ON THE OTHER SIDE OF DRINKS, DINNER AND A ONE NIGHT STAND, LIES A TERRIFYING LOVE STORY. 

Modern audiences might find it hard to understand why this film was such a hit in the late 1980s, but that’s to be expected since so many subsequent movies have imitated Fatal Attraction, especially its sensational ending. How ironic then that it is itself essentially an imitation of Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty for Me (1971). Still, the film was so successful it spawned academic debates and Glenn Close claims she still has men telling her that she was so intimidating that she prevented them from cheating on their wives.

An attorney meets an editor
New York attorney Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) is happily married to Beth (Anne Archer) and they have a daughter, Ellen (Ellen Hamilton Latzen). Dan meets Alex Forrest (Close) at a party; she’s an editor from a publishing company and they keep running into each other. When Beth takes Ellen to visit her parents over a weekend, Dan finds an opportunity to meet Alex and they spend two days together.

When he tells her that their weekend of sex and fun is over and that he needs to get back to his family, Alex refuses to accept it and soon takes drastic measures. There comes a point where Alex won’t relent until Dan “acknowledges his responsibilities”.

Much fodder for discussion
When this film landed in Adrian Lyne’s lap, he was already used to passionate movie sex; his previous film was Nine ½ Weeks (1986). This one has its share of that, but it isn’t what matters the most. There is indeed much fodder for discussion here. The way Lyne uses colors and what they signify; Alex’s apartment is all white, but she’s hardly an innocent woman. The responsibilities of Dan; he is portrayed as a victim in most scenes, but his infidelity has a cruel streak. The behavior of Alex; she is a strong woman who takes charge, but turns out to be psychotic – she has often been described as a perfect example of a person suffering from borderline personality disorder.

This is Glenn Close’s most famous performance, and one of her best.

The ending has been much criticized. There was an alternative, more creative but ultimately rejected version… but the thing is, when we’ve reached that point in the film, it’s easy to understand why taking the simple way out is attractive. We demand punishment. The cast is part of the reason. This is Close’s most famous performance, and one of her best; she makes you realize how easily one could fall into that trap. Douglas is also good as the cheating husband who gets the scare of his life; this was a type of character he was destined to repeat in Basic Instinct (1992) and Disclosure (1994).

Audiences came out of the theater reeling from watching Alex’s now-classic treatment of Ellen’s bunny. They may have known from before that the dating jungle can be dangerous. This film made them realize that protecting oneself may include other weapons besides condoms. Then again, which woman didn’t already know?

Fatal Attraction 1987-U.S. 119 min. Color. Directed by Adrian Lyne. Screenplay: James Dearden. Editing: Michael Kahn, Peter E. Berger. Cast: Michael Douglas (Dan Gallagher), Glenn Close (Alex Forrest), Anne Archer (Beth Gallagher), Ellen Hamilton Latzen, Stuart Pankin, Ellen Foley. 

Trivia: Based on Diversion, a short film written and directed by Dearden. Also available on DVD is the alternative ending that was initially rejected by test audiences. Barbara Hershey, Isabelle Adjani and Debra Winger were considered for the part of Alex; John Carpenter for directing duties. Later a stage play and TV series, Fatal Attraction (2023).

BAFTA: Best Editing.

Quote: “Well, what am I supposed to do? You won’t answer my calls, you change your number. I mean, I’m not gonna be ignored, Dan!” (Close to Douglas)

Last word: “The bunny was the one thing I had a question about. I took the script to a psychiatrist and said, ‘is this behaviour possible? Could somebody do something like that?’ The answer was yes. Then the character became very interesting to me. I had a huge empathy for that character by the end of the process.” (Close, Daily Mail)