Theme Song: Nothing of note.
Interesting Dated References: Burger King being a legitimate, plant-filled, dine-in dinner destination for upper-middle class families.
Were fast food restaurants ever like this?!?! If so, why did they stop? Was it because people were putting out smokes in the plant beds? That problem is gone now! Bring back plants in fast food places! It’s so much more inviting!
Social Context: After the career misstep Monsignor, auteur Frank Perry set his sights on a popular novel about a dissatisfied housewife investigating the murder of her dentist. That novel, Compromising Positions, was a hit upon release in 1978 and author Susan Isaacs came aboard to write the script (they also teamed on his next film, 1987’s Hello Again).
Summary: Susan Sarandon (Something Short of Paradise) plays Judith Singer, a dissatisfied former reporter now relegated to housework by her somewhat-problematic husband, Bob. As luck would have it, Judith’s womanizing lothario dentist (played by Joe Mantegna, Weeds) is murdered, which instantly gives her something to fixate on.
This leads Judith into a web of suburban New Jersey intrigue, which includes mobsters, porn producers, disgruntled lovers, a slew of interesting and well-written characters, and some vague references to bestiality. This all culminates in Judith somehow uncovering and solving the crime, thereby saving her marriage, and reinvigorating her career as a reporter.
Sounds pleasant enough, but unfortunately the entire movie is derailed when crabby Detective Suarez (Raul Julia) professes his love for Judith out of nowhere, sending the movie into a cinematic boondoggle. Seriously, the dude only appears on camera once in a while to announce that Judith is breaking the law and should stop her research, then is reintroduced as some type of spicy fling to get her out of her rut.
Worth Mentioning:
– Regardless, how about those stylish Frank Perry interiors! This movie is a spectacle of awesome mid-80s interior design. I cannot praise it enough and would say it’s worth the price of admission just to see Perry track shots through some of these locations.
– There are a few extremely misplaced, very heavy scenes involving Judith and Bob fighting about their relationship. I’ve never read the book, so I don’t know if these are verbatim or added in, but they are FUCKING NUTS and Edward Hermann is INTENSE.
– Excellent supporting cast includes Judith Ivey, Mary Beth Hurt, Josh Mostel, Joan Allen, and Deborah Rush (Split Image).
– I think the crux of this movie was that the dentist took nude photos of his lovers and talked one of them into bestiality, which made her so ashamed she had him killed.
– Check out this ridiculous Hi-Fi set-up these kids are underappreciating.
Poster and Box Art: The home video release box was very iconic because of the bizarre image juxtaposition (toothbrush, legs, dead person)
The US posters had similar themes, but the dentist on the leg-filled toothbrush was still alive.
