Il bacio della mantide

Harmless enough with zero originality and a hardly believable string of events with some very soft porn thrown in for good measure. The characters are inconsistent and unrealistic. The token Brit lawyer is hilarious to any British person as a typical American stereotype of anyone British and it is strangely late 80's for a mid 90's film in both fashion and originality. The best line is when the world weary private detective explains why he has lost his enthusiasm for the job -'I woke up one morning and realised I wasn't 25 anymore and it p****d me off'. Watch only if you have no other options and leave all senses of reasoning.

While not the most original movie ever written, it is sharp fun if you pay attention. Some very funny clever lines. What most people don't seem to realize is that this is a dark comedy, sly and witty. D'Angelo is good, not great, and delivers some terrific "Joan Collins" style vamp lines that are very funny...if you understand you are watching a dark comedy, not "Medea" of some TV cop show. Very enjoyable, start to finish, mostly because of the sneaky clever writing, All the acting is solid, and Barbara Rush makes a welcome appearance, still beautiful. The directing is pedestrian, admittedly, (like in most movies) but the script is very funny. My wife and I laughed out loud at many of D'Angelo's snappy lines: she has her tongue firmly in cheek, and seems to be having a great good time. Recommended for a fun evening. Drink some wine and have a giggle.

As soon as I was subjected to the incredibly irritating music over the opening credits I should have stopped watching this film. Instead I persevered and wasted 103 minutes of my life, hoping in vain that the situation would improve - it never did. In fact thinking back, the opening music was the film's highpoint.

I'm usually a fan of these semi-erotic Made-for-TV thrillers despite all their cheesiness, but 'Widow's Kiss' has absolutely nothing going for it. For what it's worth the story has a lawyer, played by Bruce Davison ( remember him in the title role of 'Willard' back in 1971 ), falling for a recently widowed dyed-blonde.

Before you can blink and say 'Somebody shoot the script-writer', they have had a whirlwind affair and are married in Las Vegas. She moves in to the family home, where the lawyers son is suspicious of his new step-mom and her wardrobe of see-thru nighties .

Anyway, blah-blah-blah-blah - everything is Grade-Z, but what really grates is that no-one in the whole sorry affair seems to even make any effort. The people responsible for this turkey should suffer career freefall - Beverly D'Angelo next starred in 'Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills'(1994), so maybe there is some justice in the world.

Sly witty movie with sneaky fun dialogue. All around good performances. The plot unfolds smoothly but the dialogue is full of clever wit. Really fun if you are a smartie and pick up on all the dry wit, but enjoyable even if you miss it.

"Widow's Kiss" is a well-crafted film-noir thriller with a steamy performance from Beverly D'Angelo as a woman who lives off the avails of rich, lonely men. The film is well directed by Peter Foldy and delivers some strong production values.

Mackenzie Astin (brother of Sean and son of Patty Duke) is great as the boy who suddenly inherits D'Angelo as his seductive stepmom. Bruce Davison is solid as Astin's dad and Dennis Haysbert gives a grounded performance as a down on his luck detective hired to solve a murder. At the end of the day, it is Ms. D'Angelo who carries the film as the cold-hearted Vivian. She bares all here and was at the top of her game when she made this film.

Though some of the dialogue may sound a bit on the money, "Widow's Kiss" is a great little film that should have gotten much more attention. It was an HBO World Premier back in the mid-90s and it's still a fun, sexy ride 20 years later. Would be nice to see this re-released on Blue Ray or DVD with a director's commentary.