Sorry Stanley..

Rating: 5/10 (16 July 1999)

Although EYES WIDE SHUT does present some compelling moments, it finds itself divided into two films, which are supposedly meant to set up the contrast between sexual fantasy and reality, and what exactly drives the characters to their individual ends. Cruise's experiences, which seem to explore his sexuality only to a minimal degree, are interesting in their own right,and perhaps would have made for a better film.
Cruise's character, driven to pursuit of sexual adventure brought on by his wife's "revelations", seems to discover little about himself, and rather, he is exposed to the perverse sexuality of others. How the events that follow relate to his relationship is questionable, and I felt a bit disappointed when the "thriller" aspect of the film was ultimately dropped, rather anti-climactically
It seems to me that thematically, Kubrick has some definite ideas, but trying hard to make them entertaining (and perhaps shocking), he wastes time that could have been spent on a more thoughtful interplay between Cruise and Kidman.. maybe I just took it the wrong way, but my initial impression regarding this film is a negative one...