missed potential

Rating: 5/10 (20 July 1999)

Eyes Wide Shut raises interesting issues around marriage, sex, fidelity, and, as a thinking film, it will give you something to discuss with friends over drinks after you leave the theatre. But, the slow pace, bland dialogue, and less than inspiring acting left me wanting more. There was definitely more to be said in the film, more to explore that was only scratched at. Although I appreciate a film that leaves me thinking, wondering, debating, rather than telling me what to believe, this one fell flat. A major problem was in casting. It takes a certain kind of actor to pull off the dialogue and situations in this type of film and Tom and Nicole are not that type of actor. Sydney Pollack and Alan Cumming both gave fine performances and were much better suited to the genre and script. There is potential here, but the product did not deliver as it could have.