Current:Home > NewsA new 'Fatal Attraction' is definitely aware of your critiques of the original-LoTradeCoin
A new 'Fatal Attraction' is definitely aware of your critiques of the original
View Date:2024-12-23 21:03:10
Fatal Attraction, Adrian Lyne's 1987 blockbuster that spawned an untold number of pre-Internet memes and feminist theory academic papers, ostensibly concludes with the hetero nuclear family restored to its "natural" state: The manic, very unwell homewrecker Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) has been shot dead out of self-defense by Beth (Anne Archer), the wronged wife of Alex's one-time fling Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas). The final scene has police taking Dan's statement and an image of a family portrait of the Gallaghers with their young daughter.
But an eight-episode series "reimagining" of the movie, created by Alexandra Cunningham and premiering Sunday on Paramount+, wonders: What if things had gone differently? What if we better understood what drove Alex to become unhealthily obsessed with Dan? What if we got Beth's side of the story? What if Dan really had to atone for his affair gone awry?
So many "what ifs"; so little necessity for them to be answered in the form of an uninspired reheat.
Creatives attempting to modernize a fraught cultural touchstone often like to wield their primary source's outdatedness as a shield against critiques of unoriginality, to the point where it's become a full-on Hollywood cliché. Disney established an entirely new genre using this tactic, and plenty of other franchises have done it, too.
Fatal Attraction 2.0, which stars Joshua Jackson as Dan the family man who strays, and Lizzy Caplan as Alex the scorned and unwell woman, likewise tries really hard to mount an enlightened case for its existence. It opens in the present day, with a grizzled Dan up for parole after serving 15 years in prison for murdering Alex. (He's extremely contrite: "I chose to take her life ... I've come to atone," he tells the parole board.) It also moves the action away from Reagan-era New York into early Obama-era Los Angeles and juggles multiple timelines. (Because, of course, we must have a therapy-tinged understanding of our leads' troubled origins.)
And yet like so many others of its ilk, Fatal Attraction can't overcome the sense of reboot fatigue it inherently emits.
Dan's remorseful speech to that parole board is convincing enough, and he's back out in the world, ready to rejoin society and attempt to reconnect with his ex-wife Beth (Amanda Peet) and now college-aged daughter Ellen (Alyssa Jirrels), who was just a kid when all the chaos with Alex went down. But also he "didn't kill that woman," he will later insist, "and I'm going to prove it."
Ah, yes – it's worth noting that Fatal Attraction is also a procedural of sorts, as Dan attempts to clear his name with the assistance of his mentor and friend Mike Gerard (Toby Huss, bringing welcomed comedic relief), a retired detective. The other major plot thread in this web of deceit takes us back some 15 years earlier, as the script traces Dan's downfall from a respected criminal attorney to a convicted felon.
Jackson and Caplan are actually well-suited for what the creators seem to be going for; he's the ideal vessel for a version of Dan who embodies the hypocrisy of the "nice guy" (as opposed to the smarmy nature of Michael Douglas' performance) and she's great at rendering Alex's mental instability as subtler and more grounded than Glenn Close's interpretation. On paper, it checks off many of the progressive boxes: Dan's willingness to avoid consequences for his actions at any cost is scrutinized, the criminal justice system is (somewhat) critiqued, and Alex isn't outright dismissed as a "crazy" person.
It's unfortunate that the show relies so heavily upon wringing drama and suspense out of Alex's demise – perhaps a byproduct of our current era's obsession with crime and murder narratives. This being a miniseries rather than a tight two-hour drama, there's more time to sit with these characters (and many more) and get multiple versions of the same experiences, and yet that also means much of the runtime lacks the immediacy and chaotic energy that pulsated throughout the original film. (This is barely a spoiler, but no bunny is boiled, though Caplan's Alex does far more sinister things in her quest for Dan's affections. Nor is there an overwrought sex scene in an antique elevator – what little heat that is had between Dan and Alex will hardly satiate those who have complained about Hollywood's relative onscreen abstinence.) This isn't an erotic thriller so much as a mildly spicy murder mystery.
The show ultimately collapses under the weight of a convoluted reveal and an utterly preposterous ending that seems designed to serve as a cliffhanger for a possible second season – for what reason, I couldn't possibly tell you. That conclusion also completely undermines any modern sensibilities and empathy the show intended to bestow upon Alex throughout the previous seven episodes. By the time the credits rolled, all I could wonder was: What was the point of all of that?
As has been pointed out many times before – including by my colleague Linda Holmes – movies like Fatal Attraction make for an interesting experience partly because they so obviously emerge from larger collective anxieties of their time. In the case of the 1987 version, it played as a cautionary tale and did somewhat accurately reflect (and reinforce) a certain mainstream perspective about gender and sexuality, however sexist and conservative it was at the time. In 2023, it's hard to place what fears this new Fatal Attraction seeks to address. Maybe it's the fear of telling a story about a straight white guy facing the consequences of his actions without the safety net of an established IP. But that's hardly interesting.
veryGood! (91775)
Related
- Ex-Phoenix Suns employee files racial discrimination, retaliation lawsuit against the team
- Parenting tip from sons of ex-MLB players: Baseball – and sports – is least important thing
- Taylor Swift Brings Her Squad to Cheer on Travis Kelce at NFL Game at MetLife Stadium
- Southern California, Lincoln Riley top Misery Index because they can't be taken seriously
- John Krasinski Reveals Wife Emily Blunt's Hilarious Response to His Sexiest Man Alive Title
- A populist, pro-Russia ex-premier looks headed for victory in Slovakia’s parliamentary elections
- The Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce romance is fake. You know it is. So what? Let's enjoy it.
- Investigators search for pilot of single-engine plane after it crashes into a New Hampshire lake
- World War II veteran reflects on life as he turns 100
- Tropical Storm Philippe threatens flash floods Monday in Leeward Islands, forecasters say
Ranking
- Duke basketball vs Kentucky live updates: Highlights, scores, updates from Champions Classic
- A European body condemns Turkey’s sentencing of an activist for links to 2013 protests
- Washington state raises minimum wage to $16.28. See where your state lies.
- 4 Baton Rouge officers charged in connection with brave cave scandal
- Kansas basketball vs Michigan State live score updates, highlights, how to watch Champions Classic
- Louisiana Tech's Brevin Randle suspended by school after head stomp of UTEP lineman
- Steelers QB Kenny Pickett suffers knee injury vs. Texans, knocked out of blowout loss
- Texas rises in top five, Utah and LSU tumble in US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 5
Recommendation
-
Stop What You're Doing—Moo Deng Just Dropped Her First Single
-
Native Hawaiian neighborhood survived Maui fire. Lahaina locals praise its cultural significance
-
Video shows bloodied Black man surrounded by officers during Florida traffic stop
-
Pakistani Taliban attack a police post in eastern Punjab province killing 1 officer
-
'Joker 2' actor pans DC sequel as the 'worst film' ever: 'It has no plot'
-
Valentino returns to Paris’ Les Beaux-Arts with modern twist; Burton bids farewell at McQueen
-
Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulls fire alarm ahead of House vote to fund government
-
At least 13 dead in Spain nightclub fire