Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

Compulsion

R Released Jun 21, 2013 1h 28m Mystery & Thriller List
Tomatometer 1 Reviews 19% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A strange and destructive relationship develops between a chef (Heather Graham) and her neighbor (Carrie-Anne Moss), a former child actress.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Compulsion

Critics Reviews

View All (1) Critics Reviews
Brian Orndorf Blu-ray.com At the very least, Compulsion is easy to watch, even if doesn't ultimately come together as the shocker Coccimiglio imagines it to be. Rated: C Jul 4, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (44) audience reviews
Audience Member this movie has a lot of flashbacks made it hard to follow the storyline. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Great Watch, would watch again, and can recommend. Heather Graham proves mastery of the craft in this beautifully written psych thriller. She embodies the obsession (a more appropriate term than the title) of the character and the ridiculous obsession with food. Carrie Ann-Moss ("The Matrix": Trinity) shows an equal quality of acting with her character, creating a double helix of psychosis. If you like psychology based drama, this this will satisfy that hunger for crazy people in normal situations behaving madly. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member an active world for activity-minded visitors disconcerting personifications ask their values; the course of knowing then do the casualties when he decides to interact in the original plots; Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member It's tricky to make much sense out of "Compulsion," which exists in its own world of fantasy and fixation. It's a mixture of tones and manic behavior that often comes across confused, yet the film's dedication to a screaming color palette and food fetishes is most enticing, making it a feast for the eyes and the stomach, yet coldly detached everywhere else. However, those with an interest in the extremes of obsessive cinema might get a kick or two out of what director Egidio Coccimiglio serves up here, studying the emphasis on domestic glamour and the decadence of exotic food preparation. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member This isn't as bad a film as people are making it out to be. If you pay attention to the details, there's more here than meets the eye. There are issues, of course, but overall not as bad as many believe. You have a woman who is obsessed with being a cooking show host. In her mind she is one, constantly practising in her kitchen hearing the audience in response--ala Robert de Niro in the Comedian. Amy is so obsessed by food, it takes over her life and is the basis for everything, especially how she relates to people. The film might have had more depth if the cooking host passion was made more real by Amy, perhaps, stalking an established cooking host. If anything, the film lacked development in key areas, especially the ending. We'll get to that shortly. Early in the film, Amy discovers that her neighbour is Saffron, an actor from a show she loved as a child. We discover later that Amy has actually loved Saffron since she can remember. Yes, Saffron, the most precious / costly spice know that, according to experts, is "incapable of independent sexual reproduction." How appropriate, as Saffron is certainly in dire straights, but because of her ultimate love, her partner in Amy, she is ultimately able to find full release. The kicker here is that as Amy attempts to woo Saffron through food, her love and passion and all, Saffron rejects the food, thus rejecting Amy. But Amy's love runs deep, and she does not let this deter her, again and again seeking that mix that will gastronomically set Saffron alight. It is Saffron's dislike for food that came about as a result of her mother's obsession with Saffron's weight, but that is only part of the problem, however, We also discover that as a child Saffron had been raped by Hollywood elite. This is more that gets in the way of Amy's compulsion. But there is nothing that Amy won't do for Saffron, nothing. Even if it's to end Saffron's suffering, permanently. And here is where we end up. The ending is quite slapped together and wanting, a seemingly major skip between the last and previous scene. In addition, the character of Det Randall is handled rather weakly. His reaction to his discovery that she is the murderer is a bit strained and odd for a "professional detective." But worst of all he simply leaves, and we don't hear from him again. Not a bad film for one being off the beaten path, but problematic enough to considerably limit full viewer satisfaction and, if I may, release. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Heather was nice in this maybe a bit slow movie , but oke to see ....what happend with the neigbour and her ex ? You may figure out yourself at the end , bud that's easy ! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Compulsion

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A strange and destructive relationship develops between a chef (Heather Graham) and her neighbor (Carrie-Anne Moss), a former child actress.
Director
Egidio Coccimiglio
Producer
Gary Howsam, Bill Marks
Screenwriter
Floyd Byars
Distributor
Phase 4 Films
Production Co
Rollercoaster Entertainment, Vortex Words Plus Pictures
Rating
R (Strong Sexuality|Some Language|A Brief Sexual Assault)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 21, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 29, 2016
Runtime
1h 28m
Most Popular at Home Now