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

Maurice Jarre's score doesn't kick in until almost a half-hour into the film.

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Goofs

Alex reaches for the same pack of cigarettes in her bag twice.

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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 At the Movies: Freejack/Until the End of the World/Juice/The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)

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Soundtracks

PARTIE IN G
Music by Johann Pachelbel (as Pachelbel)
Performed by Orchestre de Chambre Jean-François Paillard (as Jean-Francois Paillard Chamber Orchestra)
Conducted by Jean-François Paillard (uncredited)
Courtesy of Erato Records
By Arrangement with Musical Heritage Society

User Reviews

One Of The Most Memorable Movies Of The '80s

You don't hear much about this film anymore, but in its day, this was the most-talked about movie of the year. It was a 'favorite topic of conversation about the office water cooler' for a number of weeks. At the time, it was a shocker. Nowaways.....who knows? As we become more and more desensitized to violence, sex and profanity, it takes a lot more to shock us.

Still, this movie had memorable moments that have stayed with us who first saw it at the theater 20 years ago. Most of those memorable scenes, if not all of them, involve Glenn Close's character, "Alex Forrest." Man, this is a woman who would not be denied what she wanted: in this case, married man Michael Douglas.

No sense going into all the details. Everyone knows them by now, anyway. Looking back, I think the film was a good lesson for men (or women) thinking about cheating on their spouses and assuming nothing bad will happen as a result. Men may commit more crimes, but that old adage about a "woman scorned" certainly is demonstrated here in spades! Douglas' character, "Dan Gallagher," certainly can attest to that, but he is anything but a sympathetic character. Both actors do a superb job in here, but kudos also to the rest of the Gallagher family, played by Anne Archer (wife "Beth") and Ellen Hamilton Latzen (daughter "Ellen.")

Also, the cinematography shouldn't be overlooked. The widescreen DVD certainly brought out how nicely this film was shot and directed. This two-hour film keeps your attention all the way. The only thing I would change is the language, toning it down a bit. Otherwise, it's a classic thriller and one of the most famous films in the '80s.

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