The Cool Surface

When a writer moves back to Hollywood looking to regain himself, find new material and meets an attractive actress next door looking for her big break who's using who? Robert Patrick was coming off his success with T2 and Teri Hatcher was about to become TV's Lois Lane. As a fan of Patrick, I finally get around to seeing 'The Cool Surface' which is mostly remembered for Hatcher's nudity.

This is a dtv trip that rides a fine line between some decent acting and suspect dialog. It's also fairly low budget and rather slow in spots. Plus Patrick sports a horrible haircut, glasses mentally goes all over the map while Teri takes her clothes off once or twice, but the sex doesn't seem like it's sole purpose. Unfortunately the noir thriller elements aren't always handled well.

What do we make of the writer? Is he going crazy? A serial killer? Is the actress leading him on? Perhaps the male voice screaming over select parts of the soundtrack highlights the descent into insanity. 'The Cool Surface' wraps up feeling decidedly average. Veteran actor Matt McCoy and Cyril O'Reilly (Navy Seals) the only supporting cast of note. Fans of the two leads might be interesting in checking this out, but if that's not you I'd leave this curiosity piece alone.

This film is somewhat disjointed and boring. The random erotic scenes come out of nowhere. This films wont lead to any reboots.

This film is absolutely HOT!! The film is so full of erotic tension, even when there's 'nothing actually happening' (!). For that, the erotic appeal, I give it 5 stars, even though the story gets a bit unsatisfactory towards the end. It feels like it was originally different and some essential scenes were cut. But I can't say much more without giving too much away. I love the very ending, though! Calls for a sequel, really, which unfortunately never happened. I would have loved to see Robert Patrick in more steamy action... So, if you want to see two very good-looking people involved in loads of hot situations and talking - this is a film to get. Might be that the story is a bit confused - but who cares??? It's certainly not boring!

I caught about 15 minutes of this on cable while on a trip. It intrigued me enough to rent it. What a mistake. Robert Patrick plays a writer. Early in the film, his writing is criticized because his characters can't make up their minds...well this film suffers from the same thing. The characters change so much there's no chance for the audience to start caring about what's happening.

Such a pity! The Cool Surface is one of those films in which the viewer can tell early on what the filmmaker is trying to do, but it's so clunky it has a paint-by-numbers feel. On any level of honest, objective scrutiny it is uneven and uninteresting. The sum is so much less than the underwhelming parts! Hatcher plays her role as a sultry siren way over the top. Considering her considerable natural talents and attributes, the result is beyond overkill. Robert Patrick alternates between a boring, sulking wimp and an unconvincing psycho. I don't remember seeing Patrick in anything else, but I hope he's better than this. Hatcher sure is. As to Matt McCoy, this is the first role I've seen him in where he isn't downright creepy (also a natural attribute?) - maybe just because he has so little screen time. Oh yeah, there are a few sex scenes, including Hatcher cameoing her bare chest (remember Seinfeld: "Yes, they're real, and they're spectacular!"). Without Hatcher's visibility in these gratuitous sex scenes, this film probably never would have seen the light of day. As it is, The Cool Surface apparently went straight to video and has only resurfaced as Hatcher has recently risen from the ashes like the mythical phoenix. No deep messages here, just glossed-over sleaze - a barely par production to give the otherwise unemployed (and woefully under-utilized) something to do. No great resume builder for anyone involved. A real time waster!