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Bad Influence
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Bad Influence (1990) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   2,773 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Curtis Hanson
Writer (WGA):
David Koepp (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Bad Influence on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 March 1990 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Thriller more
Plot:
Michael, a wimpy young executive, is about to get pulverized by a jealous boyfriend in a bar when a handsome... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Lindsay a Bad Influence on Ali Lohan
 (From HollyScoop. 7 May 2009, 10:30 PM, PDT)

L.A. Confidential's Curtis Hanson Directing Gemini Man
 (From FirstShowing.net. 13 February 2009, 2:30 AM, PST)

User Comments:
...just OK more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Rob Lowe ... Alex

James Spader ... Michael Boll

Lisa Zane ... Claire

Marcia Cross ... Ruth Fielding
Rosalyn Landor ... Britt
Tony Maggio ... Patterson
Palmer Lee Todd ... Naked Woman
Kathleen Wilhoite ... Leslie
Sunny Smith ... Waitress
Susan Lee Hoffman ... Karen, Woman in Bar

Jeff Kaake ... Willie, Man in Bar

Christian Clemenson ... Pismo Boll
Charisse Glenn ... Stylish Eurasian Woman
Jay Della ... Chez Jay Bartender
Inger Lorre ... Band Member
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
99 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Norway:18 (original rating/video rating) | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (cut) | USA:R | West Germany:16 | France:Unrated | Iceland:16

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
David Koepp wrote his screenplay on spec at a time when he didn't even have an agent. more
Goofs:
Continuity: At the tar pits as seen from above, we see a yellow or lime-green fire truck (ladder truck). When the camera comes back as the fireman descends it (the ladder), we notice the truck is now red. more
Quotes:
Alex: [picking up his knife] Now I'm going to show you more
Movie Connections:
References Strangers on a Train (1951) more
Soundtrack:
SPIRITUAL HEALING more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful:-
...just OK, 18 July 2005
5/10
Author: jmorrison-2 from Farmington Hills, MI

Decent, well-directed and, at times, frightening tale of friendship with a psychopath gone terribly wrong.

Rob Lowe is not bad as the creepy, highly intelligent psycho. James Spader is very good as a decent working stiff, caught up in a world that, at first, excites and energizes him, but goes horribly wrong.

However, Lowe really can only take the character so far. He reaches about as far a psychopath as he is capable. Then, the movie gets a little dull. The tension should slowly accumulate in a movie like this, as the villain reveals more and more of his pathology. Lowe never seems to go much beyond a sinister grin. Spader's passive yuppie character finally finds the rage and the courage to finally take matters into his own hands. However, it seems forced. Lowe's character has a point: You knowingly and enthusiastically took part in robberies and beatings. It isn't that easy to now claim enraged, moral high ground. What are you truly capable of if the right opportunity presented itself? Spader finally gets the message: this guy set you up, and he isn't going anywhere until he is eliminated, either through death or incarceration.

Someone else mentioned that the casting was reversed. I am reminded of James Spader's cool, creepy, menacing "Rip" character in "Less than Zero". That's an interesting point. Turn the casting around, and you may very well have an above average movie.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Bad Influence (1990)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Rob Lowe's character is a metaphor for the Devil/Satan logicbomb_DE
Very entertaining thriller!!! hannahp1
What in the Classified ads told them where the party was? russech
Alex - An analysis of the character DylanMckay
The guy who plays his brother costars w/Spader on BL samrose66
What was in the bag? phenethylaminebackwash
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