Hollywood Memarees: Fatal Attraction 25 Years Later

[LuckyCharm]

I agree with Cyn. I have no doubt that once the dust settled, that marriage was doomed. No delusions of happily ever after for me, despite the closing scene. I personally still really enjoy this flick. I watch it almost every time I stumble across it on TV. I love watching the cheater being tormented, and Michael Douglas plays it extremely well, IMO. I love his look of helpless terror every time he almost gets caught. Yes, the ending unsatisfying, but even now, every time I watch there's a tiny part of my brain that believes he'll finally get what's coming to him this time.

Agree with Alex that the film probably didn't stop many people from cheating, and it was rather silly to think that it might on any large scale. However, I think the style of film making and the story itself are very much emblematic of the 80s. One thing I appreciate about it is that it's an adult story starring actors who looked like real adults. I feel like we don't see this enough anymore. I imagine if this were remade today, it would have a cast of actors who could pass for high-schoolers, or they'd even rewrite it to be about actual high-schoolers. I can't imagine Glenn Close and Ann Archer, with all their 40yo fabulousness, would be considered for sexy leading lady roles like this if it were being cast according to 2012 standards.

[duane]

I imagine if this were remade today, it would have a cast of actors who could pass for high-schoolers, or they'd even rewrite it to be about actual high-schoolers.

Swimfan

[LuckyCharm]

Swimfan

Exactly!

[leesaleesa]

Micheal Douglas was pretty good in King of California, but otherwise I find him bland. Fatal attraction was ok, but nothing worth watching again unless it's rainy and there is nothing else to do.

To answer the poster who asked if Tom Cruise ever did anything that required acting, I urge you to see the very excellent Cocktail. He got that babysitter girl pregnant in that one, and twirled some liquor bottles, and.....Well, yeah it sucked like most stuff he did. Born on the fourth of July, maybe?

[my little pony]

tom cruise has always had crazy eyes like that runaway bride. unless he gets a part where he's crazy, i'm not buying it.

[michiruwater]

Swimfan was explicitly stated to be Fatal Attraction for teens, and holy crap was it bad. Erika Christensen did a good job, but everything else about the movie from start to finish was bad bad bad.

[NinjaTurtles]

It irks me greatly how Fatal Attraction started being used as an example for Borderline Personality Disorder, even in some psychology classes!

[michiruwater]

My Psych of Film Professor class used it as an example of borderline. I had read several interviews before I took that class that the character was supposed to suffer from De Clerambault's Syndrome specifically, and when I asked him about that vs. BPD he just kind of dismissed me.