legs wide shut

Rating: 5/10 (18 July 1999)

For a movie about sexual obsessions and sexual jealousy and a supposedly complex marital relationship -there was little sex in evidence. Tom & Nicole may have felt they were doing something scandalous and historical but the naughtiest thing they do is say the F word a lot. This feels like the sort of film that will be hailed as a masterpiece solely on its reverent pacing and the reputation of its director...not based on what it actually is.
The cinematography and lighting were gorgeous and Nicole Kidman had some interesting moments near the beginning but everything felt so forced, so deliberate...its as if everyone in every scene was too aware the entire time of the importance of the project so anything idiosyncratic or spontaneous has been stamped out. It felt depressingly lifeless and studied.
The big set piece (the orgy sequence everyone talks about) is creepy to a degree but hardly as shocking as it wants to be. A tame film considering the wild rumors that abounded before it actually premiered.