Old Dennis Wheatly schlock!

Rating: 1/10 (23 August 2000)

Was Stanely Kubrick counting on his contemporary audience not realizing that the social locale of Eyes Wide Shut VERY closely resembles scenes from old Dennis Wheatly novels? Does noone remember that once-popular English schlock writer of the 50's and 60's who placed many of his novels on satanism in English mansions among the obscenely wealthy and powerful? Does the American film industry still believe they can get away with re-doing bad scenarios simply by re-locating to the US? Do we really need two and one-half hours of boredom to tell us that relationships reach a point where the humanity and vulnerability of those involved is either accepted with compassion or rejected and lead to a breakup? Can this be interpreted as an anti-feminine film? (Wheatly was known for it.) Where the hell are Germaine, Betty and Gloria when we need them? Do Tom and Nicole need to work together so much that they will accept trash for a script? Did Nicole's agent tell her when Tom became the LEAD and her role diminished? Ah, jeeze, all these questions would give me a headache if they were relevant.