Pairing Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche in this romance was genius. They are both smart, dynamic actors with enough quirks and edges to make any story pop. Here, they are prep-school teachers who develop a sparring playfulness as they argue about, yes, words and pictures. He teaches literature. She teaches visual art. Owen's character also happens to be battling alcoholism, and Binoche's suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis. Sounds like a bad Lifetime movie, no? But Owen and Binoche elevate it, even with Gerald DiPego's sometimes clunky script. (The less said about a student subplot, the better.) Fred Schespisi's direction can be uneven, and he ends the whole production with a short scene that feels like a "Saturday Night Live" parody. Even so, this might be Owen's best performance; he convincingly portrays the character's mischievous humor and sharp intellect, and he brings a despairing reality to his drunken meltdowns. Binoche, by the way, is a painter in real life, and she creates some amazing works onscreen.

- KRISTINA DORSEY