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What will be the legacy of Canadian director Atom Egoyan? Best known for the searing movies Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter, Egoyan hasn't had a critical hit since 1997. I couldn't even remember the name of his last film, Adoration, which can be charitably described as nonsensical.
But give Egoyan credit: He doesn't quit, generally cranking out a new movie every year or two.
Egoyan's 2009 affair is a bit of a switch-up. As near as I can tell, this is his first time working from someone else's script. Erin Cressida Wilson wrote Chloe; she's best known for the grand perv-out Secretary, and her fingerprints (and other bodily prints) are all over this movie. Considering Egoyan's own fascination with fleshy bits -- see also Exotica, Where the Truth Lies, etc. -- this should be a match made in, well, somewhere close to Toronto, anyway.
It's a pretty straightforward tale at first: Catherine (Julianne Moore) is an apparently successful doctor, but she's utterly insecure. Her teenage son is distant and angry; when mom discovers his girlfriend is sleeping over, she can only respond, "This is not happening every night." But worse are her fears that her husband David (Liam Neeson) is cheating on her. He sure looks guilty: He skips his surprise birthday party after "missing" his plane, he's giggling as he IMs his "students," and flirty text messages (with photos) appear on his phone.
The answer: Catherine wants to be sure, so she hires a high-priced hooker, Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), to try to entice him into a tryst.
That wouldn't be much of a movie, of course, but Egoyan takes the stuff of a staid teen drama and turns it into a thriller, as Catherine ultimately becomes obsessed with Chloe. It gets worse from there, often falling prey to the stereotypes and clichés of "scorned woman" cinema, but more often than not it surprises. The central twist is a bit much to handle, but Egoyan manages to pull us back into the movie in the end, keeping us engaged throughout.
The director is lucky to have the services of A-listers like Moore and Neeson at his service here. Despite some giggle-worthy lines, they power through the script and turn in fun, often tender performances. You feel sorry for Moore's Catherine just as you hate the cheating David... and then Egoyan spins it all around on you. And good news for you teen guys out there: Anyone who's ever wondered what Amanda Seyfried looks like nude will love her work here, as she's seemingly more out of her clothes than in them during the 96-minute running time.
The ending is a bit of a letdown -- too pat, alas -- but Chloe's Hitchcockian overtones and apt pacing mark a welcome return to form for Egoyan.
But give Egoyan credit: He doesn't quit, generally cranking out a new movie every year or two.
Egoyan's 2009 affair is a bit of a switch-up. As near as I can tell, this is his first time working from someone else's script. Erin Cressida Wilson wrote Chloe; she's best known for the grand perv-out Secretary, and her fingerprints (and other bodily prints) are all over this movie. Considering Egoyan's own fascination with fleshy bits -- see also Exotica, Where the Truth Lies, etc. -- this should be a match made in, well, somewhere close to Toronto, anyway.
It's a pretty straightforward tale at first: Catherine (Julianne Moore) is an apparently successful doctor, but she's utterly insecure. Her teenage son is distant and angry; when mom discovers his girlfriend is sleeping over, she can only respond, "This is not happening every night." But worse are her fears that her husband David (Liam Neeson) is cheating on her. He sure looks guilty: He skips his surprise birthday party after "missing" his plane, he's giggling as he IMs his "students," and flirty text messages (with photos) appear on his phone.
The answer: Catherine wants to be sure, so she hires a high-priced hooker, Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), to try to entice him into a tryst.
That wouldn't be much of a movie, of course, but Egoyan takes the stuff of a staid teen drama and turns it into a thriller, as Catherine ultimately becomes obsessed with Chloe. It gets worse from there, often falling prey to the stereotypes and clichés of "scorned woman" cinema, but more often than not it surprises. The central twist is a bit much to handle, but Egoyan manages to pull us back into the movie in the end, keeping us engaged throughout.
The director is lucky to have the services of A-listers like Moore and Neeson at his service here. Despite some giggle-worthy lines, they power through the script and turn in fun, often tender performances. You feel sorry for Moore's Catherine just as you hate the cheating David... and then Egoyan spins it all around on you. And good news for you teen guys out there: Anyone who's ever wondered what Amanda Seyfried looks like nude will love her work here, as she's seemingly more out of her clothes than in them during the 96-minute running time.
The ending is a bit of a letdown -- too pat, alas -- but Chloe's Hitchcockian overtones and apt pacing mark a welcome return to form for Egoyan.
