The Right Temptation

For what must have been perceived as weaknesses in other

aspects of the film that would have given it the tension and grit that

it needed, the director substituted abrupt "high schoolish" booms

and crashes as well as foul language that just seemed to be out

of place. Otherwise, it was a mostly unremarkable hour-and-a-half's entertainment.

As one other reviewer noted, it is interesting (she called it "heroic"

or something like that) the two female stars managed to bare

absolutely no skin in an "R" rated movie for reasons of "sexual

content." Maybe Ms. Delany and Ms. DeMornay had "no nudity" in

their contracts because of their maturity and the ramifications

associated with the same.

I was beginning to wonder about Kiefer Sutherland. Despite 17 years in the business and nearly 50 films, he's had few romantic moments on screen, particularly if you discount the coming-of-age stories he did early in his career. Thus, it was a real treat to see him in a sexy, mature romantic role in "The Right Temptation," and he was certainly up to the task.

Kiefer's talented enough that he can almost always find a way to shine, even when the material is weak, and both he and Dana Delany do so in this movie. Too bad the married couple they play (Michael and Anthea) has zero screen time together. Some well-scripted give-and-take between these two (steamy or not) could have added some interesting twists to the tale. Rebecca DeMornay (Darien), who's ostensibly the center of this piece, panted well enough during those love scenes with Michael, but either didn't have the skill to carry the lead or was hopelessly constrained by the script. Take your pick. In particular, the background story, which was supposed to give us insight into Darien's character and motivation, was simply flat. You kept wishing it would stop intruding at every turn.

The movie is only decent, but see it for the love scenes. It's always exhilarating to watch actors who can effectively convey sexual passion without having to reveal all their assets in the process.

A female P.I., estimated to be "The Right Temptation", is hired by a women to try to seduce her wealthy husband thereby testing his loyalty...blaa, blaa. So begins another plasticized, predictable, trite formula Hollywood clone noirish mystery with characters too shallow, patter too glib, and story too pat. There's nothing here for an audience to sink their teeth into leaving one to just sit back and zone.

I saw this movie, on cable, late at night. That, alone, should tell you something. This movie reads like pulp fiction, true. But, that's really all it is. You can tell by the title that it isn't Casablanca. It isn't Gone With the Wind. It isn't even Shawshank Redemption. It's *the right temptation*!!! The word "temptation" should tell you that it's not an oscar winner, folks. So, understanding that it is really nothing more than a romance novel bred with a crime drama...I enjoyed it (A LOT!). There is so much sexual tension in this movie, and the characters are insanely complex. I enjoyed some of the unique bits in this movie; for example, the starlets aren't 18...they actually have a few lines on their face. The lead character also has a pet pig. More than anything I wanted to stand up for Kiefer Sutherland in this movie. I became a fan of his only because of his acting in this film...it's so moving. During a very emotional part of the movie, he started welling up with tears and was so damn moving that I started CRYING (something that I do NOT do at movies...ever). He did a really good job, as did everyone in this movie. The script was cheesy and very pulpy...but if you like corny lines delivered by good actresses/actors, you'll love this movie.

Don't be tempted to see this movie, unless you really have nothing better to do. The series of NYC yuppie mysteries produced much better films than this very boring and un-interesting production. The story of an attractive ex-police woman, now a PI, hired to follow a married man and getting involved with the subject of her inquiry is too expected to catch the attention. The resulting triangle cannot create the much needed sexual tension, and what should have been a series of surprises can be predicted many film minutes in advance. Conventional acting and a foggy ending do not add too much.

5/10 on my personal scale.