Fatal Attraction

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1:25

Fatal Attraction

R

Released Sep 11, 1987

1h 59m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

For Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas), life is good. He is on the rise at his New York law firm, is happily married to his wife, Beth (Anne Archer), and has a loving daughter. But, after a casual fling with a sultry book editor named Alex (Glenn Close), everything changes. Jilted by Dan, Alex becomes unstable, her behavior escalating from aggressive pursuit to obsessive stalking. Dan realizes that his main problem is not hiding his affair, but rather saving himself and his family.

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Critics Consensus

A potboiler in the finest sense, Fatal Attraction is a sultry, juicy thriller that's hard to look away from once it gets going.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

This is a horror film based on the sanctity of the family -- the dream family. It enforces conventional morality (in the era of AIDS) by piling on paranoiac fear. The family that kills together stays together, and the audience is hyped up.

Sep 15, 2023

Full Review

Adam Nayman

The Ringer

It’s a fine line between pathos and ridiculousness, and Close walks it like a velvet tightrope.

May 5, 2023

Full Review

Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

Fatal Attraction evolves toward the cheaply manipulative and silly.

Dec 7, 2022

Full Review

Savina Petkova

A Good Movie To Watch

Seen from a slightly removed perspective, the film becomes a stylized variation on conservative AIDS panic and a provocation to conservative heteronormativity. It has to be said that not all of the film has aged well.

Rated: 77/100

Nov 24, 2023

Full Review

Q.V. Hough

Vague Visages

However lethal Alex may be, Lyne introduces notes of empathy in an ingenious way...

Jun 23, 2023

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

As a thriller it has a start that rises with the presence of Glenn Close, but its degree of intrigue ends up being cut off easily when it interrogates guilt, obsession and the ethical corollaries of adultery in a sanitized zone. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 6/10

May 4, 2023

Full Review

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Blu B

A Romance Thriller Classic. It's slow....very very slow and takes it's time. The music isn't bad but it's very noticeable at times how this barely uses any score at all and is slightly dry. It's also a fairly quiet film also with not that much dialouge beyond the inital meeting of Douglas & Close who are good together. Honestly besides the score everything else is pretty solid about it. The film is peaks and valleys the entire time and VERY slowly it gets a little more intense. Second half it starts to get really twisted and you can feel the turning of the screw more and more. It all builds up to the last 10 minutes which is really good and the best part. It's a film that does require patience but it does have a great payoff. Anyone who is a fan of romances, drama/thrillers, or is a fan of any actors in this, or the director should check this out. It doesn't necessarily break new ground but it does the basics of the stalker/romance genre well.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/25/25

Full Review

useyour I

Fatal Attraction has an inescapable pull to it; it's suffocatingly exciting.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

Full Review

David A

I always loved this movie and the changed ending. I know most would disagree but to me Alex kept crossing the line and invading the family more and more as the movie went on. She came across as narcissistic so I didn't believe that she would harm herself in the original ending. Even when she attempted suicide near the start of the film, her wounds were superficial. She did it to keep Dan with her and get his sympathy. The changed ending was more explosive and yes Alex wasn't a villain, but she would have done anything I believe to have Dan with her. One of my favourite erotic thrillers. Actually not many come close except maybe Play Misty for Me.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

Full Review

Harold N

Just another movie about an affair when one person is nuts and shows it in a rather bad way. Psycho in love, but can’t rejection in a civilized manner.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/23/25

Full Review

Shaun R

One of the all time great thrillers. I’m sure a few people can relate somewhat to this film which makes it even scarier. Timeless.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

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Gina R

However lethal Alex may be, Lyne introduces notes of empathy in an ingenious way...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/19/25

Full Review

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Adrian Lyne

Director

Michael Douglas

Dan Gallagher

Glenn Close

Alex Forrest

Anne Archer

Beth Gallagher

Ellen Latzen

Ellen Gallagher

Stuart Pankin

Jimmy

Fatal Attraction: Official Clip - A Married Man

1:50

Fatal Attraction: Official Clip - Alex Comes Over

2:13

Fatal Attraction: Official Clip - Bathroom Brawl

2:12

Fatal Attraction: Official Clip - Not Going to Be Ignored

2:11

Fatal Attraction: Official Clip - Boiled Bunny

1:29

Fatal Attraction: Official Clip - Alex Is Pregnant

2:10

Fatal Attraction: Official Clip - Bloody Farewell

2:02

Fatal Attraction: Official Clip - Lying in the Park

1:37

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Fatal Attraction: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

For Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas), life is good. He is on the rise at his New York law firm, is happily married to his wife, Beth (Anne Archer), and has a loving daughter. But, after a casual fling with a sultry book editor named Alex (Glenn Close), everything changes. Jilted by Dan, Alex becomes unstable, her behavior escalating from aggressive pursuit to obsessive stalking. Dan realizes that his main problem is not hiding his affair, but rather saving himself and his family.

Director: Adrian Lyne
Producer: Stanley R. Jaffe, Sherry Lansing
Screenwriter: James Dearden, Nicholas Meyer
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 11, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 6, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $154.0M
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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