Seducing Charlie Barker

Amy Glazer has created a wildly entertaining, darkly hilarious and sexy ride-of-your-life film, based on the play "The Scene" by Theresa Rebeck (who also penned the screenplay). The absolutely stunning Clea (Heather Gordon in her big screen debut) meets the talented but "in between projects" Charlie Barker at a party in Manhattan, with disastrous results. In a role that, mishandled, could quickly become cliché, Gordon's brilliant performance drives the story with her portrayal of a seemingly vapid newcomer with an agenda. A sexy and tragicomic descent follows for the hapless Charlie. David Wilson Barnes rounds out the cast as Charlie's best friend, Lewis. Zuniga is spot-on as Charlie's bread-winning wife, Stella. The cast is a delight, and the cinematic work by Jim Orr is outstanding in this indie release. With a perfect score by Bruce Fowler, this film has won several well-deserved awards and recognition at film festivals from Geneva to Cannes.

I was surfing the Netflix bored one night and found Seducing Charlie Barker, and I am glad I did. It is an old plot with new subtleties. The plot is that of a struggling actor who, in the midst of a mid- life crisis, finds his life upended by an extremely tempting younger woman. He is married, however, to a TV producer who supports him and has ambitions for a family, and the whole thing gets quickly out of control.

The plot is old, but the characters are well played and have subtleties that make the movie very interesting. Stella and Charlie, (Daphne Zuniga and Stephen Barker Turner) the show biz spouses, clearly love each other, but their personalities contain the seeds of the destruction of their relationship--he is too head-strong and narcissistic, and she is too under control and competent. Heather Gordon, who plays temptress Clea, is terrific in playing an oddly self-assured sex-bomb who also can sneak in vulnerability; you are never quite sure where she really stands, and this helps add a lot of tension to the movie.

What results is a fairly believable interpersonal drama about real human beings in the show-biz world. There are more than a few unexpected twists, and the ending is really clever.

I got to know Heather Gordon after seeing this movie. Her acting was ridiculously superb. I can not believe how she is not in many movies. I wish her very best in her acting carrier!! Directing also was excellent. I never found the movie too dragging a bit. Ending was nice and totally unexpected. I enjoyed the satire very much. It was a very very funny movie. It made my day. But at the same time it made me think how people end up on the streets, homeless, humor aside. Their may be a million of stories never being told. David Wilson Barnes was also great in his acting. Actor played the role Charlie was not fully impressive, but not so bad in my opinion. There was a little gap in the logic as to why Clea wanted to sleep with Charlie. Anyway, overall, it's a wonderful movie to watch over a weekend.