Rating: 
Summary: Forget the Sex...Watch it for it's Magic
Review: I keep seeing reviews; "a high budget porno" or "a dull, boring story with sadistic sex scenes". This movie is so different from these decriptions, it makes me wonder if these people talked, read or played chess through out the entire movie only glancing up occasionally. Mickey Rouke is so subtle with his expressions and dialogue that he creates that mystique that portrays John. Mixed with good looks, a high calibre job (Wall St. Money Market Dealer) & the most amazing apartments money can buy, Kim Basinger (Elizabeth) could not help but be curious. Kim Basingers use of nervous twitches and shy looks makes this her best performance by far. 2 great performances and the best use of a camera, I have seen, makes this 80's style New York flick a stylish, never to forget experience. The scenes in the equestian shop, Farnswoth house, the bed shop, the clock tower are just so well done. Every time you see this movie, it becomes more classy as images of New York's inner city life are portrayed beautifully. Forget the sex scenes, (yeah, they are neccessary) this movie really moves you & keeps images cemented in your mind for a long time. "Elizabeth, please come back before I count to 50...1, 2, 3.."
Rating: 
Summary: Kim Basinger makes this worth seeing
Review: What one realizes while watching this is how limited and ultimately unsatisfactory is a relationship based purely on sex.I imagine that the familiar dominance/submissive psychology at the heart of this visually stunning movie--and it really is beautifully shot--comes from the novel by Elizabeth MacNeil. I say that, not having read the novel, because the seduction of Manhattan art dealer Elizabeth (Kim Basinger) by the smooth and supremely confident financier John (Mickey Rourke) is so very well done with the expensive presents, the well-timed flower deliveries, little endearments, etc., that it amounts to a woman's fantasy. The partial debasement of Elizabeth and her eventual triumph over her darker instincts and her realization that there is a difference between love and submission is also something that one might expect to find in a woman's point-of-view novel. However when we get to the actual sexuality and how it is acted out, it is unclear who dreamed up the scenes, MacNeil or director Adrian Lyne or the scriptwriters. I say this because the scenes were so predictable and so ordinary, and when not ordinary and predictable, were bordering on the just plain dumb. Making love in the rain, at the top of a tall building (inside the clock tower), blindfolding the woman, making her crawl, feeding her strawberries, etc., bring nothing new to eroticism. And the scene requiring some imagination--baiting the gay bashers--was not realistically done. Why directors insist on allowing a man holding onto the hand of woman to outrun the men chasing them never ceases to amaze me. And then to have Elizabeth and John stop in the middle of the street to allow the bashers they have outrun to catch up was just plain stupid, not to mention the phony fight that followed. Not only were the sexual scenes predictable but clearly Lyne was in harness (and I am glad of that) since he stops well short of what might happen if this sort of theme were fully played out. Putting all that aside what makes this movie worth seeing is Kim Basinger. She is absolutely stunning, and it is clear that Lyne and his camera adored her. More than that Basinger does a fine job of acting in a demanding role. I was impressed. Before seeing this film I thought she was a rather ordinary actress, but her ability to combine grown-up New York chic with little-girl vulnerability and to make absolutely clear the psychological dilemma her character's heart faced really held the movie together. Lyne's insistence on whispered dialogue difficult to hear was consistent with the theme of the movie but not kind to these ears. But that was okay because much of the dialogue was secondary to the visual exploration of the woman's sexuality. The peek-a-boo and off center and shadowed shots of Basinger's face and her silhouette, and the studied smile from Rourke combined with the stark black and whites of their clothes and the furnishings served to highlight and emphasis the flesh tones of Basinger's skin while lending an appropriate artistic and fashionable atmosphere to the movie, which after all has an art dealer at its center. The many scenes that were began and suggested, and then cut away from, allowed a richer texture of experience for the viewer than would have been possible had the scenes been played out. And that was doubly good because again it is the visuals that make this movie worth seeing, not the originality of the story and its development. To those viewers who thought that this was some sort of high class pornography, I can only say you missed the point entirely, and indeed, you may be projecting your own sorry mentality. For those others who were not, shall we say, sufficiently stimulated, I can point you to a graphic novel with a similar theme (written by a man) entitled The Story of O which will NOT be coming to a theater near you anytime soon. See this for Kim Basinger whose sensitive and robust beauty dominated the screen.
Rating:
Summary: Craftful Cinematography....a fine work.
Review: If you've gotten this far in the reviews, you'll notice that either people love this film or hate it. It's pretty much right down the middle, which in a way, is a reflection of American societal attitude towards it's own sexuality. If your own sexual world isn't aware there's something other than the missionary position, chances are you'll see this as a vulgar, disgusting film. The world that John draws Elizabeth into is a very psychologically complicated and sophisticated one. If you can't identify with lifestyles like that, you can't understand how or why they exist. Personally, I found this film a masterpiece, not so much from the story line, but the mechanics of it. The cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking. Subject matter debates aside, this is a beautifully photographed film. Camera angles, lens choices, it's obvious the director worked very closely with the cinematographer in capturing on film exactly the image he had in his head. I can't say enough about the beauty of this film. I thought both of the principals turned in exceptional performances, even though I view Rourke as a below-average actor. This film is easily his best, which actually could be said of Basinger as well. The Casting Dept. did a good job on this one. Bar none, Basinger's strip tease (done with very little nudity) goes on my "All-Time Best Scenes List". The music choice, Joe Cocker's "You Can Leave Your Hat On" was a stroke of genius! Alas, years after it's debut it's the subject matter that is remembered, and I find it still holds up. I'd suggest this film highly. Careful though, you may get more than you bargain for if you make it a "first date" flick to watch!
Rating:
Summary: Forget the Sex...Watch it for it's Magic
Review: I keep seeing reviews; "a high budget porno" or "a dull, boring story with sadistic sex scenes". This movie is so different from these decriptions, it makes me wonder if these people talked, read or played chess through out the entire movie only glancing up occasionally. Mickey Rouke is so subtle with his expressions and dialogue that he creates that mystique that portrays John. Mixed with good looks, a high calibre job (Wall St. Money Market Dealer) & the most amazing apartments money can buy, Kim Basinger (Elizabeth) could not help but be curious. Kim Basingers use of nervous twitches and shy looks makes this her best performance by far. 2 great performances and the best use of a camera, I have seen, makes this 80's style New York flick a stylish, never to forget experience. The scenes in the equestian shop, Farnswoth house, the bed shop, the clock tower are just so well done. Every time you see this movie, it becomes more classy as images of New York's inner city life are portrayed beautifully. Forget the sex scenes, (yeah, they are neccessary) this movie really moves you & keeps images cemented in your mind for a long time. "Elizabeth, please come back before I count to 50...1, 2, 3.."
Rating: 
Summary: Sick, big-budget porn movie
Review: This movie is disturbing, offensive, indecent and just plain nauseating. Who is this sick, depressing little piece of trash targeted to? You guessed it, the ... Europeans who indulge in every form of ... imaginable, slobber over XXX-rated movies dealing with sick subjects, and voluntarily make their little children watch it with parents like a "family night". Fortunately, we Americans don't need to be forced to watch this garbage. Send it back where it belongs!
Rating: 
Summary: Yowtch!
Review: Director Adrian Lyne's got a thing for weird relationships. 9 ½ Weeks with Mickey Rourke as a Wall Street exec with a thing for Elizabeth, an art gallery owner (Kim Bassinger). They enter into a quirky and sort of porno relationship which is predicated on a light dominant/submissive message. Apparently the European version of this film was much hotter and way more explicit. The relationship, at the outset, is limited to just over 2 months, but by the time it ends, viewers are caught up in the smutty drama and quite willing for it to go on longer. Rourke plays this kind of slightly dangerous but charming bad-boy role so well that one wonders if he's even really acting. Basinger is terrific, especially in the You Can Keep Your Hat On song and dance number.
It's a good one.
Rating:
Summary: NOT for the timid
Review: This is a wild wild movie. It's an interesting look at obsession and control. A huge sexual component to this film--and it's quite explicit so this is not a movie to be watched in mixed company if you're easily--or at all--embarrassed. But, it is an interesting film to be considered.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing, but not in a good way.
Review: I don't know who can find this movie erotic. Ten minutes into it I wanted to punch Mickey Rourke in the face and slap Kim Basinger upside the head for allowing herself to be so debased. And yet the movie pretends that the behavior depicted is erotic. At least Secretary, et al, proport themselves to be submission films. I'm sure date rapists all over the country find the film quite vindicating.
Rating:
Summary: genius subtext. . . a brave american film. . .
Review: This is one of my favorite films of all time. Kim Basinger is poignant and astounding. Her wounded eyes that belie the sexual obsession is such an affective contrast.Her performance is impeccable. The plot is disturbing and yet common. I was turned on, infuriated, and -worst of all- familiar with the subject matter. Notice the subtle things that change as Elizabeth falls deeper into this sadistic union. (the darkening clothing and make-up for instance) This nothing short of an American classic and one of the only films I want to own. I also recommend the novel of the same name!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Skip it and rent a porno
Review: I expected to be pretty turned on after watching this movie, but I was apalled. This movie played on every male-female stereotype. Women are weak minded, men are sex-obsessed, not to mention rape and subordination of women are glamorized and glossed over in an acceptably sick and Hollywood kind of way. Next time I'll just cut to the chase and rent a quality porno instead of subjecting myself to that kind of [stuff].
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