THE RICH MAN'S WIFE
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 3.5 Alternative Scale: *1/2 out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 9/13/96 (wide) Running Length: 1:35 MPAA Classification: R (Violence, profanity, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Halle Berry, Peter Greene, Christopher McDonald, Clive Owen, Charles Hallahan, Frankie Faison, Clea Lewis Director: Amy Holden Jones Producers: Roger Birnbaum and Julie Bergman Sender Screenplay: Amy Holden Jones Cinematography: Haskell Wexler Music: John Frizzell U.S. Distributor: Hollywood Pictures
THE RICH MAN'S WIFE is one of those overplotted thrillers that works best if you're unfamiliar with film noir. Nothing here is remotely original (a fact that shouldn't be unexpected), and, for a seasoned movie-goer, watching the film becomes a guessing game of which movie is going to be "borrowed from" next. Bits and pieces of everything from FATAL ATTRACTION to THE USUAL SUSPECTS appear here, with little more than a few capable performances and a silly script to hold them together. As for the ending... well, I'll get to that later, but, suffice it to say, it's the biggest problem of all.
The Rich Man of the title is Tony Potenza (Christopher McDonald), a big-wig executive at the PBC Broadcasting Network. He's a forty-year old workaholic who drinks too much and regularly engages in extramarital affairs. Despite all that, however, he loves his young wife, Josie (Halle Berry), and she loves him, even though she too is unfaithful. When the couple vacations at an out-of-the-way lakeside cabin, things turn sour. Tony is called back to Los Angeles for an important meeting and Josie is left behind, bitterly contemplating a prenuptial agreement that leaves her with nothing if she files for a divorce. While on her own, she meets the mysterious (not to mention scary) Cole Wilson (Peter Greene), and, as they converse in a bar, she casually mentions that she sometimes wishes her husband was dead. Cole takes her a little too seriously, however, and soon a pair of L.A. police detectives have a homicide to investigate.
Much of THE RICH MAN'S WIFE is too hard to swallow, especially for those who are used to the typical contrivances of the genre. The film opens with Josie being arrested on suspicion of murder. After she is read her rights, she promptly declines the assistance of a lawyer, saying, "I don't want to speak with an attorney. I just want to tell the truth." Now, I don't care how innocent or naive a person is, they're not going to respond that way when facing a murder rap. Such an inexcusable credibility blunder, coming so early in the film, immediately puts the viewer in a cynical frame of mind.
The bulk of the story is told as a long flashback, with Josie relating her side of things to a pair of incredibly stupid police officers. Strangely, there are at least a half dozen scenes in "Josie's account" that she isn't involved in. Details are revealed that she couldn't be privy to, yet, somehow, they become part of her narrative (maybe she's omniscient and we just don't realize it). This sort of sloppy storytelling is evident throughout.
For the "surprise" ending, writer/director Amy Holden Jones (MAID TO ORDER) has taken a cue from THE USUAL SUSPECTS. However, the major difference is that, while everything in Bryan Singer's 1995 feature built logically to the big revelation, here, the "shocking" twist feels like a cheat -- something intended to throw the viewer off balance and obfuscate several of the movie's plot deficiencies. Believe me, this particular device works a lot better with a well thought-out script like THE USUAL SUSPECTS than something silly and derivative like THE RICH MAN'S WIFE.
Whatever its faults, THE RICH MAN'S WIFE is nicely-photographed. Veteran cinematographer Haskell Wexler (WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?) crafts an effectively dark and edgy mood. A lot of this film takes place at night, and Wexler uses this to his advantage, capturing several memorable shots on small, moonlit country roads winding through a brooding forest. Alas, John Frizzell's melodramatic score frequently spoils the effect.
As Josie, Halle Berry is appealing, which is the most desirable trait for an "innocent victim" character. Peter Greene, who has been typecast as a sicko/psycho with appearances in CLEAN, SHAVEN, PULP FICTION, and UNDER SIEGE 2, isn't required to explore virgin territory. There's an unpleasant scene where Cole slashes open his palm then licks the blood out of the wound. Christopher McDonald is suitably abrasive as Tony, but, like Greene, the material doesn't challenge him. Clive Owen plays Josie's ineffectual British lover, and Clea Lewis gives an intentionally irritating performance as his goofy, betrayed wife.
THE RICH MAN'S WIFE is the sort of movie that should have gone straight to video. It's not fundamentally all that different from the Andrew Stevens/Shannon Tweed thrillers that are popular with the rental crowd. And, although this picture aspires to be a serious film noir, all it does is remind us how easily a formulaic premise can be transformed into a hopeless mess.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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