I love Julia Roberts. One day I said to myself, “I love Julia Roberts.”
Then I added every movie with Julia Roberts in the Netflix catalogue to my instant queue.
On a stormy night when the little motivation it takes to put on a pair of underwear just doesn’t exist, the only entity I invite into my bedroom is Netflix. And Julia Roberts. But she doesn’t RSVP.
Determined to watch every movie in my queue, I just watched “Sleeping with the Enemy,” a 1990s flick about a psychotic husband who beats his wife senseless every time she utilizes her respiratory system. The wife plans an escape by faking her death but is later confronted by her menacing wealthy husband.
The film is a thriller. The plot is about as shallow as a tablespoon; but when an actress with such emotional output as Roberts is placed in a tablespoon, you cherish whatever is in that tablespoon. You hold it in your arms and keep it warm, sing it lullabies and take pictures together until it evaporates (which is not very long in this case).
Let me tell you – Julia Roberts can make any movie good. If Julia Roberts were selling Shark Vacuums on HSN, I would not only become emotionally attached to Shark Vacuums, but to everything within that HSN program – CGI transitional graphics, alternate logos, the low trembling of the nervous co-saleswoman, etc.
What I’m trying to say is that she plays her roles with such passion and confidence; And she’s beautiful. Regardless of her particular role, she will trap you. She will be that tablespoon full of cough medicine that you just NEED to SWALLOW.
So an examination of the contents within the relative Tablespoon is as follows:
Laura Burney lives in a beautiful, articulate Cape Cod waterfront property with her wealthy, charmingly handsome yet possessive, violent & controlling husband Martin (we don’t know his last name). If you are a clinical psychologist, unlike myself, you’ll probably diagnose this character with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.
He is the pinnacle of modern-day creepiness (although, sometimes I believe creepiness is timeless). It’s most likely due to the appearance of his unseemly, omnipresent moustache that first ingrains itself into your subconscious and then toys with your anxiety level throughout the film. So, psychotic manic Martin is played by Patrick Bergin, who I’d never seen before in my life. And what disappoints me the most is that the first time I see this man is when he is portraying a lunatic who gets to kiss Julia Roberts. Unfair.
Despite the shallow plot, the movie was directed well and surprises you with sporadic scenes of suspense. There’s even one of those behind-the-back mirror shots at the height of Laura’s terror (the single presence of a mirror can add worlds of terror to any film). The acting surprisingly complements the acting of Julia Roberts – there is a diversified balance of talent amongst actors.
This film is suitable for the Lifetime network, and could probably fill in some dead space during the daytime. Don’t be surprised if you see it on that channel. Do be surprised if you’re watching that channel, however.