Consenting Adults (1992) We've been having all sorts of fun, plowing through thrillers of of the 80's and 90's, but this one perplexed us more than the others......
Given this movie's top-of-the-line cast and director, how in the holy hell did they come together to make this movie??
Which of them, if any, thought this script was worthy enough of their time and talents to commit to eternal celluloid.......and be a part of their filmographies forever?
That's a far bigger mystery than anything presented in the film itself.
Thrillers have to function of three levels. First, they have to set up a plot or a premise that compels you watch.
Second, this plot needs to be executed with the utmost skill and cleverness. Translation: the writer, actors and director have to make you believe in the twists and turns of the story, no matter how potentially far-fetched and absurd.
Third, the thriller has to live up to its genre and give you some actual thrills, provide the edge-of-your-seat jolts you'd come to expect when you decided to kill time to view it.
In that regard, "Consenting Adults" remains consistent throughout its running time. It fails on all three levels.
The film unfolds in Hollywood's idea of suburbia , with huge expensive single homes jammed close enough to each other so everybody can watch their sexy neighbors undressing.
Our normal, innocent couple (Kevin Kline, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) are befriended by a wild 'n crazy fun-lover (Kevin Spacey) and his sultry, mysterious wife (Rebecca Miller)
Before long, the ever gabby Spacey has oozed his way enough into his neighbors' lives to convince Kline to indulge in wife swapping.......while their wives are asleep no less.
This, as you might imagine, does not bode well for Kline.
] Huge Problem #1: Spacey, outfitted with a silver-blonde hairdo, behaves like he's got a huge sign around his neck, "BEWARE, I'M A PSYCHOPATH". So you can't even buy the initial premise of him worming his way into these people's lives.
Huge Problem #2: You next have to believe Kline would succumb to the whole wife swapping idea and easily sneak up on Rebecca Hall and take her, unknowingly......uh....from behind.
Huge Problem # 3: Pretty much the rest of the movie, which then lurches from one unbelievable plot turn to another.
And most astounding, how this mess was directed by Alan Pakula, who'd fashioned some our all time favorite films like "Klute", "The Parallax View" and "All The President's Men".
One single bright spot does glimmer at the very end, which is why we'll dredge up at least 1 star (*)........(earned for this wrap-up and the gifted, wasted cast)
The film's final shot is a superbly realized visual joke, which no doubt elicited a roar of laughter from any audience members who stayed with it to the very end.
It's the only real fun thrill this movie ever manages to deliver. So beware.
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