Unfaithful (2002)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Adrian Lyne

Writers (WGA):

Claude Chabrol (film "La Femme infidèle" written by)
Alvin Sargent (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 May 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Where do you go when you've gone too far?

Plot:

A New York suburban couple's marriage goes dangerously awry when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling.

Plot Keywords:

Taxi | White Panties | Cuckolded Husband | Book Seller | Remake

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Diane Lane	...	Connie Sumner
Erik Per Sullivan	...	Charlie Sumner
Richard Gere	...	Ed Sumner
Olivier Martinez	...	Paul Martel
Myra Lucretia Taylor	...	Gloria
Michelle Monaghan	...	Lindsay
Chad Lowe	...	Bill Stone
Joseph Badalucco Jr.	...	Train conductor
Erich Anderson	...	Bob Gaylord
Damon Gupton	...	Other businessman
Kate Burton	...	Tracy
Margaret Colin	...	Sally
Marc Forget	...	Café bartender
Larry Gleason	...	Tim
Dominic Chianese	...	Frank Wilson

Also Known As:

Infidèle (France)
Untreu (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, language and a scene of violence.

Runtime:

124 min | Spain:125 min

Country:

USA | Germany | France

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

France:-12 | South Korea:18 | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Dobbs Ferry, New York, USA

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Trivia:

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: It is clearly shown how windy it is, as Edward prepares to leave for work. As Connie looks out the window to watch Edward leave, it is a calm day, with no wind. Next shot, it is windy again.

Quotes:

Tracy: Having an affair is nothing like taking a pottery class.
Sally: Could be.
Tracy: No. It would start out like that, and then, um, something would happen. Someone, uh, finds out, or someone falls in love, and it ends disastrously. It always ends disastrously.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "I Love the New Millennium: (#1.3)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Jukebox Johnny

Something we had ALREADY seen before

For much of his career,director Adrian Lyne has clearly had sex on the brain,or thoughts of eroticial porno,turning out huff and puff features both good(the Oscar winning Fatal Attraction and the controversial Lolita)and bad(9 1/2 Weeks and Indecent Proposal,the latter firmly cemented as one of the worst films of its decade). Happily,Unfaithful rests more toward the upper end of the spectrum;based on a 1969 French film by Claude Chabrol(La Femme Infidele),the movie sports a continental demeanor that seems wholly appreciate,but as a whole we have seen this kind of adulterated behavior several times before. Diane Lane's standout performance is what elevates the first half,which could be easily dismissed as a straight-to-cable soaper or straight-to-video softcore porno assembly. A well to do housewife seemingly content with her husband(Richard Gere,is one of his best works here and one of his finest performances since the latter part of the 80's and early 90's),her son (Erik Per Sullivan),and her home in a quaint New York(upscale Manhattan) suburb,unexpectedly enters into a torrid affair with a French book dealer(Oliver Martinez-who looks like something out of grocery store paperback novel and one of those daytime TV soap hunks). Lane's complex portrayal of a woman caught between the borders of reason and risk is simply smashing,yet eventually she's not required to carry the picture by herself,as the second half heads off in some interesting and unexpected directions that ultimately lead to the wonderful amibiguous final shot. Unfaithful works for viewers willing to put some thought into it that only works for those who want cheap thrills will probably be disappointed,but in all its a illusion of eternal bliss that will find this easily a satisfying picture.