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Eyes Wide Shut

Play trailer Poster for Eyes Wide Shut R 1999 2h 39m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 165 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
After Dr. Bill Hartford's (Tom Cruise) wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.
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Eyes Wide Shut

Eyes Wide Shut

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Critics Consensus

Kubrick's intense study of the human psyche yields an impressive cinematic work.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard T. Jameson Film Comment Magazine 04/10/2018
Kubrick's final film is unique in his oeuvre for concluding on a note of apparent affirmation. Go to Full Review
Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times 12/14/2014
This is finally a film that is better at mood than substance, that has its strongest hold on you when it's making the least amount of sense. Go to Full Review
Stephen Hunter Washington Post 12/14/2014
It's empty of ideas, which is fine, but it's also empty of heat. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Sep 25
6/10
Even with its superb sense of unease and the idea that it’s steadily crafting a galvanizing conspiracy, it wanders off on tangents. Go to Full Review
Matthew Rozsa Democracy at Work (Substack) Aug 27
3.5/4
“The women involved have been silenced before and will be forgotten again,” Ritzenhoff said. “It is the drama around male privilege that has the entertainment value.” Go to Full Review
Jayne Nelson Radio Times 11/13/2024
4/5
Eyes Wide Shut still has an eerie mood that is purely Kubrickian. His smooth, neon-lit world and its unhappy residents are compelling, even addictive. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Dominick Dec 24 No matter the debate over just how complete it is or what it’s trying to say, Eyes Wide Shut remains a remarkable achievement in a filmography stacked with them. It perfectly encapsulates the many sides and moods of Stanley Kubrick, flitting with dreamlike sensibilities, dark humor, stark cinematography and thematic ambiguity See more Rene M Dec 13 Greatest film of all time See more Jack F @MovieFan111 5d Whoa. So here's the thing... I haven't known about this movie for that long. Less than a year. But when I first stumbled upon it, I declaratively decided this was not for me and was too inappropriate. Well, time went by, and I found myself curious about this one. So, when it hit Tubi, I watched it. In my opinion, Tom Cruise was not the best for the role. It would have been better if it was someone else. As for the movie itself, it's really iconic. There were many scenes where the dialogue just went on and on, which made it feel uneven. But dude, that one scene where the guy does that freaky ah chant with all them girls around him, and when he struck his staff on the ground was absolutely crazy. That scene commanded your attention, and was very haunting. Bruh that ending. LOL!!! I'd definitely watch it again. Now I can officially brag that I've seen it. And yes, I would consider it a Christmas movie. ;) See more John F Nov 17 Really grew on me after watching it again years later after seeing it the first time. Quite likely Kubrick's most feminist film, and largely understood in its message (at least when it was first released). Society is organized to provide rich, powerful men all (and I mean ALL!) the outlets they need to quench their desires (very Freudian indeed), and the consequences for those less powerful can be devastating if you step out of line or fall victim to the realities of nature (here it is HIV/AIDS) and law (here it is statutory rape). Meanwhile, women are offered to these men like meat on a platter--the switch from a naked woman at the ball to lying in the morgue is a haunting image. William (Cruise) is not a bad man per se, but exists in a society in which he is allowed to do terrible things to women, though not quite what the most powerful men in society are allowed to do, and it nearly costs him his life or more, showing the complexities of stratification in modern society. The reason his life is spared is because of the skilled labor he provides to the elite (a physician to the stars, so to speak), as well as his willingness to keep quiet about their debauchery (he oversteps the boundary when he tries to enjoy such things, however). Kidman is incredible here and the two of them were outstanding together. As for Kubrick, talk about going out with a bang. See more Maksim S Nov 2 I’ll be candid: Tom Cruise has never impressed me, on or off screen, and he doesn’t deserve the Hollywood poster-boy status he’s often given. I'd even go as far as to say he shouldn't have been cast in this mysterious memento, or it would be even better. Yet in Eyes Wide Shut, it doesn’t matter. Kubrick’s genius eclipses any actor, transforming the film into a hypnotic exploration of obsession, secrecy, and sexual tension. I’ve watched it half a dozen times, and each viewing reveals new layers: subtle visual cues, dreamlike compositions, and an unsettling atmosphere that only Kubrick could orchestrate. Cruise and Kidman fade into the background as instruments of the director’s vision — a controversial stance, perhaps, but one I’ll defend. This is Kubrick’s last work, and it’s a meticulously constructed, haunting meditation on desire and societal masks. Disregard Cruise’s other films; here, under Kubrick’s hand, cinema itself takes the lead. See more VITALII H @freakynickison Oct 26 2 and a half hours literally went like nothing. The movie is very easy to watch and it was well executed. It's about a man who was where he was not supposed to be and he saw things not meant for unfamiliar eyes. High echelon ppl organize different parties that are very mysterious, ritualistic and lustful. It just so happened that Bill got a chance to enter but he gets uncovered. The next day he realizes that his life may change forever. He's getting blackmailed because nobody's supposed to find out what is going down at these parties. Bill got himself and his family in some big trouble. The movie builds tension. It's dark, gets twisted but it's really exciting. There's a rumor going around that the way these parties are portrayed in this movie that's exactly how some Hollywood parties are going... That's why I decided to watch it in the first place. Movie puts you in the mood and in someway it's an eye opener. See more Read all reviews
Eyes Wide Shut

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Movie Info

Synopsis After Dr. Bill Hartford's (Tom Cruise) wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.
Director
Stanley Kubrick
Producer
Stanley Kubrick
Screenwriter
Stanley Kubrick, Frederic Raphael, Arthur Schnitzer
Distributor
Argentina Video Home, Warner Sogefilms S.A. [es], Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Pole Star, Warner Brothers, Hobby Films
Rating
R (Nudity|Language|Some Drug Related Material|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 16, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 4, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$55.7M
Runtime
2h 39m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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