Fatal Attraction

R

Released Sep 11, 1987

1 hr. 59 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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List

74%

61 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Marit Risto F

Pathetic madhouse. The much too long lasting nevrotic split, between the lover and the husband

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

Full Review

KB B

This was such an intense, amazing movie. The acting and storyline were exceptional. I'll never forget hearing reports that lady's man types were afraid to date for months after this movie released.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/24

Full Review

Christina B

Glenn Close is so fab, she made this film. Also, this film should be shown at pre-marital counselling sessions. Cheating isn't worth the hassle...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/08/24

Full Review

Jens B

I always confuse this and THE WAR OF THE ROSES somehow. Especially with a scene that involves a pet. Other than that, this film taught me to not have an affair, I guess.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

Christian K

Glenn Close does a truly great psycho. The plot moves at a very predictable pace, it takes the most basic logical steps in her stalker and psycho behavior. Wish I had liked this more.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/24

Full Review

Johnathon W

First rate erotic thriller thanks to two excellent lead performances and tight direction by Adrian Lynne. Douglas is his usual excellent best in a lead performance, playing a guy who made a bad mistake and is now paying for it dearly while Close is both alluring and frightening his the object of his affair. Behind the camera, Lynne crafts a one of the best erotic thrillers ever, largely by never letting Douglas's character off he made a mistake, while at the same time making some smart moves (he tells his wife and calls the cops at an appropriate time). All in all, fantastic film and thrilling for adults.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/29/23

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

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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

1:25

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Pauline Kael

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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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
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
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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