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Chloe (2009)

*** (out of 4)

A successful gynecologist (Julianne Moore) begins to think that her husband (Liam Neeson) is having an affair with a much younger woman so she hires a prostitute (Amanda Seyfried) to try and seduce him. The prostitute begins a relationship with the husband so that she can give all the details to the wife who in return begins to have strange feelings towards the woman she hired as well as her husband. This isn't the first erotic movie from Egoyan who splashed on the scene years earlier with EXOTICA, another rather bizarre sex story. This film here isn't all about erotic feelings, although there's certainly a lot of sex talk. I think the most fascinating aspect of the film is Moore's character who is much older in years but seems to be lacking just about everything else. When the relationship starts out we never see the husband and hooker together. The story draws its power from the relationship that blooms between the wife and the hooker. This is so interesting because we're never really given the motives of the wife outside she wants to know if the husband is a cheater. She finds this out rather early yet she keeps sending the prostitute out to get more info. The press for the film milked the fact that Moore and Seyfried ended up in bed with a rather passionate sex scene. This sequence contains two obviously beautiful women yet the scene isn't about the sex but the drama of what their characters are feeling. I think the film never makes too much sense in what it's trying to do but perhaps that was the point. The point to keep us off guard and not sure where the thing is going to go. For the most part I enjoyed the seduction and bizarre relationship, although I must admit that I thought the final fifteen-minutes just went way too far. I'm really not sure if a film and story like this needed an ending or if any ending could have worked but the one they selected just came off way too weak. The best thing about the movie are the performances by the three leads. I've always been hit and miss on Moore as in one film I'll find her to be excellent but then the next I'd see her as lazy. There's no question this here ranks as one of her best performances because of the wide range of emotions she goes through. Her character goes through all sorts of ups and downs and I thought the actress handled them beautifully. I really enjoyed seeing how she handled this character who is pretty much going through a mid-life crisis while figuring out new things about her own sexuality. Neeson is also excellent in his role, although he's not got as flashy a role. Seyfried turns in a terrific performance as well as you have no problem believing her in the role and the level of sexual maturity she provides is certainly a highlight. I thought she and Moore did a terrific job together and you can feel everything their characters are going through. The "twist" in the story is one I caught fairly early on in the picture so if you don't pick up on this I'd say you'd enjoy the film even more. Even though CHLOE is a complete success I do think the performances make it worth sitting through.

2/6/18. I decided to catch this because Julianne Moore has been such a surprise in recent years. Her range is phenomenal! Ever since she won the Oscar for 2015's "Still Alice" (watch it!) I have been trying to catch her other movies. She can pretty much play anything, if given the chance. I'm glad I caught this one. Moore plays a doctor who suspects her husband (Neeson) is cheating on her. She hires an escort (Seyfried) to seduce him. In the process, Moore and Seyfried become sexually involved. Only Moore could have pulled off the complexity of her character, a woman torn between too many desires that threaten to overwhelm her. Worth catching.

When David (Liam Neeson) misses his flight home from New York and, as a result, the surprise party his wife Catherine (Julianne Moore) has planned for him, Catherine is forced to swallow her disappointment and any suspicions and return to the waiting guests. Reading a text message sent to David's phone the following morning from one of his female students, Catherine's fear grows. More suspicious than ever that David is having an affair, Catherine seeks out Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), an escort, hiring her to test David's fidelity.

Chloe is a very solid thriller. Extremely engaging and incredibly entertaining, this story is ultimately about human nature and instincts. The film really grabs your attention and visually, it's quite a feat. The minimalistic sets and the way it was shot give this film a really modern and slick look. I feel like I should warn that there's quite a bit of nudity and somewhat graphic scenes but nothing outrageous or out of place.

Moore was absolutely terrific, she has proved her value already but here she delivers possibly one of the best performances of her career. Seyfried was quite a surprise. Her performance was subtle but very efficient and she seems a very promising young actress. Liam Neeson was not nearly as good as he usually is but it's understandable considering his wife died during the shooting of the film.

As I said, Chloe is a very solid and well done film. Unfortunately it has one major flaw, the predictably of the plot. I saw the twist coming from a mile way and I think any avid movie-goer will too. Still, it was a great watch, very entertaining and extremely well acted. Worth seeing.

7/10

This film is about a doctor who suspects her husband to be cheating. She hires a prostitute to test her suspicion, which spirals out of control beyond anyone's imagination.

If there is a sub-genre called sexual thriller, "Chloe" would be the prototype. The plot works very well, it's very engaging. The sexual mystery and tension are captivating, and the copious nudity does not even come across as over the top or contrived. Just as you thought you guessed the whole plot, it twists in the most dramatic way. There is so much suspense, excitement and mystery to the story. "Chloe" is a very good film with a wow factor, that keeps me glued to the screen.

Chloe is a 2009 erotic thriller film directed by Atom Egoyan, a remake of the 2003 French film Nathalie.... It stars Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried in the title role. Its screenplay was written by Erin Cressida Wilson, based on the earlier French film, written by Anne Fontaine.

Catherine (Moore) hires Chloe (Seyfried), an escort, to test her husband's (Neeson) loyalty towards her. However, Chloe falls in love with Catherine and the two women get intimate, which complicates their lives.

Chloe starts off as an intriguing psychological drama - and then begins to veer off into B-movie territory, although Egoyan packs in enough wisdom about the slow erosion of relationships, about aging, about female desire, to make the film utterly worthwhile. Moore and Seyfried provide the film with an intense breath of authenticity guaranteeing you feel the pain inflicted upon their characters by the plot's extreme circumstances.

The script's feminine perspective helps elevate the film from Egoyan's usual sexy (but satisfying) thriller into something a tad more insightful. The films seductive aesthetic is both distancing and, largely on the strength of Moore's translucent performance and Seyfried's boldness, forcibly intimate.

The film may be predictable and a little messy when it comes to the story-telling but Moore and Seyfried deliver enough hot chemistry to keep an audience's interest until the final moments. Between the strong acting, camera work, the subtle yet powerful score and a compelling story that lures us immediately, Chloe is ultimately a recommended watch.