Hitched (2001 TV Movie) User Reviews

What Does " Hitchcock " Mean ?

[Theo Robertson · 5/10 · 16 September 2003]

The info button on my remote control described this movie as " A neat thriller with shades of Hitchcock " . I`ve got to really wonder if the person who writes the stuff for the info button ever watches the films in question because the only real connection with an Alfred Hitchcock film HITCHED has is that the female protagonist has blonde hair . I also can`t help but be aware that almost every single thriller with a twist in the tail is inevitabaly described as having " shades of Hitchcock " . Am I alone in thinking this phrase is painfully over used ?

To be fair to it HITCHED is a perfectly watchable TVM which owes more than a nod to Stephen King - Especially GERALD`S GAME and MISERY - more than it does to the master of suspense , and I guess for personal reasons the title could have been a lot worse , I mean the male protagonist is called Theodore and just think of all the titles this film could have used instead of " HITCHED "

Could have been better

[Charles-31 · 5/10 · 1 October 2001]

CONTAINS SPOILERS Okay, it's the usual revenge story. But, it was fun. (Mild spoiler here:) However, it could have been better had the ending been changed from the standard "surprise" to something that would have allowed the wife to get away with it (if you see it, this will be obvious). I would have loved to see her come out smelling like a rose. Instead, they just made her nuts.

Slow descent after great start.

[mungers · 6/10 · 19 September 2001]

This tv movie addressed a cheated wife's revenge in a rather fun way. I'm sure many viewers found a thousand reasons this was for entertainment only and not something that would have actually have panned out. A some what predictable ending that was slightly reeking a breath of Hitchcock. The biggest surprise was seeing Anthony Michael Hall as an adult. Especially after just recently seeing him as the geek in 16 Candles. Almost didn't recognize him.

Could somebody lemme outa' here please??!!

[Eric-1226 · 23 September 2001]

I watched this movie the other night because, well, it was on, and I was too lazy to get up and change the channel. I'm glad I stuck around to watch all of it! This was a deliciously bizarre little story, which basically revolves around a cheated wife who exacts her revenge on her offending husband by chaining him to a post in the sound-proof basement of their Craftsman home (the basement is a holdover from back in the day when the house served as a speak-easy during Prohibition days).

The movie was well-acted and well-filmed, but I think what really glued me to the tube was, throughout, there was this palpable weird tension going on. Now what did this remind me of...? I couldn't quite place the feeling, nor could I quite place where I had seen the lead lady, played by Sheryl Lee Diamond. I even got motivated, after seeing the credits, to go look her up on IMDb and whaddya' know - it was our good friend Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks! Oh, now I get it... this movie has that same delightfully bizarre, twisted, slightly whacked-out David Lynchian romp through the dark side of urban middle America feeling to it. Watch this movie, and think Twin Peaks.

And yes, that was Anthony Michael Hall playing the part of the husband. I was forced several times during the movie to do a double take upon seeing him playing this role, of the bad-boy husband who gets thrown down into "underground storage", courtesy of wife Laura Palmer (oops I mean Sheryl Lee). Like the previous commenter noted, it was surprising to see him play this part. I will always remember him as the barely post-pubescent teenager with that famous blurt-out line, "I've never bagged a babe", in 16 Candles (or whatever teen movie that was where he said those lines). And yet here he was, "all growed up," playing quite the chaser. How times change. It's amazing. All in all quite a nice movie, and in many ways much better than feature films you see at the theater.

Moronic dreck

[vyto34 · 1/10 · 4 May 2003]

Gorgeous Sheryl Lee needs to get a better agent. As the trade magazines for movie theater owners used to say in the 1950s: "For the lower half", meaning suitable only as the poorer half of a double-bill. It would have made a boring, standard half-hour TV show. But stretched out to 1.5 hours, it is painfully redundant and repeatedly-telegraphed (except for the ending, which is not telegraphed, but is totally unmotivated). To make things worse, Sheryl does not even get to do anything sexy in the film.

Watchable, if a little odd

[MissTRious · 7/10 · 5 October 2009]

The first thing you notice about this film is that it is about 45 minutes too long. You quickly get the premise of the story and the extra time doesn't really add any value to it.

Crazy wife + cheating husband = REVENGE.

Sheryl Lee as the wife quickly seems to degenerate into Psycho-kitty and I found myself losing all care and sympathy for her or her plight. The husband (Anthony Michael Hall) on the other hand, after some quite funny outbursts about his standpoint on fidelity and the power of "Little Ted" (if you get my meaning) actually seemed to grow and develop as a man leading to a slightly sad (yet predictable) outcome.

One comment on Anthony's physique, heck even he had to grow sometime only Peter Pan was the eternal child. And as for looking overly big, nah, it's just the camera adding 10 pounds and your 108" Plasma TV.

The ending smacked more of the Twilight Zone or Outer Limits than a Hallmark moment, but oddly it fitted.

This is not an unwatchable film and it definitely has its moments however I wouldn't call it a stalwart for the Feminist Cause.

Hooked on Hitched!

[rbrb · 10/10 · 23 October 2004]

This excellent drama had me engrossed from start to finish and deserves top marks. From the moment the concerned wife reported her husband missing at the police station, to the end of the movie I was riveted.

The film is really a tale about adultery, and the lead actress gives a terrific performance as do all the supporting cast.

There is an enormous amount of very funny scenes in the film, such as when a married couple go for a civil marriage but the person performing the ceremony is overjoyed as his divorce decree has just arrived; another scene where a husband seeking to justify his marital infidelity claims his "tool" has no conscience!

And there is a hilarious episode with one of the characters and his love of "Disc Golf".

Also there is a first rate, amusing and thoughtful script and the direction of the picture is professional and kept me watching throughout.

Not the best exponent of modern filmmaking....

[releasethebats76 · 22 February 2004]

This is quite an interesting little piece of film.... Never cared much for Sheryl Lee, though I'm a major Twin Peaks/Lynch fan. Nice concept for a film I must say! Very interesting storyline and being part feminist, I enjoyed most of it. But, does anyone else think this film is is too much of an homage to the director's favorites? Dunno, perhaps I'm nuts, but there are several tributes to other films, such as 'North By Northwest' in that there is a character named Cary Grant and the female lead (whose name is Eve) is almost trying to seduce him.... and the film 'Big Lebowski' where Hall says 'this agression will not stand' along with the mock porno vid.... Not to mention one of Hall's girlfriends' name is Sheryl.... just thoughts.........

Somehow, it never gelled, but I liked it. Go figure.

[fgunther · 8/10 · 22 September 2001]

How many times have we dreamed of making someone we've loved suffer, at least as badly as they've hurt us? It's got to be one of our favorite fantasies, right up there with...well, name your own poison.

Sheryl Lee Diamond is a revelation, and brings real conviction to her role as a complex woman, who is sweet, loving, gentle, nurturing -every man's dream bride. Possible spoiler: that the detective on the case falls in love with her is all too easy to believe, and both carry this subplot off in an entirely absorbing and believable way. When the worm turns, and she takes revenge on her cheatin' man, the actress totally brings us along on her journey into...psychosis?

Anthony Michael Hall's performance, IMHO, was FedEx'ed in, and detracts quite a bit from making this a better film, but several other supporting actors contribute nicely, adding to the interest of this little movie. Suggestion: do NOT watch this with your significant other.

Interesting Metaphor !

[elshikh4 · 29 February 2008]

What an effective movie. It's all a foxy metaphor about how the love which's grounded on possession is not love anymore; it's a torture's operation or some kind of slow killing.

Thanks to the writing and directing of (Wesley Strick) the man who wrote or co-wrote movies like (Cape Fear - 1991) and (Wolf - 1994). I loved his smart script, with its thrilling time, good characterization (especially the husband as another ladies' man but who loves his wife truly after all), and clever totally unpredictable twist in the end. I also loved (Strick)'s directing; it was simple and strong in the same time.

Moreover, the performance was wonderful from everybody. And on the top of them is (Sheryl Lee Diamond). She was so impressive as a wounded wife, angry woman and rarely insane psycho!

(Hitched) is one of the best examples of what this kind of low budget movies can do.

OK then...

[talkhard818 · 2 January 2003]

What a strange film. It's entirely watchable, and entertaining on a night when you've got nothing else to do. There were some pretty good performances by Sheryl Lee, but what really struck me was Anthony Michael Hall's role in this. Am I the only one who has Hall's loveable, scrawny dork image burned into my brain? His role as the cheating husband was certainly a different one and quite amusing, actually. But I'll always remember him as that hopeless nerd in all of his 80's movies. ("I've never bagged a babe...I'm not a stud...") I honestly wish he could have retained this image, because the heavyset, brawny abusive husband doesn't really suit him, so it made Hitched that much more fake. While watching, I felt myself searching this buffed-up version for signs of the dork we all know and love.

As for the plot, it was lukewarm and a bit unbelievable. Your typical TV movie. Certainly not the best, but then again, not bad.

The way I see it is this:

[Sheltering_Sky · 24 June 2003]

Of course "Hitched" is a bad movie. It was brought to us by the same box that gave us "Baby Monitor: The Sound Of Fear." I have learned not to expect great things from my television, so instead of critiquing, which only stands to leave me empty-handed, with neither an opinion nor an excuse, I do my best to interpret. What the hell does it all mean?

For my part, I am an active disliker of men and women and the way they bonelessly coalesce into their respective roles as charlatan and virago as soon as they enter a marriage. What's funny about "Hitched" is I couldn't figure out whether this movie hated women, was merely poking fun at them, or saying, "Hey, girls, this is a viable option you may have overlooked." In all honesty, any of these options is a viable as the next, and all of them are okay with me.

It's not fair to the film to try to criticize the way it was directed, the production design, or even the acting, which, for a movie about a woman who chains men in her basement, was pretty nuanced. That's not why people watch TV, and it's certainly not why people would tune in specially to watch a movie that promises the plot of "Hitched." It's all about settling in for shock and schlock, then a quick "what do you think, honey?" before brushing the teeth and going to bed.