Unfaithful ***
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
Written by: Claude Chabrol (original film, La Femme Infidele), Alvin Sargent and William Broyles, Jr. (Screenplay)
Starring: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez and Erik Per Sullivan
Rated R (for rogerring. There’s also language, surprisingly little nudity, adult situations and violence. But, it’s not like kids are gonna want to see this anyway. Heck, Spider-Man is just down the hall. They should see that instead. Or, they could wait until next week for Star Wars Episode II.)
Hmmmm.
(scratches head, mutters something, raises his hand as if to make a point, shakes his head, mutters again, etc.)
Well, if I’ve learned anything from Adrian Lyne’s films, it’s that sex is wrong and will never wind up good for anyone. You might think it’s a lasting treasure, but it’s only a moment’s pleasure, and, they might say that they will, but, odds are, they won’t love you tomorrow. There are reasons that I’m single.
Lousy moral quandaries.
You’ve all seen the previews. You all know that Adrian Lyne directed Fatal Attraction. Unfaithful is not the “guy” version of Fatal Attraction. In terms of mood, it’s more in line with his remake of Lolita.
If you don’t know what it’s all about, here’s a synopsis. Connie (Lane) and Edward (Gere) Sumner are a happily married couple. Edward is the head of a security company – armored trucks and the like, like Brinks, but smaller. Connie is involved in charity work, mostly for her son, Charlie (Per Sullivan)’s school. On a very windy day in New York City, Connie runs into Paul (Martinez), and hurts herself. Paul is charming, handsome, smart, and French. Combine that with the title of the movie, and you already know what’s going to happen. Edward starts to suspect things, and has a private eye follow Connie around. See, Edward values loyalty. In fact, he fires one of his employees, Bill Stone (Chad Lowe), when word reaches him that Bill has been ‘courted’ by several other security firms. “You can’t fire me! I have a family!” protests Bill. “You had a family here,” retorts Edward. Anyway, things get bad, and then they get worse. Police start asking questions, the Sumner’s start asking questions, and then I went “Hmmmm.”
As far as direction went, well, it’s not like Lyne hasn’t been in this territory before. 9 ½ Weeks, Indecent Proposal, Fatal Attraction, Lolita – either he’s really comfortable with sexual relationships, or he has loads of issues regarding sexual relationships. Either way, he’s familiar with this sort of material.
Actingwise – wow. I had forgotten that Richard Gere could act. He’s able to play sad, hurt, angry and indignant at the same time. Diane Lane is able to shift from loving wife to doting mother to sex-starved minx at the drop of a hat. I’m not familiar with Olivier Martinez, but, the ladies won’t mind seeing him with his shirt off. And, Erik Per Sullivan – I just like this kid. He plays Dewey on “Malcolm In The Middle”. While he’s essentially playing the same character here, at the same time, he isn’t. He just strikes me as the sort of kid who makes up dumb songs and talks to animals in his real life, not just when he’s on camera.
The story – also good. Be aware that I’m gonna get pseudo-intellectual right now.
Call me old-fashioned, but I’m a firm believer in fidelity. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t even really know what a groove is, so I don’t fully understand the desire to get it back. But, I do believe that if you are with someone, you are with him or her. Yes, eyes wander. Yes, we all have urges. Just because a handsome French man made you tea is no reason to start having an affair with him, however. I had very little sympathy for Connie. “No. I can’t,” she said repeatedly. “We have to stop,” she would tell Paul. Of course, those protests lasted for about 10 seconds, since he was handsome and French and made her feel naughty. That’s just something I don’t think I’ll ever understand. Hi, I’m happily married, have a loving husband and a great kid. Could you make me feel like a whore, please? And then there’s the issue of Edward. Had I been in that situation, I would have been all “Dear Baby, Welcome to Dumpsville, population: You.” But, we are shown that Edward values loyalty, and not just from others – he places the same burden on himself. I understand why he does what he does, but, it’s almost like the audience is left out of some big part of backstory – why is loyalty such a big issue with Edward? I understand and condone nearly everything he does. But, by the end of the movie, I had started saying, “Hmmmm.” The situation was different than I thought it was. There’s a scene near the end where Edward and Connie are dancing and kissing. There’s nothing romantic about it. They are damaged people, desperate people. They know everything, but they also know that they need each other. It’s not even love anymore. They want it to be love, but that’s just not possible anymore. It’s not addiction, it’s something... else. I don’t have the words to describe it. The final shot of the movie mirrors an earlier scene where Connie first meets Paul. The right thing to do is within reach. But, the right thing to do isn’t what’s going to be done.
This is probably one of the worst movies to go to on a first date I’ve seen in awhile.
