Woman Undone

"Woman Undone" is an exercise in bad moviemaking. The story is idiotic, the dialogue is amateurish, and the acting is wooden. The cinematography is unimpressive. The movie even looks bad, like it was shot on cheap film stock.

There are a few capable actors here, but none of them seem particularly enthused about being involved in this nonsense.

Mary McDonnell plays Terri, an unhappy wife who has relocated to L. A. with her jealous, moody husband (Randy Quaid). In the opening scenes, they're out in the desert, and he is burned to a crisp in their car while she stands on a hill with a horrified look on her face. The local sheriff is sympathetic after what appears to be a horrible accident. No big spoiler: It's not. An autopsy reveals that The charred corpse of her husband had a bullet in his brain.

A semi-retired lawyer (Sam Elliott) agrees to take Terri's case when she is arrested for murder. Just to add to the silliness, we learn in flashbacks that Terri has been boffing a young swim instructor (Benjamin Bratt, in what must be his dumbest role ever).

Did Terri murder her husband? The outcome is somewhat unexpected, but it doesn't lend any sympathy to her pathetic character.

You'll watch this one with a smirk on your face, and you'll cringe repeatedly as you witness some genuinely terrible film making. It's so bad that it's almost fun.

She's a beautiful woman and she's a great actress I love the movie as even randy quid is a great actor himself, I get she had cheated on him but they both did a great job in the movie.

Teri Hanson(Mary McDonnel)is definitely undone. Teri and Allan Hanson(Randy Quaid) have just moved to California to make a new start and to try and save their failing marriage. Allan is really angry and abusive. Teri is very lonely and she meets Jim Mercer(Benjamin Bratt), a life guard at the pool where she swims. Now Jim is a gorgeous, be-still-my-heart man. He is a gigolo though. Soon things heat up. The story twists and turns from there through out the movie. (Sam Shepard is a handsome lawyer, who's wife has died recently.) It's an okay movie. The twist at the end leaves you with your jaw on the floor and some unanswered questions. I would watch it just for that reason.

If you are a Benjamin Bratt fan, you have to see it just cause he is drool worthy as the sleazy lover. There are some steamy scenes between him and Mary McDonnel.

Very minor variations on the age old lovers triangle. There was a bit of hope, but uninspired writing provided cardboard, two-dimensional characters. Even Sam Elliott, who I usually enjoy, comes off flat. To me, the movie was in large part a waste of time UNTIL the last few minutes when a bit of an interesting twist on the ending was somewhat redemptive, moving my 2/10 to 4/10.

Interesting lead actors and their characters were involving enough to make me stick it out to the end of this so-so film. Sam Elliott played the only likable character. He's solid as the lawyer in here.

Mary McDonnell, famous for playing "Stands With A Fist" in "Dances With Wolves," plays a cheating wife and Randy Quaid, usually a comedian, is anything but here, playing an abusive husband.

Most of the story is told in flashback after Quaid is killed fairly early on.

It's kind of a soap opera at times but kept my interest going just to see what would happen to McDonell's character, "Teri Hansen."