Disappointing, unoriginal

Rating: 2/10 (19 July 1999)

Kubrick may have been trying to say something new about sexuality with this movie, but he certainly doesn't reinvent the wheel. Although the cinematography and set design are stunning, and the supporting cast fascinating, this movie disappointed me as just another het male fantasy. There's not a naked guy in sight, the orgy scene is anything but sexy, the dialogue is forced, and what's with Nicole Kidman's accent lapses? (She's a good actress but she's no Meryl Streep, and should have been allowed to speak in her native tongue, seeing as how it would have made no difference to the storyline.) The colour and poignancy of the supporting characters (also beautiful people in ugly situations) is the only redeeming factor here. All in all, I expected something groundbreaking, something original, and found instead what amounts to a very pretty but very strained attempt. Not only is it the same old wheel, but it covers the same old territory, too.