Liaison fatale

... so says Tom Hanks in 1993's "Sleepless in Seattle" to his son in reference to this movie and comparing its outcome to a strange woman who has been writing the widower (Hanks) as a result of him appearing on a radio show. But that's another movie.

The point is, its lesson was still easily recognizable in popular culture six years after it was made. What looks like an easy lay with a beautiful single woman can easily turn into an object lesson on Murphy's law. Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) is a successful NYC attorney, and on a weekend when his wife and daughter are away from home at his in-laws' house, he has a work meeting that includes Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), an editor for a publishing company. This leads to a drink at a bar, and that leads to a passionate one night stand that turns into a two night stand when Alex attempts suicide when Dan tries to leave.

Dan thinks it's over. Alex has seemed to come to her senses. But then she tells him she is pregnant, and no she is having this baby because she is 36 and it may be her last chance. When Dan insists he is not leaving his wife for her, that he does not love her - well, let's just say that the opposite of love is not hate it's indifference, and Alex at first stalks Dan and gradually turns up the heat until his entire family is at risk. The suspense builds until the harrowing end.

The thing is, Dan always loved his wife, subtly played by Ann Archer. She is beautiful, supportive, and he still has passion for her. They have a little girl and are a very happy family. But he just could not say no to what looked like a one night adventure that nobody need ever know about that turns into a nightmare.

There is more to the film than the cautionary "Don't cheat on your wife" message. I think it's because Glenn Close does such a fantastic job playing Alex. There's something about her portrayal that, to me, paints Alex as ultimately powerful, not just outright insane. Until the end she mostly dominates what happens to Michael Douglas' character's life. I think this one has aged well and would still recommend it.

Let me start by saying that this was a very decent movie. Michael Douglas at his best doing the roles he does best. And not only him but the rest of the crew as well.

To me, the best part of this movie is actually the very believable plot. This is a situation that could happen to anyone, and to a different extent has happened to people I know. Furthermore, both the script and all the actors make the movie all the more believable. It is true that the movie deflates itself towards the end, but overall it is a great movie, and even a warning movie for the ones attempting to do what is done there.

The movie gets 8 points on my list because of the less-believable ending, and also because Glenn Close, while doing a perfect part in the acting, should take the part of the wife, and the wife (Anne Archer) should take the part of Glenn Close. This said, even as it is the movie should not be unbelievable. I have seen worse, and you will know what I mean when you actually watch the movie yourself.

One thing that cracked me up were the negative comments on this website. It seems that they were mostly written by women with chip in their shoulders. They do not criticize the movie, but the "fatal attraction". They criticize the fact that men would do this or that, or that a man would prefer X over Y...basically making quite clear that something touched them at a personal level and they did not like it. I guess truth hurts.

If you haven't watch this movie, do it. It is well written, incredibly well acted, and as much as you will have to forgive the last 5 minutes, it is overall a great movie.

The plot of Fatal Attraction is well known and supposedly, when the movie was released, it terrified married men to the extent that it reduced adultery rates, or so the story goes. I find that mildly amusing and hard to verify.

What is more interesting is the character of Alex, portrayed skillfully by Glenn Close. The fact that Close didn't have the typical physique to play a "femme fatale" makes her role even more compelling, demonstrating the unpredictability of attraction. Her Alex is only mildly attractive but exudes a wild, deranged sexuality. Her frizzy hair, lack of eyebrows, and pale mouth didn't enhance her appearance, but Alex compensated with aggressive outfits and a matching attitude.

Some have tried to frame her as a feminist icon, but Alex is just a deranged, damaged criminal. At the start of the movie, it's clear that she's leading Dan where she wants him. During their dinner, Dan says, "This will end the way you want it," indicating that the idea was a no-strings-attached one-night stand between consenting adults, especially since Alex knew Dan was married.

They spend another day together because Alex insists, but Dan never gives the impression that he is in love with her or anything more than temporarily interested.

What is bizarre is Alex's change of behavior when Dan shows no further interest. From an independent professional, Alex transforms into a clingy, begging mess of a woman, which is explained vaguely, if at all.

While Dan's infidelity is not justified, I think he receives a punishment far harsher than he deserves. It's not true that he "used" Alex, who was more than willing to be used (as seen in the elevator scene). Moreover, falling out of love-or in this case, out of lust-is not a crime.

Alex turns into a violently aggressive psycho, and if the genders were reversed, everyone would side with the married person. Imagine a man harassing a former female lover with nonstop phone calls, destroying her car, and kidnapping her child. Everyone would scream "Stalker!" So why is Alex seen as a "feminist" and not a criminal?

All the lead actors were excellent, including Douglas, Archer, and Latzen, who played one of the few genuinely cute kids I've seen on screen. It's a pity about the over-the-top ending.

You don't hear much about this film anymore, but in its day, this was the most-talked about movie of the year. It was a 'favorite topic of conversation about the office water cooler' for a number of weeks. At the time, it was a shocker. Nowaways.....who knows? As we become more and more desensitized to violence, sex and profanity, it takes a lot more to shock us.

Still, this movie had memorable moments that have stayed with us who first saw it at the theater 20 years ago. Most of those memorable scenes, if not all of them, involve Glenn Close's character, "Alex Forrest." Man, this is a woman who would not be denied what she wanted: in this case, married man Michael Douglas.

No sense going into all the details. Everyone knows them by now, anyway. Looking back, I think the film was a good lesson for men (or women) thinking about cheating on their spouses and assuming nothing bad will happen as a result. Men may commit more crimes, but that old adage about a "woman scorned" certainly is demonstrated here in spades! Douglas' character, "Dan Gallagher," certainly can attest to that, but he is anything but a sympathetic character. Both actors do a superb job in here, but kudos also to the rest of the Gallagher family, played by Anne Archer (wife "Beth") and Ellen Hamilton Latzen (daughter "Ellen.")

Also, the cinematography shouldn't be overlooked. The widescreen DVD certainly brought out how nicely this film was shot and directed. This two-hour film keeps your attention all the way. The only thing I would change is the language, toning it down a bit. Otherwise, it's a classic thriller and one of the most famous films in the '80s.

Had it not been for the performance of Glenn Close, this movie wouldn't really be worth the effort of watching. She shines in an excellent performance as Alex Forest, the spurned lover of Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas), whose obsession with their relationship becomes progressively more violent. Close manages to play Forest as the successful business type, the emotionally wounded woman and the deranged psychopath, and she makes every aspect of Alex believable. Michael Douglas is always competent, and is no less here than anywhere else, but his portrayal of Gallagher to me seemed a bit shallow and unconvincing.

The story itself (of the spurned woman seeking revenge) is hardly original, and even the twists and turns seem typical and predictable, and more than a few things in the story made little sense. First, given that Gallagher seemed to have a good relationship with his wife Beth (Ann Archer) and a happy family life as the father of Ellen (Ellen Hamilton Latzen) it seemed to me that he fell too quickly and too easily under the spell of Alex. Their relationship didn't come across as believable to me. Then, setting up the last confrontation of the movie, Gallagher is shown locking the doors to his house, with his body language suggesting that he had forgotten to lock them before. What? After everything he and his family have been through at Alex's hands, he didn't think to keep the doors locked at all times?! How did this guy get through law school? Finally, the ending was predictable, and for about the 914th time in the movies we see a villain who seems to be dead come back to life. There's no shock to this anymore, although I suppose when "Fatal Attraction" was actually released (in 1987) it was actually only the 674th time this had happened. In short, there really wasn't much imagination at the end.

This movie is all right as a way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon, but except for a few scenes (the thought of the boiling pot in the kitchen - and its contents - will remain in your mind after the movie's over) this is hardly edge of your seat stuff. Watch it for the excellent performance by Close, though.

6/10