Unfaithful (2002)

not too believable and the ending... ack!

First off, I really didn't like Richard Gere in the droopy role of the poor schmuck married to a woman with zero emotional predictability; he was pretty lame. No cavalier sparkle in his eyes, no look of intellectual sharpness, no decent dialogue, no game; just Gere as Captain Baggy Pants who ends up going to his kid's play with a dead body in the trunk of his car in the school parking lot and later hides a man's body under two bags of garbage.

There were a lot of sweaters in this movie. I guess we were supposed to get the sweater as the message to beware of a too-comfortable life or maybe knitted angst... I don't know,maybe the sale on sweaters was left on the editing floor. Just when you got your sweater quotient overloaded, Dinna Lane character gives the Richard Gere character a sweater for a gift... and that doesn't begin to turn off the knitting machine. Ugh! I guess wardrobe played a big role in this movie.

Well, if the Diane Lane character (Connie) was true to life then this would have to be every man's worst nightmare for a wife. Affluent, bubbling over with happiness in the home, indulged by her high earning husband to work for charities when she feels like it, but then.... a chance encounter with some guy turns her into a wild cheating wife... with a vengence. No restraint, no qualms until the deal is almost over. And here is the pithy wardrobe part. She didn't wear sweaters to meet the guy. Nope. New bras and black dresses... hmmm. Beware of the sweater!!! Deep.

In that respect, I would sincerely hope that this character is not believable. Now, maybe if some discontent was built into the Connie character prior to the wild affair, but gosh... really?

For me, it dragged awful, especially the last half hour where the actor's faces were emoting all over the screen... little said, just pained expressions of grief-remorse-guilt-pain-love-forgiveness-more grief-more guilt-conflicted... Yah.

And the ending... what was that all about? I wondered if I missed something but I was hugely reluctant to watch the last 15 minutes of them emoting their guts all over again. I'm pretty sure I got it, but I guess this would be the artistic non-ending... kid asleep in the backseat of the car, them discussing and then discarding the idea of fleeing to Mexico... at a stoplight which keeps changing red and green... IN FRONT OF THE COP SHOP!!! Ya know, at that point my disgust at the waffling end was so great I was hoping someone would slap the cuffs on the both of them... I'm quite sure their faces would emote more grief-guilt-pain-love-conflict...

Gave it three stars because it's probably an average movie. July 31, 2008

Very disappointing and shallow

To this viewer this movie, despite the good acting job by Diane Lane, was very disappointing, rather formulaic. The ending is horrible and could happen only in the movies. The characters just weren't developed well and were rather stereotypical, not getting much below the surface except for some maudlin moments thrown in for effect. Richard Gere's talent is wasted in this silly story. I must admit, though, that I liked the little boy and his personality. July 18, 2008

INTENSE

Long before the big bombs go off, there are lots of subtle touches in this movie. Like when the phone number falls out of the book the Frenchman gave her, and she kneals down to see what it is. And when she realizes she pauses, and as she looks across the room, the dog is sitting on the easy chair, paws folded, looking at her. Magestically, or like the devil.

Or when she puts her quarter in the pay phone at the station, trying to decide whether to call him or not, and the first time she hangs up, the quarter drops into the change slot and as she takes it out, hesitating again, we see a close up of the quarter in her hand next to the change slot - above Washington's head, the words "LIBERTY".

Devices such as these are constantly being used, sometimes very effectively.

While dramatic, it is at the same time definitely a thriller. There's that element of danger, and in "Unfaithful" it's coming out in spades in the form of her husband finding out. The feeling of crime is palpable - as strong as would be for any robber breaking into a house at night. The Frenchman, her lover, is rakish, impudent and good-looking, often putting her nerve-wrackingly in the way of danger. Richard Gere's performance as the husband delivers, and Diane Lane pretty much sizzles. Their kid tends to grow on you, "Don't be sad, Mom. Dad'll be home tomorrow." Or, "Should we call the cops, Dad?"

Lots of good hurt and feeling like the fool in this movie. It never bores and seldom pushes the edges of melodrama. In a nutshell, some pretty intense stuff. Entertainment factor 5 stars.

Beleivability? Well, anything's possible, but when you consider that a.) she's got a husband who's just about as successful, handsome and loving as most women could probably want, plus b.) the fact that she's got a child and c.) that her lover is a good few years younger than she is - a dash of salt may be required. Still, more incredible things have happened under the sun - so what's not to believe, right? April 7, 2008

Someone always gets hurt in these situations...

This real steamy thriller about adultry stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane (she received an Academy Award nomination for her role). Connie (Diane Lane) and Edward (Richard Gere) Summer have a "near perfect" 11 year marriage with one son. They live the typical "happy" life in an affluent suburb of New York City. Edward, handsome and devoted husband, makes excellent money and Connie doesn't need to work, but does and raises money for charities. One day she travels into the city to work on a project and a freak heavy windstorm literally blows her into Paul (Olivier Martinez), a book dealer. She gets injured from the encounter and he offers her first aid and more. The two start an affair and Connie goes into the city alot to see Paul. Edward asks her if something is wrong, she says no, but he hires a private dectective and eventually discovers the truth. He goes to confront Paul and the plot thickens.

If you ever thought of commiting adultry, see this movie and that'll put an end to that idea! This film held my interest. It shows a different side---that women do it too and the acts can be devastating. This was a different role for Gere, and I rather liked him in this.

I highly recommend this movie. Buy it and enjoy, it is a thriller and not a "chick flick". February 14, 2008

Fascinating thriller, beautifully acted

Thanks to the competence of its leading actors, this interesting and suspenseful film maintains a level of integrity in spite of the often implausible script. The first hour is a rather interesting character study of a fractured marriage hurtling toward the inevitable disaster (not so subtlely foreshadowed by Kate Burton's character). The ending may be "convenient" to some, "unsatisfying" to others but to contemporary audience who have "seen it all," it's certainly true that you cannot please everyone. It's certainly an engrossing work as a drama AND a thriller thanks to the solid work of Gere, Lane and (maybe surprisingly) Martinez.

The special features are nice to have, too, and the "Alternate Ending" proves that the theatrical version was the better choice! February 11, 2008

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