Monumentally disappointing study in sexual confusion

Rating: 3/10 (21 July 1999)

Considering the time and talent, a complete waste of time and money by all concerned. We struggled through the downtown traffic to catch an early evening showing and were sorely disappointed that we'd bothered. The advance plot details turned out to be largely spurious and the trailer is fairly unrepresentative of what the film is about. Tom Cruise fails again to offer any evidence of major-league acting talent to back up his pay packet and Nicole Kidman was a huge disappointment after To Die For and Dead Calm, almost sleepwalking her way through the very overlong film. The plot can charitably described as slimline and the weighty themes and important points hit the screen with an almost audible clang - possibly trying to complete with the plinking minimalist piano soundtrack. There were some good scenes and nicely played moments and an effectively captured sense of naturalism though lack of background score and flat/static single camera setups, but these were lost in the landslide of disappointment. I spent the last thirty minutes of the film trying to think of a cast and director who could have done a more efficient, tighter and more entertaining job and came up with at least 5 other candidates. Not a fitting end to a true independant maverick.