Gewagtes Spiel

Besides characters played by Moe Howard or Stan Laurel, it's hard to remember a leading man who was as amazingly stupid as Kevin Kline's Richard Parker. The thing is, neither Kevin the actor or Richard the character seem to know that Richard is stupid, and the people around him, including the film's director, don't know it either. You want to pull for Richard because of what's happening to him, but he just keeps reacting in such an inane way, and digging his hole so much deeper that it's hard to care.

As far as Kevin Spacey goes, didn't his SEVEN character present himself as less of a psycho, at least on the surface? Apparently, Priscilla isn't much smarter than her husband, and the local police don't have much more going on than either of them.

This climax tries hard to create the mood of suspense in PLAY MISTY FOR ME or FATAL ATTRACTION, but by that point, after ninety minutes of watching these annoying people create their own hellish situations, why would it matter? Of course, the villain is even more annoying than the would be heroes, so you probably won't want to root for him, either.

It's difficult to remember when any of the three leads played less charismatic characters. If this film had been made in 1945, I might have cast Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi and and a leading lady more inept and annoying than any that I can think of, off the top (Jean Stapleton wasn't working yet at that point, was she?). Better casting choices today might be George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Theresa Heinz Kerry. You can figure out who would play which character, based on everything I said.

Alan J. Pakula's 'Consenting Adults' is A Decent Thriller! It has some catchy moments & convincing performances working for it.

'Consenting Adults' Synopsis: A man is falsely accused of murdering his neighbor's wife.

'Consenting Adults' has its share of minuses, but what makes most of the goings-on work, is its brisk Screenplay Written by Matthew Chapman. It has some good, catchy moments, that are note-worthy. Alan J. Pakula's is perfect. Cinematography is good.

Performance-Wise: Kevin Kline is excellent. Has there ever been a better scene-stealer? Kevin Spacey makes a good menace, although he's been better. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is fabulous in a performance that ranks amongst her finest to date. Rebecca Miller is highly effective. Forest Whitaker is believable.

On the whole, 'Consenting Adults' has merits.

Kevin Kline is cleverly framed for the murder of his best friend's wife, with a seemingly airtight case against him. Equal cleverness in working out this story seemed called for. Instead, the frame-up basically unravels by improbable happenstance and concludes with trite Hollywood-isms, finally throwing in the towel with a few assault-weapon blasts. Real subtle, yes?

Not too bad a way to pass the time, but ultimately a let-down.

Fans of Forest Whitaker ("The Crying Game") will be pleased to see this talented actor appearing as a very southern, shy, soft-spoken insurance investigator.

I know this movie has had a lot of mixed reviews, but I really liked it. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and it had just the right amount of mystery, excitement, sex, violence, and drama to make me want to rent it again. It might not be the best movie to pick to watch with your married friends, but for a group of girls or guys to watch separately, it'll make for a very interesting evening!

Kevin Kline and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are a married couple in the suburbs who like to play it safe. Their neighbors, Kevin Spacey and Rebecca Miller, are a bit more reckless. Sometimes friendships with yin and yang balance themselves out, with the reckless friend pulling the cautious one out of his comfort zone, and the shy one keeping the daring one from getting into trouble. That's what Kevin 1 thinks will happen when the foursome become friends. There's a bit more spice than he bargained for when Kevin 2 suggests they swap wives for one night.

There's also a lot more to the plot than I've just told you, but it's a lot more entertaining when you watch it rather than read it. What are you waiting for? Grab your gal pals and a cocktail shaker and get ready for a bumpy ride!

Here's a film I thought was unfairly criticized by the national critics. Panned by about everyone, I thought this thriller was pretty good.

Yes, there is one major credibility gap in a key segment which I, too was ridiculous. (How can you make love to your neighbor, even in darkness, and not know who it is?!) Also, there is a clichéd ending, but that's not unusual in films.

Overall, however, I thought it was entertaining and nicely filmed. I'd like to see this on a DVD with a better transfer. The main actors - Kevin Kline, Kevin Spacey, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio - were all interesting, especially Spacey's villain character. It was also interesting to E. G. Marshall, who was a big star on television years ago. I'm sorry his role was so short.

The film also had good suspense. All of these are why I think the film is a lot better than it's considered.