up to the big twist at the end is banal and terribly written, the dialogue is poor and makes you want to turn the film off. In my opinion, this film is only popular because there are a lot of pretentious morons out there who are obsessed with the 'downfall of society' and everything being based on looks. I am willing to bet that the majority of these people are ugly (or 'alternate') teenage girls.DO NOT WATCH!