Acoso sexual

A tale of sexual harassment in the office with a twist – this time, the guy is the victim and the woman the pursuer. Yes, it's another thriller that builds on Michael Douglas's typecasting as a victim of powerful women (following FATAL ATTRACTION and BASIC INSTINCT) but this one plays all the right cards. Part workplace drama, part courtroom thriller, and all the time invested with now-dated-but-then-cutting-edge technology (email, virtual reality) I found Disclosure to be never less than intriguing and well made. The Crichton source material helps, of course; I haven't yet seen a Crichton film that hasn't been thought-provoking and entertaining (even the worst, CONGO, isn't entirely without merit, although the book is loads better).

I've been seeing a lot of Douglas in recent months and my opinion of him has steadily improved to the degree that I can't remember him giving a bad performance. He's fine here, providing a key likable anchor for the film to revolve around, and playing opposite him Demi Moore is also a surprise: she oozes sexuality and selfishness in equal measure, proving a powerful enemy at all times. Moore isn't the world's greatest actress but this might well be her best performance in a film.

The courtroom scenes, tense and full of electricity, are undoubtedly the film's highlights and there are supporting actors to relish (Donald Sutherland, Allan Rich and in particular a slimy Dylan Baker). It's not a perfect film, but it is a reminder of the kind of solid, sensual thriller that got made during a sometimes forgotten decade of filmmaking.

This is a pretty good drama with an excellent cast of characters. The story centers around Michael Douglas, who plays a division head in a high tech company in Seattle that is undergoing a merger. Demi Moore plays his old girlfriend, an aggressive corporate executive, who comes in and snatches away the job promotion he was counting on, then failing to seduce him after hours, files a false sexual harassment with the company in order to get rid of him.

It's interesting that although the story revolves around Michael Douglas's plight, it's the women who set the events in motion and who help the protagonist resolve the problem he's presented with. Female empowerment is the main theme of this movie.

Demi Moore gets perhaps her best movie role ever by playing the sexual predator to Michael Douglas's easygoing mid-level manager. She knows how to play the corporate game much better than him, and quickly boxes him into a dicey situation. How does a guy explain that it was his female boss who hit on him and not the other way around as she claims? Demi Moore controls the situation well for most of the movie, and plays the villain so well that the viewer really enjoys when she finally gets her comeuppance.

Roma Maffia does an excellent job of playing Michael Douglas's lawyer. He's lost on how to respond to the sexual harassment charges and what to do to preserve his job, and she forcefully takes over his defense and steers him towards a successful resolution. She also understands how the game is played and keeps her nerve when the company comes after her client.

Caroline Goodall plays Michael Douglas's wife and displays a perfect combination of anger and support while he resolves the charges against him. A lawyer herself, she understands the situation her husband has gotten into much better than he does, and is there for him as both an advisor and partner.

Rosemary Forsyth plays another female executive at the company who, without giving away the plot, mentors Michael Douglas through his dilemma. She's smart, but calm and principled, and in fact it is she, not Douglas, who eventually gets the promotion to head the company.

Even though Michael Douglas is the protagonist and eventually overcomes the crisis he's facing, his character is basically weak in the movie. He's carefree and unfocused at the outset, assuming the job promotion is his because he's done a good job for the company, and is completely blindsided when a woman takes it away from him and then threatens his career and his marriage. Douglas eventually takes charge and with alot of outside help and some improbable plot twists gets the upper hand, but in the cutthroat world of corporate intrigue, he's the little fish who gets lucky and swims out of the net.

Donald Sutherland hands in his usual fine performance as the president of the company. Dennis Miller plays a computer geek working for Michael Douglas and has a few humorous moments, but suddenly turns nasty in the middle of the movie and then just disappears. Dylan Baker plays a sort of Mr. Smithers kind of character to Donald Sutherland's Monty Burns, and is just egregious enough make you hate him, which is a good sign of a performance well done.

There are a few plot twists that offend the viewer's senses and things are wrapped up just a bit too neatly, but all in all, this is pretty good entertainment from start to finish. The movie touches an important issues, sexual harassment in the workplace, and makes it more interesting by making the woman the aggressor and the man the victim. Not surprisingly, I noticed that women gave this movie a higher average rating than did the men.

"Disclosure" deserves better treatment than it got from the critics. Sexual harassment of males by female superiors may be rare (and more likely than harassment of females by males to go unreported) but it takes place. Both Michael Douglas and Demi Moore are playing against type; only Donald Sutherland fits his character like a glove. But it's a reasonably good film and the major scene in which Moore's character is exposed as a liar and schemer works well, though with a boat load of improbable touches. If it makes the corporate world look like a jungle with predators around every bend, well, if you've been exposed to the corporate world it isn't much of a stretch.

I was very surprised that nobody else has commented on this movie. It is one of the better Crichton book adaptations (although it still varies from the book a lot) and deals with an interesting (if not important) topic. The acting is good. The film has serious, comedic, and other aspects (including some computer and technical stuff). It is not a great movie, but it was well received and is at least above average. Plus, it has the feel and look of a good movie (it is not a waste of money).

Sexual harrassment soars to new concepts in this compelling film based on the novel of the same title by Michael Chricton.

Tom Sanders (Michael Douglas) is psyched up about his promotion at DigiCom. But, as he arrives at work that morning, he finds out that the promotion never happened, but the position of Vice President was given to a woman. Of course, its not just any woman, its Meredith Johnson (Demi Moore), a woman from his past. Sanders discloses that he once was in a whirlwind romance with Meredith, but they parted ways and he came to Seattle, married, and started a family. Now, she wants nothing more to rekindle their romance, which Sanders doesn't want. An after-hours encounter leads to Meredith crying sexual harrassment, Sanders claiming he was the one who was really harrassed. Now, Sanders must be able to push past her power and status to show people what Meredith is really all about.

This was a great movie, based on an amazing novel. Douglas as Tom Sanders is what I expected, middle aged with a family, successful. However, the novel describes Meredith Johnson as blonde, while Demi Moore was not what I really pictured. However, her performance as "Super-Bitch" Meredith is convincing. She makes you hate her, no matter how much you like the characters she played in other films.

The part where Sanders struggled with Johnson in her office was extremely graphic. My mom predicted that I would cover my eyes, but I was very fascinated with it. In the book, this particular scene was EXTREMELY long, about 15 pages.

In conclusion, I thought "Disclosure" was a very well-done film with a great cast. Performances by Moore and Douglas were great, with a good supporting cast to back them up. It gives a good understanding of the American Legal System and sexual harrassment, and proves that sexual harrassment works on two levels. Sex is truly power, and if you have it, you have it, and if you don't...well, you'll have to work hard to prove yourself. I highly recommend seeing this film, but read the novel in addition to the movie. You won't regret it.