Susan Granger’s review of “UNFAITHFUL” (20th Century-Fox)
Why do middle-aged women commit adultery? Is it simply because they find someone who excites a passion that has gone dormant in their marriage or, perhaps, because they yearn to feel young and unencumbered once again? That’s the serious question director Adrian Lyne explores in this story of deception and betrayal. Inspired by Claude Chabrol’s “La Femme Infidele,” he introduces a happily married, suburban soccer mom (Diane Lane) who, literally, stumbles into a young French book-seller (Olivier Martinez) on a windy street in Manhattan. Intrigued by his Gallic charm, she arranges to meet him again and soon becomes obsessed with their illicit trysts. There’s a terrific scene of her silently squirming with shame, guilt and delight, as she recalls their love-making on the train going home. Meanwhile, her devoted husband (Richard Gere) becomes suspicious, so he hires a detective. Inevitably, there’s an explosive confrontation. Written by Alvin Sargent & William Broyles Jr., it’s filled with dialogue like “Be happy for this moment; this moment is your life.” “There is no such thing as a mistake.” and “Go back to your suburb, your carpool!” But Adrian Lyne (“Fatal Attraction,” “Lolita,” “Indecent Proposal,” “9 1/2 Weeks”) proves once again that he’s a master of seductive, soft-core porn, enhanced by Peter Biziou’s photography and Jan A.P. Kaczmarek’s score. Diane Lane cleverly underscores how arbitrary infidelity can be, while Richard Gere’s vulnerability embodies the inherent complacency when a couple lack trust and emotional honesty. And it’s an ironic twist to have sexy Olivier Martinez resemble Gere in his bohemian youth. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Unfaithful” is an unsettling, sensuous 7. It’s all about destructive burden of duplicity and the fragility of happiness.
