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Consenting Adults (1992 film)

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For the 2007 BBC Four TV movie, see Consenting Adults (2007 film).
Consenting Adults
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAlan J. Pakula
Written byMatthew Chapman
Produced byAlan J. Pakula
David Permut
Starring
CinematographyStephen Goldblatt
Edited bySam O'Steen
Music byMichael Small
Production
companies
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • October 16, 1992 (1992-10-16)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18 million[citation needed]
Box office$21,591,800

Consenting Adults is a 1992 American thriller film[1] directed by Alan J. Pakula, and stars Kevin Kline, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Kevin Spacey and Rebecca Miller. The original music score was composed by Michael Small. The film's tagline is: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife."[2][3][4][5][6]

Plot

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Composer Richard Parker and his wife Priscilla live an ordinary suburban life until they meet their new neighbors Eddy and Kay Otis. The two couples become friends. Kay's talent for blues singing gets Richard's attention, while Eddy is attracted to Priscilla. It becomes clear that Eddy is a scam artist when he fakes a neck injury after an auto accident for the insurance proceeds (the majority of which he offers to the Parkers as a gift). Eddy chastises Richard for not living dangerously, and suggests they swap mates for an evening.

The plot takes a nasty turn when Richard does sleep with Kay (supposedly without her realizing that he is not her husband) and Kay turns up dead the next morning, bludgeoned to death by a baseball bat. Later, it is revealed that Eddy spent the night elsewhere in order to establish an airtight alibi. Richard's semen is found in her body, and his fingerprints are on the bat (from when the two couples played a friendly game of softball earlier the previous day), so he's charged with the crime. Priscilla disowns and divorces Richard due to his infidelity. Eddy soon becomes Priscilla's lover and a substitute father to Richard's daughter, Lori.

A distraught Richard finally finds a ray of hope when he hears Kay singing in a radio talent show and realizes she's alive. With the help of private investigator David Duttonville, who was hired by the insurance company from which Eddy is attempting to collect a $1.5 million indemnity claim, Richard tracks her down and learns the truth of how he was betrayed. Kay is guilt-ridden over her part in it, but terrified by Eddy's threat to implicate her if she testifies. Eddy, anticipating what Richard intends to do next, murders Kay and slips away. Implicated in a second murder, Richard flees the scene as police sirens approach.

Priscilla discovers a plane ticket Eddy used on the night of the second murder. Realizing Eddy's guilt, she worries over what to do about it. Richard performs a commando-style raid on Eddy's house, but Eddy, anticipating this move as well, reveals to Priscilla his plan to murder her and shoot Richard as a homicidal intruder. Working together, Richard and Priscilla eventually kill Eddy using the original murder weapon, the baseball bat. Richard and Priscilla are later seen moving into a very secluded house with no neighbors visible for miles.

Cast

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Reception

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It holds a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 14 reviews.[7] On Metacritic it has a score of 39% based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[8] Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert sharply disagreed on the movie: Siskel found it depressing, mean-spirited and lacking in well-developed characters; Ebert said it was a good thriller with very interesting characters and that "the entire movie is a comedy."[9] The Province film critic Michale Walsh panned the film, stating, "Adults? Pond Scum, Actually."

Remakes

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The film was remade in Pakistan in 1995 as Jo Darr Gya Woh Marr Gya, starring Jawed Sheikh, Nadeem Baig, Neeli, and Reema Khan. An unofficial Indian remake was also made in 2001, Ajnabee, starring Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Kareena Kapoor, and Bipasha Basu.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Consenting Adults". British Board of Film Classification.
  2. ^ Maslin, Janet (October 16, 1992). "Reviews/Film; Meeting the Neighbors Is a Very Big Mistake". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  3. ^ "Consenting Adults(1992)". movies.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  4. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (October 30, 1992). "Consenting Adults (1992)". Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  5. ^ "Film Consenting Adults (1992)". tvguide.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  6. ^ "Consenting Adults - Movies Filmed in South Carolina - Internet Film ..." filmsc.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  7. ^ Consenting Adults at Rotten Tomatoes
  8. ^ "Consenting Adults". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  9. ^ "Pure Country/Frozen Assets/Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time/Consenting Adults/Reservoir Dogs". At the Movies. Season 7. Episode 6. October 24, 1992. ABC. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  10. ^ Hassan, Hassan (2018-12-28). "5 films from the 90s that have potential to be great remakes". Galaxy Lollywood. Archived from the original on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
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