WHAT LIES BENEATH, not much.
The last 30 minutes of this film is the "film". Director Robert Zemeckis has tried hard to give us a
supernatural Hitchcok style film. He throws in lots of character curves to try and fool the audience.
Unfortunately, I found I knew who did the awlful deed before it even reached half way. The how's and the
why's are easy to decipher as well. They stick so many clues in your face that you need a face mask to
protect you from them. Even though the script was well written with nice bits, and the acting was
excellent, I found myself bored and looking at my watch wishing for something interesting to happen.
The little bits that did happen were so low key that they didn't make me stand up and take notice. No,
like I said earlier, the last 30 minutes will really pick up hte pace and send you on a thrill ride that will
give you your monies worth in spades. The unfortunate part of this is that is a movie that is loaded with
potential that does not stand up to the possiblities. Hitchcock it is not but Hollywood thriller it is.
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The two things going for WHAT LIES BENEATH are Harrison Ford and Michelle
Pfeiffer. They both give excellent performances but Michelle Pfeiffer shines where Ford plays it low
key and in the background. Ford plays the husband, Dr. Norman Spencer who is too busy to pay attention
to his trophy wife's fears that her neighbour may be a victim of foul play. The neighbour sequences, of
course, are reminiscent of Hitchcock's REAR WINDOW. She slowly becomes obsessed with the
idea that her neighbour has been murdered by the husband and now the neighbour's ghost is haunting
her home.
The film begins with the couple taking their daughter Caitlin (Katherine Towne) off to college.
Claire, Pfeiffer's character is depressed about being alone and ignored but we soon learn she is
depressed by something more seroius in her past. Claire had given up a promising carreer as a cello
virtuoso. Left alone at home she begins spying on her new neighbours who anything but quiet in their
fights or in their extremely gregarious lovemaking. Then one day Claire talks to her young neighbour
after she hears the neighbour crying throught the fence. They discuss the young girl's problems. After
that mysterious goings on lead Claire to believe that the youg women has been murdered by the
husband. Claire begins seeing the ghostly apparition of a dead girl around the house. Strange things
occur while is alone in the house. Noises, doors opening and closing, pictures falling off the shelves
or walls are all meant to give us those little shocks to make us jump...but....they are clues. Norman
(Harrison Ford), her research scientist husband suspects she has gone loop de loop and
sends of to a shrink. It isn't until he comes home to a possessed Claire that he realizes the danger
they are in.
"Listen to me. I sound like some middle aged Nancy Drew."
The audience is lead to believe this may have nothing to do with her past as much as it may have to
do with her future. The attempts of the dead to communicate with Claire lead us to realization that the
past will return to hurt Claire's and Norman's future. The director tries to make us believe that the
threat could be from Claire, Norman or Claire's best friend, Jody (Diana Scarwid). THE
SIXTH SENSE has taught the audience not to take things at face value. I took it at face value and
spent most of the movie trying to figure out how they were going to make the ending good, when I knew
who the killer was. Luckily, the ending did not let me down. I woke up from my state of lethargy with a
bang. It is a good terrifying ending though predictable.
Watch for the "McGuffins" in this film. The scenes that are meant to throw you off the track are plentiful.
The acting is excellent. The ending is very good and we don't have to sit through countless repetitous
special effects. It is worth seeing but please note that I do not recommend it for children, because they
will get bored of it and ruin the viewing for you. Oh yes and since the ending is the best part of this film
to spoil it by telling your friends. The butler did not do it because there is no butler in this movie.
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