Consenting Adults (1992)

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I certainly agree with all the critical reviews. Nevertheless, I rated the movie much higher than the average for two simple but essential reasons: it was quite entertaining and definitely not boring.I never liked Kevin Spacey and he did his best to justify my attitude toward him. On the other hand, Kevin Kline is one of my all time favorite actors despite his mediocre performance here.P.S. I saw the movie when it first came out but I remembered only one single scene from it when I watched it the second time on 01/25/2018.

You probably expect a sex thriller from the poster. If only if. It's title really doesn't make much sense in the midst of the story, you really have to be patient with. The way the movie ends in an action scenario is just plain stupid, out of whack. New neighbours Eddy (the always solid Spacey) and hot wife Miller who can really sing, befriend the more quieter Kline and wife, Mastrantonio, a work couple who are both in advertising as inferred in the opening scenes, with a little bit of a squabble too, for added measure. Their daughter is musically gifted and everything seems peachy creamy. One night the slightly shady Spacey throws Kline a proposition- exchanging wife's for the night. First thinking Spacey's crazy, he's enticed into the offer, which then his whole life becomes a nightmare, where he's framed for the grisly murder of Spacey's wife. Kline must clear himself, having a hell of a time doing so, where psycho con, Spacey, then moves in on Mastrantonio, playing the new daddy. Yeah, there are a couple of surprises, but really it's a weak thriller, wasted on a good cast in a movie where it's story works at a slow grind, you'll actually feel your teeth rubbing up against each other. I'll admit, my favourite scene in this flick, and I'm being serious here, is the opening jingle scene, only cause I like the jingle. In one heavy sense, the finale shootout scene comes as a blessing from all the slow moving b.s. we had to endure, prefore. A truly weak thriller, disappointing, considering this is from the same guy who made the much earlier Kline pic, Sophie's Choice. Make your choice at the DVD thriller section, choose not to watch this.

And what a shame the stamina and intrigue of the first half wasn't maintained!Not to take away from the brilliant Kevin Spacey who steals the movie right out from under everyone even though they also have appeal. I liked the two male lead characters and I cared about them. The women on the other hand are cardboard. You simply can't care about them as their characters are so underdeveloped.The second half of the film, the "thriller" portion, starts to fall apart and far too quickly. There are more plot holes than a kindergartener's knitting. I had to stifle a lot of groans.And then the classic bloody beating 'em to death, complete with hiding behind curtains and evading the police (who would have HELPED), oh please!I wonder if there was a switch in writers to do this much damage to the second half of a film that held such great promise. And oh, that secret wife swapping arranged by the husbands in order to rape the "unsuspecting" woman? And forgiving a spouse for even thinking to do this?Gag.Rating 5 of 10 stars for the first half only.

Watching Consenting Adults will teach you two essential things about sex thrillers.1. They need to have some sex in them.2. The hero can't be, by a country mile, the least interesting character on screen.Richard and Priscilla Parker (Kevin Klein and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) are a married couple living in one of those suburban heavens of the early 1990s. Richard composes commercial jingles while Priscilla handles the family finances. They've got a huge house on a cul de sac and a daughter who spends most of her time away at school. Everything seems fine until Eddie and Kay Otis (Kevin Spacey and Rebecca Miller) move in next door. Eddie is a big talking hustler and Kay is a lovely but wistful wannabe lounge singer. The two couples become fast friends until Eddie gets a little too insistent on wanting to do a little wife swapping with Richard.That ends the relationship, but the story suddenly informs us that Richard and Priscilla aren't the relatively happy couple they've appeared to be so far. We're supposed to accept that they are desperately unhappy and in need of the spark provided by their next door neighbors. That leads Richard to assent to Eddie's idea, and they slip into each other's home one night to have half-asleep sex with the other man's wife without her realizing it. The next day Kay turns up beaten to death with a baseball bat and Richard finds himself framed for the crime. He's thrown into jail, Priscilla leaves him and he's stuck with an irascible lawyer (E. G. Marshall) who thinks he's guilty. Richard gets out on bail, meets an insurance investigator (Forrest Whitaker) who's the only other person to suspect Eddie of misdeeds, and sets out to uncover Eddie's plan and get his family back.Everything about this movie says it's supposed to be a sex thriller. The title, the DVD cover, the first 30 minutes of the film, they all make you think that. I even remember the TV ads for this movie when it was in theaters and those made you think it was a sex thriller. But aside from three naked butt shots, including a sideways look at Kevin Klein's ass, there is no sex in this movie. In fact, the only genuinely sexy aspect of Consenting Adults is the real estate porn it shows off. There are a lot of great looking homes and property put on display, but if you're looking for any arousal involving human beings…you'll be out of luck.Compounding that weirdly fundamental flaw, Richard Parker is not just the least interesting character in this film; he's one of the least interesting characters in any film I've ever seen. Anyone who's seen him in other work knows Kevin Klein is very talented, but Richard Parker is just a flat block of wood. Every other actor in the story is allowed to inject a little or a lot of personality into their roles, but for some reason the director didn't let Klein do a damn thing with his performance. What makes it worse is that after the murder occurs, Richard becomes the only character the story really focuses on. You cannot build any tension in a thriller if the hero constantly facing danger could get killed and no one in the audience would care.If the collapse of the housing market has left you anxious for some real estate porn or you'd like to take a gander at Kevin Klein's behind, this is a movie for you. If you're looking for something to excite and thrill you, instead of bore and frustrate you, don't consent to renting Consenting Adults.