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

Latest Reviews MFA by Jay Seaver You Only Live Once by Jay Seaver November (2017) by Jay Seaver Friendly Beast by Jay Seaver Foreigner, The (2017) by Jay Seaver Tom of Finland by Rob Gonsalves Happy Death Day by Jay Seaver 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene by Jay Seaver Death Note: Light Up the New World by Jay Seaver Brawl in Cell Block 99 by Peter Sobczynski subscribe to this feed

Latest Features Films I Neglected To Review: Brooklynn Rising VIFF 2017 Interview: MEET BEAU DICK - MAKER OF MONSTERS director Natalie Boll VIFF 2017 Interview: MAINELAND director Miao Wang VIFF 2017 Interview: ARMED WITH FAITH director Asad Farqui VIFF 2017 Interview: DAVID HOCKNEY AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS director Phil Grabsky VIFF 2017 Interview: SISSYMAN director Joshua Atest Little VIFF 2017 Interview: BURMA STORYBOOK director Petr Lom VIFF 2017 Interview: BULLROARER director Francesco Saviano VIFF 2017 Interview: LUCKY director John Carroll Lynch VIFF 2017 Interview: THE MOUNTAIN OF SGAANA director Christopher Auchter subscribe to this feed

Business of Strangers, The

Buy posters from this movie

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

printer-friendly format

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!
Note: Duplicate, 'planted,' or other obviously improper comments
will be deleted at our discretion. So don't bother posting 'em. Thanks!

Your Name:

Your Comments:

Your Location: (state/province/country)

Your Rating:

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

Advertisement

Overall Rating

Latest Reviews

Latest Features

User Comments