This is a remake of Claude Chabrol’s La Femme Infidèle (leave it to the french to make a movie about sex, love, and everything in between), and this theme can also be seen in newer movies like The Other Man or Match Point. And it’s not like the eighties hit Fatal Attraction with Michael Douglas and Glenn Close and also directed by Adrian Lyne. It’s a very delicate and touching affair, especially for the manly man population with their fragile ego. However, if you’re up for something much more thought-provoking and erotic I recommend you check out this review of Sleeping Beauty, with a lot of other movie recommendations.
In the words of Homer Simpson: It is funny because it’s true, and in this case, it is not funny at all. You might think that it deals with the classic bored wife crisis that almost every married woman experiences. But it goes much deeper than that. It questions the very premise of marriage and love in an unobtrusive way. This question pops up only if you’re willing to dig deeper than the basic concept of cheating. Perhaps the practical part is the second layer. What do you do about it? Should you talk to your husband or perhaps a close friend?
Connie Sumner has a perfect life, a loving husband, a great kid, but there is something missing. That joy of life, that peak in her flat-line life. Men call this midlife crisis. She finds that peak in young artistic French guy by the name of Paul Martel. A chance encounter brings them together and creates a passionate affair, but the husband is starting to suspect.
I hate those Paul Martels, just pure fucking hate and the reasons for that have nothing to do with cheating. It’s the cosmic lottery that they have won, with their smarts, looks, and everything else in their lives. There I go, all judgmental and stuff, but this is a passionate movie. Unfaithful does not judge, it just paints the picture and leaves the conclusions to you. You can go as deep as you like, questioning one concept after the other. From earthly pleasures to meaning of life.
Starring Richard Gere, playboy (fuckboy for you youngins) from another time, Olivier Martinez, present-time playboy, and beautiful Diane Lane as the unfaithful wife, the movie has the perfect cast. I love the fact that her husband is not a nerdy guy but a handsome, wealthy, and very reasonable man. And as far as Olivier is concerned, well, as a straight male I managed to resist his charms, but I can see why he’s in this flick. Fuck, I have to be a man and admit that he’s ungodly sexy here. There you go. Unfaithful manages to raise a lot of questions and still remain sexy. There’s this erotic vibe that takes over you as you’re watching the story unfold. It’s mimicking the sexual awaking that’s happening on-screen. And you keep asking yourself, would happen if the same thing happened to you?
Director: Adrian Lyne
Cast: Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Olivier Martinez, Michelle Monaghan, Chad Lowe
Fun Stuff: Brad Pitt and Ryan Phillippe were offered the role of Paul. However during pre-production, the producers decided that Paul be French rather than American, so Olivier Martinez received the part.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250797/
