Eyes Wide Shut (2008, HD DVD)

I must be one of the few people, but I liked Eyes Wide Shut. I was not expecting to even rent this, but the unusual confluence of my having a rent on get one free coupon and Nicole Kidman naked came together and I took a shot. I got my money's worth.

You may have seen a similar review by user straightstory. I was him, but epinions didn't like the dual user thing. This is an edited version.

The Story

The basic gist of the story goes like this: Tom gets mad at Nicole when Nicole reveals a fantasy. Tom goes out and see all sorts of depraved sex acts that go awry. Tom repents and makes up with Nicole. Sounds simple, but it is deeper than it looks.

The Bad Stuff First

Let me start with the downside. The acting is nothing great. There is no real "umph" to it. Nicole Kidman speaks with a r-e-a-l s-l-o-w s-l-u-r when she is drunk, and it doesn't really work.

This is clearly not Kubrick's best film. Many of his others, such as Full Metal Jacket and A Clockwork Orange more clearly and explicitly hit the mark Kubrick was trying to hit. This movie was just as unbelievable as A Clockwork Orange, for example, yet this one just didn't seem as "realistic". Go figure.

Looking Deeper

However, there is a lot to the story if you want to see it. How would you react if you were really jealous? What kind of depraved or not so depraved acts to people out there partake in? Why would a wife be so cruel to reveal such a fantasy? Or is such a revelation actually healthy? We know that having such a fantasy is probably normal and even healthy, so why does it seem so cruel?

One of the themes that I liked was how, no matter how Tom Cruise tried, he couldn't actually cheat on his wife. He just could not consummate. I thought that said a lot about his relationship and the ironies of the movie.

It is also important what is not shown. The Tom fesses up scene is simply not there. Daybreak and Nicole with a red nose and dried tears says more than the actual scene could have shown. Other scenes are similar.

The Visuals
Kubrick's genius comes through on DVD quite well. I was relatively impressed with the direction and cinematography, as well as the London recreation of New York. Colors and sounds came through my home-theater system quite vividly, and subtle use of light and shading was not lost in this format.

The Soundtrack, Or Lack Thereof

The soundtrack, which some have argued is "simple" one note piano twanging, actually works quite well to emphasize suspense or whatever emotion was stated.

A Surprise

As to the last line of the film, which I will not divulge, I can imagine why some women felt it was crude. However - women out there - if your husband or boyfriend agrees with you in shock, then he is lying. Dollars to donuts, he is wishing you would say the same thing to him. And I suppose this is why I liked it. I am a big fan of frank dialog that pushes the envelope.