Unfaithful

Starring: Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Olivier Martinez, Michelle Monaghan, Erik Per Sullivan, Michael Emerson, Chad Lowe, Margaret Colin
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A mother (Diane Lane) enters into a romantic affair with a charming stranger (Olivier Martinez) and tries to keep the relationship secret from her husband (Richard Gere).

Review:

Tim: Unfaithful could have been another average, run-of-the-mill romantic thriller, but it's saved by one thing- the stunning performance of Diane Lane. Lane single-handedly turns this from a forgettable film into one that is absolutely worth your time. The movie is certainly flawed (especially the last half), but it's better than it should have been. I actually enjoyed this movie.

The main focus of the story is about a woman who starts an affair. Now, these types of characters are very often vilified in films. I loved that this film took a realistic, honest look at an affair. What's terrific about this story is that the woman doesn't have a terrible marriage- her husband is loving, kind, successful, and present. There's really no "reason" for this to happen. And yet, like so often in life, the actions and decisions people make aren't based on logic. They are based on feelings, and a chance encounter leads the main character on this secretive adventure. It's fascinating to watch this all unfold on screen. The movie approaches this story in a mature, believable manner. I loved that aspect of the film.

Now, this all works because of Diane Lane. Lane is such an underrated actress. She takes this role and makes you truly believe every second of her screen time. Her performance is stunning. The highlight very well might be when she rides the train back after her first romantic romp. She is recalling the event, and she speaks volumes with her actions- she's incredulous, shocked, embarrassed, excited, and aroused. All of these emotions come across her face, and it's a stunning portrayal. I really believe it's one of the main reasons Diane Lane received a well-deserved Academy Award nomination for this performance. She makes the movie worth seeing.

The other cast members are good. Olivier Martinez was extremely well cast as her romantic partner. He brings a great deal of charisma to the role and helps explain why this woman would engage in such a risky affair. I also loved the casting of Richard Gere here- he is a good husband, but finds himself caught up in something that pains him deep in his soul. He had a few amazing moments throughout the film, but even his strong performance can't escape Lane's shadow. The cast here is quite impressive.

Up to this point, I have no complaints and nothing but praise for this film. Unfortunately, the movie takes an unexpected turn and it's this twist that really hurt the overall quality of the film. Up to this point, I was very engaged with the story and loved how it felt like a realistic portrayal of an affair- there was nothing Hollywood about it. Unfortunately, the story takes a very Hollywood-ish twist that never felt realistic to me. I felt like this was something that happened in the movies, not in real life. It was actually hard for me to believe. I always feel like it's a dream, and it takes me a while to understand that this is actually where the story is going. I really did not care for that event, or the ones that followed. I was also let down by the ending. I know it was purposefully left open to be ambiguous and ask the audience how they thought it ended, but it just felt cheap and unsatisfying to me. I felt like the film was going in one direction (and it was a very good direction), and then veered off to one side for no reason. That hurt the film immensely.

So, while I have some major criticisms of the latter half of this film, the first half is just a brilliant, emotional, thought-provoking story of an affair. That aspect was incredibly memorable. For those reasons, I still enjoyed Unfaithful more than I expected. It's flaws hold it back from being great, but there's just so much to like here. I recommend checking out this good (but a lot of potential was squandered) film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



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