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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media

Julia Roberts: Don't call it a comeback

You remember Julia Roberts, right? Tall, auburn-ish hair, full-on belly laugh, Oscar, hooker boots, lips? Yeah? Well, she'll be taking back her spot as America's sweetheart, thank you very much, so Amy Adams or Anne Hathaway or Tina Fey or whomever, if you'll all just move over to the side here, just out of the frame. Great. Thanks.

You might remember a time when Julia Roberts was churning out one romantic comedy, one drama, one cartoon-voiceover, and one Ocean's movie per year. Well, she took some time off to procreate, but she's back now, and her first order of business is to star as a leading lady once more, this time opposite Clive Owen in Duplicity.

The New York Times described Roberts' comeback vehicle as a "romantic romp," and Universal is hoping that is just the beginning of the positive press Roberts will be able to generate. In fact, they're more than hopeful. The trailer is playing well to audiences that Universal went ahead and sprang for a $3 million Super Bowl ad.

My favorite bit from the Times article is this: "Donna Langley, Universal’s production president, said the studio had cast Ms. Roberts based on 'gut instinct,' without benefit of focus groups or surveys to measure her enduring appeal."

I'm not sure what that means, but every time Julia Roberts smiles, I smile. Does that count for something?

I guess we'll be seeing a lot of that smile in the weeks to come. Duplicity opens on March 20, which means Julia Roberts is just about to start her media blitz. She'll be grinning at me from every magazine in the bookstore and talk show, and, surely, she'll be on Oprah.

The basic plot of Duplicity is that Roberts is ex-CIA and Owen is ex-MI6, and, together, they'll con one of their corporations out of $40 million. So, you know, kind of Ocean's Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen without George Clooney.

I'm not sure about romantic romp, but it seems like good fun. Will you watch Julia Roberts' comeback on the big screen, on DVD, or will you just wait until one Sunday afternoon a couple of years from now when it is presented with limited commercial interruptions on TNT?

  • StuntDouble's blog
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  • alex's picture

    cant wait!

    saw the trailers a while back, and i remember being really excited to see julia had a new movie coming out. Notting Hill is my all time favorite romantic comedy, but i'll watch just about anything she's in - i cant help it, she's always fantastic!! (and in the case of farce's like ocean's twentybazillion, she's usually the only one to bring something refreshing to her role). plus, those eyes! the smile! the ridiculously lackadaisical charm! and clive owen is a cutie, too. this looks like a romantic comedy version of mr and mrs smith, with just as [actually, maybe more!] lovable characters. totally seeing this.

    if only hugh grant would show up somewhere in it. ooh, or colin firth!

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    http://rightmindleftcoast.wordpress.com

    Harpy's picture

    Julia Roberts

    Yay!  Actually I am watching Notting Hill now.  My favorite chick flick ever.

    I can't wait for this movie though.  Love, love, love Julia Roberts.

    Hugh Grant in it would make it perfect.  Hehe. 

    _________

    http://www.liveleak.com/user/Harpy

    Melissa Hsu's picture

    love it

    I just a couple of days ago introduced my wife to pretty woman. She seriously had never even heard of the movie! After that we sort of had a Julia Roberts marathon. Good times. We will definatly be be going to see this one.

    Dying to say this to you

    bubblegumbabe's picture

    im definitely going to go

    im definitely going to go see this movie in theaters. anything with julia roberts gets my vote.
    amaya's picture

    Yay, Julia Roberts

    I love Julia Roberts and Duplicity looks pretty good. But I probably won't go watch it when it comes out in theatres because I doubt my friends would want to come along. However I'll make sure to watch it on DVD.

    Aya's picture

    Will she ever play a

    Will she ever play a lesbian?  I hope so.
    Shannon's picture

    May not have the time to see

    But will try.  Julia Roberts was one of my first screen crushes as a kid.  Loved her in everything she's done...has she ever made a bad movie?  Really?  Clive Owen isn't bad either, it will be interesting to see what kind of chemistry these two have!

    By the way StuntDouble... I think her smile is infectious as well!

    ~Without risk, there can be no innovation.  Without innovation, there can be no advancement. ~

    Smagninborg's picture

    The crazyness of voice-overs

    Hey. That's new! I never - sorry about that - heard Julia Roberts real voice before! I guess I never watched all those films I saw her on in english. That really flashes me right now. I can only remember her german voice-over. And in fact, this was a good voice. Some of the voice-overs seem to be really bad, when you hear the original for the first time (Any chance you get to hear the lady, which spoke the part for Shane in the first season of the l-word on the german DVDs? If you can, do it. You will laugh your ass off).

    So, all in all, I like her voice. And I would like to see that film (of course in OmU...äh...orignial with subtitles).

    gidge's picture

    OMG

    You'd never heard her voice before?!? I LOVE her voice!

    Ktbarnes's picture

    Julia Roberts + Clive Owen = Closer

    Which was a pretty kick-ass movie, my favorite film of both of them, so, yeah, I'll totally check this out!
    swandiver's picture

    I LOVED Closer

    I always preferred Julia Roberts when she did the relatively smaller films (Mona Lisa Smile, the Mexican, Full Frontal) and Closer takes the cake.  It was pretty intense.  I'll probally just add Duplicity to my Netflix list.

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    "Those who restrain desire, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained" - William Blake

    wickedgrrl's picture

    sucker for Julia

    I am a long time sucker for Julia and that smile.  I will certainly want to see this in the theater but chances are it will be a netflix. 

    (avi by smartyshortie)

    Christine's picture

    Saw An Early Screening

    I saw an early screening of this movie last year.  I absolutely love Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, and was super excited to see it early.  It also stars Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti as the rival corporation heads.  Let's just say that I hope they have improved it since then.  (But I guess this is exactly why they have these early screenings.)  I'll probably watch it anyway when it comes out, but I hope viewer reaction is more positive when it is released.

    "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

    Alexi's picture

    yayyy.

    I totally have a 2.2 second part in this movie. no lines, of course but still. i was there. lol
    gidge's picture

    Awesome

    I saw the commercial for this during the Superbowl and I totally want to see it. I'm the same way about Julia Roberts' smile. It's infectious!

    And i agree w/ Shannon. Even though I didn't realize it at the time, Julia Roberts was my first on-screen crush. First crush at all actually :)

    I'm just hoping the movie doesn't turn out to be some kind of Ocean's series meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith :P I watch anything with her in it though, so I probably won't care :D

    X_Predictable_X's picture

    oh wow Julia Roberts sucks!

    oh wow Julia Roberts sucks! SO why doesnt she move to the side & just get our of the FRAME! Great! Thanks.

    Anne Hathaway is Americas Sweetheart, she always has been & she always will be!:)

    SO Julia Roberts can kiss her arse goodbye!

    Melissa Hsu's picture

    I'll watch any Julia Roberts movie

    ...on DVD.

    I love her.  I think she's the best at what she does.  Unfortunately, to me, this genre (romantic/action/fun thriller) doesn't appeal to me all that much.  Then again, I am an odd one out.

    That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

    carinjo's picture

    i just think it's funny her

    i just think it's funny her playing an ex-spy. i mean really, undercover? julia? she's pretty memorable even on a bad hair day. clive makes me think of a cheaper version of george clooney, but he's probably the better actor of the two.