MOVIE - UNFAITHFUL - Review Rating $$$$$ (OUT OF 10)
A tale of betrayal that stars Richard Gere, Diane Lane and Oliver Martinez.
Unfaithful is really a reworking of the tale of Adam and Eve, with Martinez taking the place of the apple and suburbia taking the place of the garden of Eden. However, the filmmakers largely miss the point of the biblical tale, because they give this story of adultery and murder a happy Hollywood ending. So much for there being consequences to suffer for very inappropriate (and illegal) behavior. Can't wait for the alternate ending on the DVD version...not.
I must admit that the performances given were very good. Diane Lane, in particular, brought depth, passion and sexiness to her role. However, none of the characters are sympathetic. The bored suburban housewife who cheats for no apparent reason and her lover are not people I, or most movie-goers, can sympathize with. Even Richard Gere's character loses my sympathy in the end.
While the movie is visually pleasing, and the cinematography was used judiciously to magnify various points in the story, good cinematography alone doesn't make a movie worth seeing.
The story, and particularly the ending, were both unsatisfying. The movie is equivocal about who the true villain is and tries to have its cake and eat it too. The ending is frankly unbelievable. Their marriage isn't strong enough to survive the type of burden they placed themselves under. It is another example of the movie choosing not to chose sides.
All of the above had me looking at my watch alot. And that brings me to my final point. Before Titanic, there was an unwritten rule that movies should be 90 minutes long, give or take 10 minutes or so. This movie, as so many others today, was just over 2 hours. It could have easily been, and should have been, 20 to 30 minutes shorter. They have editors for a reason but apparently they aren't being allowed to do their jobs lately.
If you're "tempted" to go see Unfaithful do so at your own risk.
Alternative Reviews:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Unfaithful-1114017/reviews.php
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2003
David Schwartz.
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