Married, yuppie lawyer Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) meets attractive, single book editor Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) and the two have a brief affair while Dan's dewy housewife (Ann Archer) is out of town. This passionate weekend fling has no rhyme or reason but leaves seriously unpleasant complications in its wake. Dan, callously assumes it's okay for him to slink back home after the dalliance and has no intention of leaving his wife. We are not even sure why he's committed adultery as Beth is so supportive and loving. Far from a shrinking violet, Alex however, now forced into the role of the other woman' refuses to be ignored and takes offense that she's been treated "like some slut (he) can just bang a few times and throw away" particularly since he's left her in quite a state'. Even after the Gallagher's move to the suburbs with their small daughter Ellen, Beth notices an increased tension in her husband and frequent, anonymous late night phone calls. Furious at being ignored, Alex demands attention from Dan even if she has to go through his wife and daughter to get it. A much ballyhooed (and sometimes maligned) nightmare scenario ensues as Alex's frustration and loneliness begins to erode her sense of sanity. Dan, trapped, ashamed and eventually terrified, watches his family fall apart because of his adultery.
In spite of its potboiler narrative and the fact that this will never be everyone's idea of entertainment, Fatal Attraction has a lot going for it. Director Adrian Lyne (known unfairly and glibly as merely a director of kinky garbage like Flashdance) has a surprisingly firm handle on things here as he orchestrates details well and expertly turns the screws of the narrative's many consequences. Lyne's take no prisoners choice to shoot and edit the film more like a monster movie than a standard domestic drama hurls the provocative narrative right into the viewers lap. There's a unique, palpable sense of tension and dread here that's unusual for this type of film and is not easily dismissed. The bleak, late winter skyline of Manhattan and the surrounding affluent burbs are the perfect backdrop for this threat to the nuclear family myth of the 1980's. Lyne shoots things low and hazy. Void of bright colors so that urban scenes turn to a slate texture and the countryside seems a dull grey, the sleek cinematography - sexy at first, perfectly moves toward casting an increasingly ominous eye. Also, Maurice Jarre's discreet and industrial-like musical score is eerie and menacing. It's soft and understated throughout and extremely effective.
It's important to note the well played performances that flesh out the suspense yarn. Glenn Close makes Alex so likable at first that we sympathize with her loneliness and understand her frustration. It's a different sort of turn for this somewhat mannered and Patrician actress who uses those qualities and plays them to the hilt here. She's vampy and comically slutty when she and Douglas pant through their sex scenes and she's fragile and pitiful as lonely woman desperate to have a relationship. It's when she beings to loose her grip and unravel that Close under plays carefully moving into a sleep walk, stone trance that's very memorable. Archer is suitably sweet and sympathetic as the true victim here and she manages to also pull out all the stops as the narrative calls for it. She has a genuine warmth that adds credibility to the difficult role of the perfect wife. Douglas, the quintessential yuppie of the 1980s is perfectly cast and in spite of Dan's selfish arrogance he makes him real and credible. When he looks at Alex when they first meet there's a hint of the violence and pandemonium that might ensue and he laughs it off. It's a great moment and his early work here with Close is great to watch. "Are you" she says. "What" he croons. "Discreet" she invites. "Oh.. Yes, yes of course" he smiles with a winning grin. The script is strongest in these moments of seduction and the later moments of pursuit that find the largely black clad Alex skulking about in Edward Goreyesque postures lurking in Dan's life. And yes, while much of the film is grim and designed to create tension, there's also a clever sense of humor at work. The frequent jabs at the house in the country' yuppie bliss are amusing - particularly when Alex, overwhelmed by one family in front of the fireside moment can only VOMIT in her rage and disgust.
Upon its release the film was a box office smash that terrified audiences (I still cannot believe the number of adults screaming in the audience during the film's outrageous climax). For whatever the reason, Fatal Attraction touched a nerve with the public. Its critical reviews were mixed and the film fell prey to certain feminist critics who felt that the character of Alex was a thinly masked example of the career woman's threat to the working man. It became clear that some women really disliked the film and felt it undermined the notion of the working woman and that she was lashing out needlessly at the nuclear family myth of the 1980's. The point of contention still remains in the film and it's a largely personal reaction. Is Alex Forest the moniker of all working, unmarried women? Is it fair to label the film and the character as wrong and make it the definitive reading? I think not but again, to each his own opinion and the feminist argument is certainly a strong one here.
Lastly, the much publicized Madame Butterfly original ending frustrated the test audiences at repeated screenings. It seemed that the narrative had created such a volatile conflict and the performers had played everything so far to the hilt that the films final moments were extremely disappointing to the viewers. Begrudgingly, Lyne and company shot an extended, violent and circus like finale that generated screams and applause and clearly added to the film's popularity. In retrospect the more downbeat and sinister finale seems preferable but one can't deny the box office receipts! If you are lucky enough to see the Laserdisc or new DVD presentation of the film, it includes the original ending.
Again, Not for all tastes but unfairly maligned by too many camps, Fatal Attraction is more than just a trashy, lurid, suspense film - it's a prototype of trashy, lurid, suspense films and it succeeds at being effective. Even if you find the narrative silly or cliched it remains a film to be reckoned with. Its big, loud and provocative conflicts touched a large number of people. While I do have my problems with the film I end up back at the same point and will now credit Janet Maslin in her 1987 NYTimes review of the film that says it all for me - Love it or hate it "Mr. Lyne has created a soap opera of exceptional power". She's right. It's an unsettling mix of lurid melodrama that's bound to involve and absorb most filmgoer's. If it's been awhile check it out - it's still not a great film but it's smarter than you remember as well as being exceptionally well made and if you've never seen it - it's certainly worth your time if you enjoy thrillers.
In spite of its potboiler narrative and the fact that this will never be everyone's idea of entertainment, Fatal Attraction has a lot going for it. Director Adrian Lyne (known unfairly and glibly as merely a director of kinky garbage like Flashdance) has a surprisingly firm handle on things here as he orchestrates details well and expertly turns the screws of the narrative's many consequences. Lyne's take no prisoners choice to shoot and edit the film more like a monster movie than a standard domestic drama hurls the provocative narrative right into the viewers lap. There's a unique, palpable sense of tension and dread here that's unusual for this type of film and is not easily dismissed. The bleak, late winter skyline of Manhattan and the surrounding affluent burbs are the perfect backdrop for this threat to the nuclear family myth of the 1980's. Lyne shoots things low and hazy. Void of bright colors so that urban scenes turn to a slate texture and the countryside seems a dull grey, the sleek cinematography - sexy at first, perfectly moves toward casting an increasingly ominous eye. Also, Maurice Jarre's discreet and industrial-like musical score is eerie and menacing. It's soft and understated throughout and extremely effective.
It's important to note the well played performances that flesh out the suspense yarn. Glenn Close makes Alex so likable at first that we sympathize with her loneliness and understand her frustration. It's a different sort of turn for this somewhat mannered and Patrician actress who uses those qualities and plays them to the hilt here. She's vampy and comically slutty when she and Douglas pant through their sex scenes and she's fragile and pitiful as lonely woman desperate to have a relationship. It's when she beings to loose her grip and unravel that Close under plays carefully moving into a sleep walk, stone trance that's very memorable. Archer is suitably sweet and sympathetic as the true victim here and she manages to also pull out all the stops as the narrative calls for it. She has a genuine warmth that adds credibility to the difficult role of the perfect wife. Douglas, the quintessential yuppie of the 1980s is perfectly cast and in spite of Dan's selfish arrogance he makes him real and credible. When he looks at Alex when they first meet there's a hint of the violence and pandemonium that might ensue and he laughs it off. It's a great moment and his early work here with Close is great to watch. "Are you" she says. "What" he croons. "Discreet" she invites. "Oh.. Yes, yes of course" he smiles with a winning grin. The script is strongest in these moments of seduction and the later moments of pursuit that find the largely black clad Alex skulking about in Edward Goreyesque postures lurking in Dan's life. And yes, while much of the film is grim and designed to create tension, there's also a clever sense of humor at work. The frequent jabs at the house in the country' yuppie bliss are amusing - particularly when Alex, overwhelmed by one family in front of the fireside moment can only VOMIT in her rage and disgust.
Upon its release the film was a box office smash that terrified audiences (I still cannot believe the number of adults screaming in the audience during the film's outrageous climax). For whatever the reason, Fatal Attraction touched a nerve with the public. Its critical reviews were mixed and the film fell prey to certain feminist critics who felt that the character of Alex was a thinly masked example of the career woman's threat to the working man. It became clear that some women really disliked the film and felt it undermined the notion of the working woman and that she was lashing out needlessly at the nuclear family myth of the 1980's. The point of contention still remains in the film and it's a largely personal reaction. Is Alex Forest the moniker of all working, unmarried women? Is it fair to label the film and the character as wrong and make it the definitive reading? I think not but again, to each his own opinion and the feminist argument is certainly a strong one here.
Lastly, the much publicized Madame Butterfly original ending frustrated the test audiences at repeated screenings. It seemed that the narrative had created such a volatile conflict and the performers had played everything so far to the hilt that the films final moments were extremely disappointing to the viewers. Begrudgingly, Lyne and company shot an extended, violent and circus like finale that generated screams and applause and clearly added to the film's popularity. In retrospect the more downbeat and sinister finale seems preferable but one can't deny the box office receipts! If you are lucky enough to see the Laserdisc or new DVD presentation of the film, it includes the original ending.
Again, Not for all tastes but unfairly maligned by too many camps, Fatal Attraction is more than just a trashy, lurid, suspense film - it's a prototype of trashy, lurid, suspense films and it succeeds at being effective. Even if you find the narrative silly or cliched it remains a film to be reckoned with. Its big, loud and provocative conflicts touched a large number of people. While I do have my problems with the film I end up back at the same point and will now credit Janet Maslin in her 1987 NYTimes review of the film that says it all for me - Love it or hate it "Mr. Lyne has created a soap opera of exceptional power". She's right. It's an unsettling mix of lurid melodrama that's bound to involve and absorb most filmgoer's. If it's been awhile check it out - it's still not a great film but it's smarter than you remember as well as being exceptionally well made and if you've never seen it - it's certainly worth your time if you enjoy thrillers.