As bad as everyone said

Rating: 2/10 (13 April 2000)

I waited nine months to see this and being a Kubrick admirer I was ready to prove everyone wrong. They said it was a disappointment, not up to his earlier work, boring, and of course it was a box office dud. I was sure I would love it anyway because of Kubrick's earlier work. How bad could it be?
Well everyone was right. This movie is just a dreadful domestic fantasy, a bored couple slumming on the dark side for an evening, and unintentionally ludicrous in parts. The famous "orgy" scene has chanting so annoying I had to turn the sound down. I don't know how theatre-goers stood it.

The movie is not exquisite or amazing, as someone else here said. The slowness of the scenes is just irritating, and there's nothing charming about all the Christmas lights. So what? It is pointless and only of interest to see what all the hype and hoopla were about. Nothing, really. See Tom and Nicole overact and overreact. A supposed mystery unfolding which just fizzles, a number of distasteful scenes, and then a silly comic ending.
Oh well. Rent Lolita or Dr. Strangelove instead. They are masterpieces.