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 & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Douglas	...	Dan Gallagher
Glenn Close	...	Alex Forrest
Anne Archer	...	Beth Gallagher
Ellen Latzen	...	Ellen Gallagher (as Ellen Hamilton Latzen)
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 Gallagher 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:

killing a rabbit | sex scene | new york city | breaking and entering | borderline personality disorder | 

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Taglines:

On the other side of drinks, dinner and a one night stand, lies a terrifying love story.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kirstie Alley, who was under consideration for the lead role, provided a tape of a woman who had been stalking her husband, Parker Stevenson, in which she was begging him to be a part of his life. The woman's words were used verbatim for the film.

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Goofs

In the first sex scene in the kitchen, Alex's clock reads 5.20, however, when her wrist watch becomes visible, the time reads 8.15. When Dan and Alex are eating dinner together in the restaurant and he asks why she doesn't have a date tonight, this makes the time on the watch more likely to be accurate, otherwise, how would he know that he didn't have a date that evening?

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Quotes

[first lines]
Beth Gallagher: [to Dan] You better get going kiddo, we'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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Alternate Versions

When preview audiences hated this ending, a new one was shot (where Alex is killed by Dan's wife with a gun). The original ending still appears in the Japanese release and was added to the US video and laser editions.

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Connections

Referenced in Mike & Mike: Episode dated 9 October 2014 (2014)

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Soundtracks

ALFIE
(1965)
Music by Burt Bacharach
Lyrics by Hal David

User Reviews

Nice, but have you seen the Original?

It always humors me a great deal when people say FATAL ATTRACTION is the quintessential sex-psycho thriller. They probably haven't seen the 1971 original version, PLAY MISTY FOR ME. That was Clint Eastwood's debut as a director and much more frightening and surprising than FA. So, if you like these kind of films and think FA is the best, do yourself a favour and go out and rent PLAY MISTY FOR ME. You'll be in for a ride!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Affairs of the Heart

Filming Locations:

17 Little 12th. Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,602,740, 20 September 1987

Gross USA:

$156,645,693

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$320,145,693

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1