Ola G
Alex (Rob Lowe) leaves a naked woman sleeping as he disappears into the city, throwing away a bag of things to cover his tracks. Michael Boll (James Spader), a shy, socially awkward doormat, finds important work data missing. He knows that Patterson, his dishonest coworker, has somehow hidden them but can't prove it, let alone bring himself to accuse the man. Frustrated, he hides in his office - only to be confronted by his fiancée Ruth, whose prattling about their upcoming wedding serves to create further anxiety for Michael. He goes to a bar at the beach and buys a drink for a woman who has lost her wallet. Her abusive boyfriend appears and assaults Michael. Suddenly, the man from earlier appears, breaks a beer bottle, and defends Michael, menacing the thug until he leaves. Michael turns to thank his benefactor, but the man has disappeared. At home, Michael’s older brother Pismo borrows money - a frequent occurrence he blames on being unable to get anywhere because of a drug conviction. Michael goes for a couple of nighttime jogs and one night, sees the mysterious man from the bar on the pier. He introduces himself as Alex. They go out for drinks and Alex tells Michael he needs to get the best of Patterson. At work, he does just that by doing what Patterson did to him to get his data back and he feels exhilarated. Over a short period, Alex introduces Michael to a life of hedonism, aggression, and anarchy...
Bad Influence received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4, praising the script, direction, and the actors' performances. He wrote the film "is a much superior exploitation of a theme that Koepp used in his screenplay for last year's 'Apartment Zero': A passive hero falls for the spell of a virile man who enters his life under false and deadly pretenses. 'Apartment Zero' was lurid and overwrought, almost a self-parody, while Hanson's direction of 'Bad Influence' makes it into a sombre, introspective study of the relationship." Vincent Canby of The New York Times also lauded the acting and wrote, "There's a crucial point at which the audience either will turn away from Bad Influence, or consciously elect to stick with it in spite of common sense. Until that moment, Bad Influence is a refreshing exercise in glossy decadence." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a grade of B+ and said, "Hanson establishes a ripe sense of temptation. In Bad Influence, the sinful undercurrents aren’t just cheap thrills. They’re luridly topical — they’re meant to subvert a world in which people have begun to organize their erotic lives by Filofax". In a more critical review, Leonard Maltin gave the film 2.5 out of a possible 4 stars, describing it as a "slick, high-tech variation on Strangers on a Train." He added it "knows what buttons to push and when; Lowe is convincingly creepy, but he won't make you forget Robert Walker." (Via Wikipedia)
I saw this stylish psychological thriller film directed by Curtis Hanson back when it came out in 1990 and it's still an ok film to me. However, the premise of the Alex character is unclear and dubious. He is clearly a psychopath, but wrecking Michael's life is that only entertainment for him or what makes him tick? And Michael seem to just tag along with anything Alex propose momentarily and then waking up to reality afterwards. A strange swift in his actions that one can question. Spader is good as always, while Rob Lowe has never been all that convincing in his acting, but he is ok in "Bad influence". The film is truly a child of the end of the 80´s and the yuppie era, but with that said it does truly channel that era being shot in 1989. "Bad influence" is ok, but also a film that does maybe not stay with you after you have seen it.
Trivia: During rehearsals for the film in 1988, Rob Lowe found himself embroiled in a public scandal when news broke of a videotape he had made having sex with two women, one of whom was sixteen. The three met at Club Rio, an Atlanta nightclub. They were videotaped the night before the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. As the age of consent in Georgia was 14 at the time (in 1995 it was raised to 16), both were of legal age to engage in sexual activity, but 18 was the legal age to be involved in such a recording. "I don't believe in the theory that any publicity is good," said Hanson. "For Rob's sake and the picture's sake, I wish it had never happened. The story broke shortly before rehearsals and my reaction was completely selfish. I kept wondering, 'How does this affect the movie? How does it affect his performance?' It was like a carnival atmosphere around him." It was ultimately decided to keep Lowe in the part. (Via Wikipedia)
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
05/02/25
Full Review
Kirk P
I saw this on HBO in 1991 and happened to start in the middle. It has one of the best scenes I ever saw. It's been one of my all-time favorite movies. The first half is slow but as Roger Ebert noted it sneaks up on you. Offers a glimpse into late 80s LA night life.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/28/25
Full Review
House R
This is a stylish '80s period thriller with a horrific villain and just a smidge of humor. I loved the cameo from the Nymphs too.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
07/09/24
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Kenneth P
I love this movie. I saw it in theaters and watch it whenever I can find it on streaming. Rob Lowes best performance in anything.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
09/21/23
Full Review
Steve D
Spader is the only reason to watch.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/24/23
Full Review
Carlos I
Leading the pack for the deluge of 90s Hitchcockian thrillers. This one bucks the trend by having both Spader and Lowe play against type, and they both do marvellously at it. If you're a fan of the style of thrillers of this type, from this period then you're probably not going to be surprised by anything that happens here, but you're sure to be entertained regardless.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
11/23/22
Full Review
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