Movie #109 - Fatal Attraction

"On the other side of drinks, dinner and a one night stand, lies a terrifying love story."

In a decade of promiscuity and infidelity, this movie probably scared a number of couples straight - especially straying husbands. For those who haven't seen this film, even after 22 years, this movie is an intense drama with a simple premise.

Man cheats on woman with another woman.
Another woman becomes obsessed with man.
Another woman is crazy.

This film follows a line of movies by Michael Douglas that is both very sexual and filled with crazy women - if you seek out his movie resume, you'll find Fatal Attraction alongside Basic Instinct and Disclosure. At the time of this film, Douglas was trying to reinvent himself as a serious actor after his romantic comedies / action films with Kathleen Turner - Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile. 1987 was a watershed year for Douglas as he appeared in Fatal Attraction and Wall Street - which achieved his goal of becoming the renowned dramatic actor that he wanted to be.

However, the real treat from this film is seeing the contrasting performances of both Glenn Close and Anne Archer. Close has a prestigious film resume and has five separate Oscar nominations, all for films in the 1980's. Archer, on the other hand, is a former model turned actress. Her nomination as Best Supporting Actress is the only one of its kind in her repertoire, as her resume includes a number of television appearances on evening dramas such as Falcon Crest and a number of films where she was cast more for her beauty than her acting prowess. She might best be known for her two performances as Jack Ryan's wife in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger... however, Archer's overall career was always hampered by her beauty.

In the end, if you really want to be startled and scared with a great movie from the 80's... see this film. If you haven't seen it in awhile, I would recommend it too, because the special edition DVD's has extended versions, which also includes an alternate ending to the awesome fight scene between Close, Douglas, and Archer.

Because this film was nominated for Best Picture in 1987, it ranks as one of the better films coming from that year and that era of movies, but the real reason to watch this is to enjoy the deterioration of a great character in Alex Forrest (Glenn Close). You really buy into her demise and her destruction as a person with borderline personality disorder. That accomplishment on film alone should be a good reason to watch it!