Overall Rating Awesome: 9.38% Worth A Look: 53.13% Average: 25% Pretty Bad: 3.13% Total Crap: 9.38% 3 reviews, 14 user ratings

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Business of Strangers, The

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by Greg Muskewitz

"Acids and Bases."

An aphoristic character study of two polar-opposite females (not just old and young, interior and exterior, frumpy and sexy, abiding and rebellious) who face a litmus test of male enmity.

The urbane Stockard Channing is a nondescript executive who fears that her termination is on the horizon. Julia Stiles, her churly, cocky assistant (“I like the sloppiness of real life”) shows up late for a presentation and by force of circumstance, has the superior’s anger of the sum of things unleashed upon her. An apology is made, drinks are consumed, and the experiment commences. A curiosity always resides nearby as to whether any of the actions are premeditated or are completely extempore. The business of strangers is a question-and-answer that is still private by the outcome, but not without some light shed on several suppositions. None particularly help to make Stiles’ decisions or actions more palatable, but there is some real insight into the insecurities of Channing’s character, numbed by grandiloquence and an empty home-life. Writer/director Patrick Stettner attenuates some validity when he overreaches by granting his characters the ability to think and react too quickly in verbal or physical situations. It makes for a taut banter and dance, but too much so; neither of the women let anything slip by without a pithy retort or reaction. Though, part of that reason would be the quality of actresses we are dealing with — an oft-ignored pro (definitely within the top ten or fifteen lead female performances of last year), and a neophyte who runs circles around most actresses her age and older.

With Frederick Weller.

[Worth-seeing.]

link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=4841&reviewer=172
originally posted: 10/06/02 11:54:54

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User Comments

4/20/10 PAUL SHORTT ICY BUT WATCHABLE DRAMA WITH SOME GOOD PERFORMANCES 3 stars

9/26/04 Tor Honolulu I love Freddy but boy oh boy does he owe me for watching this garbage 2 stars

4/13/03 Jack Sommersby Well-acted and involving. It's slight but focused. 4 stars

8/27/02 ownerofdajoint thebusinessofvictimizedwomen 4 stars

8/13/02 Monday Morning A total waste of time. 1 stars

7/20/02 ??? good 5 stars

3/02/02 Unagiboy Channing & Stiles give great performances. 4 stars

2/06/02 michael james a long drawn out painfull 2 hours 1 stars

2/06/02 Otis Buckshot This is a long, slow moving, dull,prictable, story of no depth. 1 stars

1/24/02 Paco Great performances, last 1/3 was a little weak 4 stars

12/14/01 Raymond Ellis Provocative and creepy 3 stars

12/09/01 Mario Noble Quite Good. A little stilted at times. But memorable peformances. Stays with you.4.5 stars 5 stars

11/24/01 Martha Hartley More in common with "Eyes Wide Shut" than "In the Company of Men". 4 stars

10/24/01 Gary Shipes Excellent. Superb performances from Stiles, Weller and Channing. 5 stars

IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS FILM, RATE IT!
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USA 07-Dec-2001 (R) UK N/A Australia 23-May-2002

Directed by Patrick Stettner Written by Patrick Stettner Cast Stockard Channing Julia Stiles Frederick Weller Marcus Giamatti Jack Hallett Mary Testa

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