The Obsession

I saw this about two years later for Canadian Thanksgiving, probably because our 'W' television network needed to serve up a turkey. Those who saw it when it was released got it right. This is borderline awful. The evidence is that the production company hasn't done a movie since putting out this turkey.

I would also like to add my voice to those who saw Elise Gatien as miscast as an aspiring ballerina. I'm not an aficionado of classical ballet by any means but Elise Gatien doesn't have the body of a ballet dancer. She's far too busty and heavy - look at her fanny for example.

The other thing is that the cops in this town must be the dumbest on earth, staking out one home but not another. Aren't there more than two cops to do all the police work? If it shows up again on your cable late at night, give it a pass.

To be brutally honest, this movie was extremely hard to sit through because the acting was just completely horrible. Elise Gatien, who played Erika Matthews (the teenage girl who was being stalked by her ballet teacher), was one of the characters that I kept asking myself, "How ON EARTH did she get this role?!?" I apologize for sounding so harsh but w/ all due respect, she can't act nor can she dance. As a big movie fan (be it TV or the silver screen), I have high expectations from Hollywood & most of the time, if I'm disappointed w/ a movie, it's usually because of the storyline & not because of the acting. So not the case w/ this movie. Of course, you can't blame everything on the actors because directors are just as responsible & the directing in this movie was very poor. I mean how many times do you need to see Erika's audition performance? This part of the movie was over kill for me & it didn't help that she wasn't a great ballet dancer to begin w/. Overall, a disappointing Lifetime movie!

First of all, I would like to start off with the positive, which sadly for me is only one thing, & that is Sebastian Spence is a really handsome actor. Sorry people, I tried to dig deep to come up with more positive things to say but this is all I could find. For Daphne Zuniga, she's a good actress. I've seen her other work; however, this movie was such a waste of her talent.

In a nutshell, "The Obsession" had potential. Unfortunately, it was never reached because of the really bad acting & bad directing. I cringed most of the time during the movie because of this. I was embarrassed for the entire cast. I wanted to grow with the characters & lose myself in the storyline but sadly it never happened. The chemistry in the cast was non-existent & most of the characters just weren't believable or organic, especially the girl who played Erika Matthews. She needs way more experience in her career before taking on ANY kind of movie. She has a very long way to go, which leaves me wondering like one other reviewer as in WHY she was casted in this role. And her dancing! Oh my gosh, her ballet performance totally killed me & seeing her routine once was TOO MUCH for me to stomach. Why did they have to show her routine over & over & over...??? Ugh!

Unfortunlatey everyone, I give "The Obsession" a big time THUMBS DOWN...WAY DOWN!

After finding a condom wrapper in her car, attractive architecture designer Daphne Zuniga (as Deborah) suspects her husband is unfaithful. Newly divorced, Ms. Zuniga finds herself attracted to handsome young ballet instructor Sebastian Spence (as Reed Halton). He takes over as dance teacher for Zuniga's sweet 16-year-old daughter Elise Gatien (as Erika Matthews), after her regular teacher resigns abruptly. At first, Zuniga worries that dating her daughter's teacher may be unprofessional, but she needs to be "happy again." Maybe they should have included a scene with her checking out any condom wrappers around her own bed, or her daughter's...

"The Obsession" features central characters that are simply not convincing. We're told a mother loves her husband, yet there are no scenes questioning the condom wrapper and romantic video clip. Writer Christopher Morro and director David Winkler should have given us more reasons to understand Zuniga's conclusion (a previous affair, perhaps). Later, a quick slip into the sheets, with your daughter's doorway open, doesn't make sense. And, she could have been a little concerned and sneaky about her own activity. Also, nobody advises Ms. Gatien's character about other career options. She's a fine dancer, but seems quite unlike a professional ballerina.

*** The Obsession (2006-07-17) David Winkler ~ Daphne Zuniga, Sebastian Spence, Elise Gatien, William MacDonald

This film had promise with its story. I sadly have to agree with the other comments. The result of the film was terrible. The main reason being the acting of the actress who played Erika. She forced every line and was very poor. I too was wondering why she got the role.The other problem would have to be the MANY montages we have of Erika dancing. Half the film is Reed thinking of her dance and it gets boring (Although, a creep like Reed may ALWAYS think of the obsession.)The positive thing would be the actress who played the mother as well as the actor who played Reed were good. But overall, the films two problems out shined the positive.