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Viewing: 5/10 @ 4:00pm.

"Your hair, it's everywhere. Screaming infidelities And taking its wear." Oh Dashboard, you know the hurt caused by your woman's other man. You and Richard Gere are one and the same. Unfortunately, your music has become annoying and I will look elsewhere to learn about the sting of adultury.

In Unfaithful, we see a very honest, albeit extreme, depiction of sneakin' around. Director Adrian Lyne has had numerous opportunities (Indecent Proposal, Fatal Attraction) to perfect the adultury movie and uses this film to break out of the unfeasable plots and try to tackle something a bit more grounded. Some of the elements remain extreme, but the development of the extramarrital relationship is quite plausible.

The film begins with a depiction of the perfect little family. Richard Gere, Diane Lane and their daughter live in a beautiful house in the suburbs without a care in the world. Then, a chance meeting between Lane's character and a handsome, foreign stranger changes everything. The relationship develops, Gere finds out about it, and then confronts the 3rd wheel. [SPOILER] In a fit of rage, Gere kills him. The rest of the film is about keeping the murder quiet and trying to live a normal life.

As alluded to earlier, I thought that keeping a realistic storyline made the film intriguing. Most films of this nature involve a crazy stalker or whimsical rich guy, but this is about a family and how they deal with a common marital problem. No million dollar offers were made; the wife just found another man who satisfied a part of her that her husband could not. I don't know if I approve of her choice to fulfill her fantasy, but I think it's easy to relate. When an opportunity to break a monotonous cycle presents itself, it is often difficult to turn it down. This makes sense and adds to the credibility of the characters.

The plot breaks down after Gere confronts and then murders Oliver Martinez, the other man. The film degrades into typical fare and loses the compassion and realism that set it apart. There was no confrontation between husband and wife, there was almost no mention of the child and any normal problem that might arise from an affair was overlooked because of the murder. I'm not sure if the director had planned this all along, but it seemed like a cop-out. It may not have been easy to make a common problem interesting, but that is usually what sets apart the brilliant filmmakers from those who hang out in the middle of the pack.

Thankfully, the acting in this movie was very good. The performance by Diane Lane was not as spectacular as the critics hyped, but it was rock solid acting. The best performance I've seen in the last year or so was from Halle Barry, and everything since remains in its shadow. Comparitively it was just fine, but it wouldn't be shocking to see her nominated for best actress next Oscar season.

My moral is that moviemakers should have more balls. This could have been a really original, exciting movie if they had been creative instead of playing it safe and creating moments of suspense. Oh Hollywood, if you would just stick your neck out once or twice we might get some fresh cinema. (and giving James Cameron an extra $50 million for Titanic doesn't count). So, I would say that the movie is fairly entertaining and worth seeing when it comes to the budget theaters. But if you're looking for insirational material to work on your troubling marriage, only homicidal husbands and their wives need apply.