Kubrick's Swan Song an Ugly Ducklnig

Rating: 4/10 (26 August 1999)

I love 2001. I love Full Metal Jacket. I like A Clockwork Orange (for the most part). Here's what I don't love or like: Eyes Wide Shut. What a stinker. Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't completely awful or shoddily put together. It was just far too long, and ultimately misguided. What starts out as a semi-surreal exploration of sex, the subconscious, and the merging of these things degenerates (after the infamous orgy scene) into a dull, plodding, unsuspenseful thriller that peters out rather than builidng tension. The final explanatory scene with Sidney Pollack deflates what little mystery there might be left. It is a dreadfully generic way for such a pioneer as Kubrick to end what started out as a promising film. Tom Cruise is decent in the lead role, but unfortunately, Nicole Kidman is wooden. At least when she has her clothes on and is talking. Kubrick's visual style is as breathtaking as ever, especially during the costuemed orgy and whenever he lovingly frames Kidman's perfect body, but the script is bad, and some points downright laughable. Too bad this is the last taste of Kubrick we'll ever have.