Fatal Attraction (1987)

A married man's one night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.

Director:

Adrian Lyne

Writers:

James Dearden (screenplay), James Dearden (short film)

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Douglas	...	Dan Gallagher
Glenn Close	...	Alex Forrest
Anne Archer	...	Beth Gallagher
Ellen Hamilton Latzen	...	Ellen Gallagher
Stuart Pankin	...	Jimmy
Ellen Foley	...	Hildy
Fred Gwynne	...	Arthur
Meg Mundy	...	Joan Rogerson
Tom Brennan	...	Howard Rogerson
Lois Smith	...	Martha
Mike Nussbaum	...	Bob Drimmer
J.J. Johnston	...	O'Rourke
Michael Arkin	...	Lieutenant
Sam Coppola	...	Fuselli (as Sam J. Coppola)
Eunice Prewitt	...	Receptionist

Storyline

Happily married New York lawyer Dan Callagher has an affair with his colleague Alex, and the two enjoy a love weekend while Dan's wife and kid are away. But Alex will not let go of him, and she will stop at nothing to have him for herself. Just how far will she go to get what she wants?.

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Plot Keywords:

new york | sexual obsession | cuckolded husband | fondling | wronged wife | 

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Taglines:

A look that led to an evening. A mistake he'll regret...FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Diversion

Filming Locations:

400 East 14th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$156,645,693 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital (5.1 surround)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The apartment used for the Gallaghers' apartment toward the beginning of the film, is the same apartment Adrian Lyne used in Nine 1/2 Weeks for Elizabeth's apartment.

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Goofs

In the scene where Dan Gallagher is driving to Alex's apartment to confront her about taking his daughter Ellen, he is in traffic, in the left lane, with a car directly parallel to him in the next lane on the right. When he switches lanes,the car that was in the lane he was getting into has suddenly disappeared, and a car a short distance away can be seen in the same lane.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Beth Gallagher: [to Ellen] You better get going, kiddo. You're gonna be late.

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Crazy Credits

Barbara Harris is sometimes credited under the name Barbara Iley. In the final credits here, under 'Party Guests', she is credited under both names.

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Connections

Referenced in The Making of '...And God Spoke' (1993)

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Soundtracks

"ECHIGO-JISHI"
Arranged by Hideaki Shibata
Courtesy of King Record Co., Ltd.

User Reviews

Glenn Close's main squeeze

An attorney for a publishing company finds out the hard way that a harmless fling with a woman can be the beginning of a nightmare, especially if the lady decides that she likes the man, married or not, and refuses to let him end their affair. This glossy thriller plumbs the psyche of a neurotic woman who has issues and demons in her past that drive her to get even with and destroy a stranger with whom she just met after a wild weekend's sexual binge while his wife and daughter were out of town. Glenn Close is chilling as the predatory female who stalks her erstwhile lover, harassing him at every turn, destroying his property and engaging in emotional blackmail of the basest kind. Michael Douglas, as the spurned woman's target and victim, is desperate to keep his indiscretion hidden from his attractive wife, the classy Anne Archer. The cinematography is rich with excellent color and texture, especially the twilight scenes, and the music is spare with subtle shadings. The entire cast is top-notch, especially Close who eyes Douglas the way a python looks at a mouse.