Duplicity, which I saw again at last night’s Zeigfeld premiere, goes down much more easily and understandably the second time. My ex-wife Maggie, who saw it with me, said that with one relatively minor exception she found it engrossing and unconfounding. Julia Roberts more or less looks her age in the film, which is fine, but she was luminous last night, especially with the blonded hair and a slightly trimmer physique. Director-writer Tony Gilroy offered some gracious and spirited pre-screening remarks, thanking everyone but particularly (i.e., lastly) his wife.

Julia Roberts at last night’s Duplicity premiere at Manhattan’s Zeigfeld.

At the MOMA after-party I spoke to screenwriter William Goldman (All The President’s Men, Marathon Man), who’s known Gilroy “since he was ten years old.” I spoke also with Brothers director Jim Sheridan (who said, by the way, that Brothers probably wouldn’t be going to Cannes, partly because “Tobey [Maguire] doesn’t want to go there”) And with Duplicity editor John Gilroy, who’s now working on Phillip Noyce‘s currently-shooting Salt. Universal/NBC honcho Jeff Zucker, screenwriter Stephen Schiff and Tribeca Film Festival honcho Geoff Gilmore also attended

I noticed Fox 411’s Roger Friedman attempting to speak to Roberts and getting quickly hissed at and shut down. Indeed, Friedman wrote about this today: “When she saw me last night, Roberts didn’t hesitate to cut me dead,” he said. “She was rude, downright nasty and dismissive. She snubbed me in front of other people to make her point, and later cut in between me and Gilroy to make her point. Her behavior was unexpected and chilling.”