SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: UNFAITHFUL

"UNFAITHFUL"
(2002) (Diane Lane, Richard Gere) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Heavy	Extreme	Heavy	*None

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	Minor	Minor	None	Extreme

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Extreme	Mild	Heavy	Moderate	Heavy

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: A married woman's affair with another man puts a strain on her relationship with her husband and leads both to desperate acts that they must cover up.

PLOT:

Connie (DIANE LANE) and Edward Sumner (RICHARD GERE) seem to be a happily married, middle-aged couple that's raising their 8-year old son, Charlie (ERIK PER SULLIVAN) in the suburbs of New York. Yet, while Edward is off running his business, Connie seems wanting something more. She gets that when she accidentally runs into Paul Martel (OLIVIER MARTINEZ) on the streets of SoHo.

Paul, a much younger used book dealer, invites Connie up to his apartment to tend to her scraped knees and she reluctantly agrees. Sparks immediately fly and soon she's repeatedly returning for more visits while also lying to Edward about her activities. It's not long before she begins her affair with Paul or that Edward starts to notice her acting differently.

From that point on and as Edward's suspicions grow, Connie tries to decide whether to end or continue with her affair, a point that eventually leads to results that none of the involved parties could have anticipated.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Older teens might be drawn to it, as might anyone who's a fan of director Lyne ("Fatal Attraction") or anyone in the cast.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For sexuality, language and a scene of violence.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: DIANE LANE plays a married woman who has an affair with Paul and lies to Edward about it. She uses some strong profanity.
RICHARD GERE plays her husband, a businessman who discovers she's having an affair. He then commits a crime himself and covers it up. He uses some strong profanity.
OLIVIER MARTINEZ plays a used book dealer who has an affair with Connie. He also uses some strong profanity.
ERIK PER SULLIVAN plays Connie and Edward's son.; RICHARD GERE plays her husband, a businessman who discovers she's having an affair. He then commits a crime himself and covers it up. He uses some strong profanity.
OLIVIER MARTINEZ plays a used book dealer who has an affair with Connie. He also uses some strong profanity.
ERIK PER SULLIVAN plays Connie and Edward's son.; OLIVIER MARTINEZ plays a used book dealer who has an affair with Connie. He also uses some strong profanity.
ERIK PER SULLIVAN plays Connie and Edward's son.; ERIK PER SULLIVAN plays Connie and Edward's son.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated drama. Profanity consists of at least 12 uses of the "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present, while various sexual encounters are seen and include graphic movement, nudity, sounds and a great deal of sensuality. Some of those scenes occur in public places and some have some vaguely violent qualities to them.

Other fooling around is present, as is some nonsexual nudity, while a great deal of the sex involves a married woman having an affair (resulting in tense family moments while other bad attitudes are also present, including covering up a crime and lying to the police). Violence consists of a person being hit on the head with a large snow shaker and being killed (with rather bloody results). Meanwhile, various characters drink and some smoke.

If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those concerned with flashes of light on the screen, there are some slow, strobe-like effects from flickering candles in one scene.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Paul has Connie read a passage from a book that comments on wine, roses and drunken friends.
When Edward first hears of Paul helping Connie, he says that they should send him a bottle of wine, and then amends that to cheap wine.
We see wine in glasses on the dinner table.
Some people drink in a restaurant.
Edward walks in with a drink and then hands it to Connie.
Edward and Connie have wine.
Paul offers Edward some vodka and they both drink. Paul then pours more for Edward.
We see some wine on a table during a social gathering.
Some people have wine and drinks.
Some people have drinks.

BLOOD/GORE: We see and hear Charlie urinating.
Connie has some bloody scuffs on her knees after falling to the sidewalk (we see them several times including when she pulls a bloody bandage off one).
A man repeatedly strikes another man on the head with a large snow shaker, resulting in a great deal of blood running from the man's head, down his face, out of his mouth and onto his hands. He then falls into a heap on the floor where a pool of blood grows next to his head. The assailant also has blood on his hands. Blood then soaks through a sheet placed over the body and the assailant then washes the blood-soaked floor (and we bloody water being poured out).

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Connie has an affair with Paul despite being married to Edward and then lies about her actions and whereabouts to Edward and others.
Some women, one of them friends with Connie, make some catty remarks about her in her absence.
A woman talks about affairs being no big deal (and that she would keep it a secret), but a friend of hers and Connie's admits to having one in the past (saying such affairs always end disastrously).
A person murders another person in the heat of the moment, and then tries to cover it up, even lying to the police.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Things are tense as Edward finally goes to see Paul and confronts him about having an affair with Connie.
A man repeatedly strikes another man on the head with a large snow shaker, resulting in a great deal of blood running from the man's head, down his face, out of his mouth and onto his hands. He then falls into a heap on the floor where a pool of blood grows next to his head.
A person finds himself stuck in an elevator with the body of a person he's killed (wrapped in a rug), and then panics about being stuck there.

GUNS/WEAPONS: None in the traditional sense, although a man uses a large snow shaker to strike another man on the head and kill him.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Take a look at your own f*cking family," "You're a f*cking liar," "F*ck you," "I f*cking hate you," "Before it all goes to sh*t," "Dorky," "Dork," "Are you nuts?" and "You're bonkers."
Charlie makes a fake farting sound by flapping his arm with his other hand under his armpit.
Connie and Paul have sex in various public places.

JUMP SCENES: A man suddenly strikes another man with a large snow shaker.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A minor amount of such music occurs in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 12 "f" words (5 used sexually), 12 "s" words, 1 ass, 1 hell, 4 uses each of "God" and "Oh my God," 2 each of "G-damn" and "Jesus" and 1 use of "My God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: We see Connie in her nightgown that shows cleavage and Edward somewhat playfully videotapes her. She then gets on top of him, straddling him on the bed. She then puts his hand on her clothed breast and the two passionately kiss. He then rolls over on top of her on the bed (with her bare leg up alongside his body) and they kiss some more, but are interrupted before anything else happens.
Sexual tension increases between Connie and Paul before their affair is consummated. That includes him touching her leg when putting ice on her knee; rubbing his finger along her neck when removing her coat (after asking if she wants to take off something); running her hand along a book in Braille and then holding hands with her; and they dance in his place.
Connie returns to Paul's place for her coat and he then picks her up and carries her off, presumably to his bedroom. We then see her returning home on the train, as well as flashback images of their sexual encounter. During this, we see him undoing her shirt as she quivers in excitement/anticipation and then running his hand along her bare belly and then down just inside the top of her skirt. She seems more aroused by this as he sensuously blows and kisses on her belly and then runs his hands up her thighs (we see the bottom of her panties at her crotch). He then runs his hand up inside her upper thigh, she stops him, but we then see him removing her panties and his shirt. He then climbs on top of her between her legs (with his pants still on). We then see a head and shoulders shot of them but hear the sound of him removing his pants. Although she's aroused, she says that this is wrong and that she can't, and so he repeatedly tells her to hit him (and do so harder each time). She slaps him several times, but this turns a possible rape like scene back into passion, they kiss more, he nuzzles her neck and she makes sexual sounds as they apparently have sex.
Back on the train in present time, Connie goes into the bathroom, removes her panties and washes her crotch (nothing graphic is seen).
We see a shot of Connie reclining in a chair with her hand down inside her unzipped jeans when she's with Paul (apparently masturbating).
We see a montage of Connie and Paul fooling around (playfully wrestling, him pulling the sheet down to draw a symbol on her thigh with an arrow pointing to her crotch while she sleeps, etc.).
Paul puts his hand down the back of Connie's pants as they sit in a restaurant.
We see several views of Connie's bare breasts (along with bare upper thighs) as she reclines in a bubble bath. She then finds Paul's drawing he made on her thigh and tries to scrub it off when Edward enters, disrobes (we don't see anything but his bare chest) and gets into the tub with her (sitting across from her). He kisses her knees and apparently runs his hand up toward her crotch (under the water), but she then acts like she's cold and gets out (and we briefly see her bare butt).
A friend of a friend asks why the second woman introduced her to Connie as Sally with Planned Parenthood, adding that it makes it sound like she hands out condoms.
Connie and Paul meet in the bathroom at a restaurant and passionately kiss. He pulls down her dress and gropes her breast and they awkwardly move into one of the stalls. We then see their heads above the top of the stall indicating they're having sex (with some movement and sounds). We then see a close-up of them having sex while standing (from a side view we see her bare butt up against the wall as he thrusts against her while her legs are around him).
Later, a woman says that she'd be on her back in a second for Paul.
Later, and back in Paul's place, Connie asks Paul, "Did you just f*ck me across the street?"
Paul undresses Connie and we see the side of her bare butt as he does so. He then takes off her bra and puts his hands on her bare breasts from behind her. The two passionately kiss, but the scene ends there.
We see Connie in her bra and panties as she's bought new lingerie for herself (for Paul). She shows cleavage in a new dress and then decides to go braless.
We see a head and shoulders shot (with suggested movement and heavy breathing) of Paul and Connie having sex in an empty movie theater. We then see a shot from a distance of him in front of her having sex in that theater (seen from the back of the theater with no nudity).
After Connie is upset with Paul for seeing other woman, he forces himself on her, kissing her and removing her top (she doesn't resist long and then goes along with it). He then proceeds to pull down her pants and removes his shirt. There's heavy breathing as she undoes his pants while they stand in the hallway outside of his place. He then pulls down her panties from behind her and she suggestively asks, "Are you going to f*ck me?" As he then has sex from behind her as she's bent over (the camera view is from in front of her), she says, "I want you to f*ck me." During this, we see movement and hear related sexual sounds.
We see Connie's bare back as she sleeps.
Edward confronts Connie about having an affair with Paul and "How you f*cked him over and over."

SMOKING: Paul smokes a few times, Connie smokes once and some miscellaneous people smoke.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Connie's behavior and then eventual affair obviously puts a great deal of strain on her and Edward's marriage.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Extramarital affairs and their impact on the involved participants and marriages.
Whether a married woman would and/or should enter a stranger's apartment.
Edward's (initial and ultimate) reaction to the affair and his subsequent actions.
Sex in public places.

VIOLENCE: Connie and Paul accidentally run into each other during a windstorm, knocking both to the sidewalk. We see that she's scraped her knees during this (with some slightly bloody scuffs).
Connie accidentally drives over various street dividers after suddenly changing direction.
Connie runs up and slaps Paul on the back of the head after catching him with another woman. He then picks her up and carries her away.
A man repeatedly strikes another man on the head with a large snow shaker, resulting in a great deal of blood running from the man's head, down his face, out of his mouth and onto his hands. He then falls into a heap on the floor where a pool of blood grows next to his head. We then see that the man is dead and see the assailant carrying and moving the body around while it's wrapped in a rug.
Another car accidentally backs into the back of Edward's car.

Reviewed May 2, 2002 / Posted May 10, 2002

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