Michael Douglas and Demi Moore set the box office alight in the adaptation of Michael Crichtons Disclosure.
But has any film of the 90s aged as badly as this one?
Also in the 1990s, Michael Douglas was riding high.
It must have been an easy project to greenlight.
Hot author, hot book, hot actor.
Nothing could go wrong.
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And, in the eyes of Warner Bros, it didnt.
All concerned could chalk up another hit.
Rewatching the movie over fifteen years later, though, its remarkable just how shoddy it is.
Also, it feels more dated than any other film of the 90s Ive ever rewatched.
So, lets take a look at why.
Only its not really explored.
Michael Douglas Tom Sanders, for instance, is, at first, no better than anyone else.
He joins in with playful banter with the guys, and hes smacking his assistants backside.
Playfully, of course.
For Tom is overlooked by his boss, played by Donald Sutherland, for an expected promotion.
And instead, old flame, Meredith Johnson, played by Demi Moore, gets the nod.
Its Moores character, though, that debases any argument that the film may have.
The idea is that shes a sexually aggressive woman, but the problem is shes a two dimensional one.
In print, I suspect this worked.
When the whole situation eventually starts involving lawyers, it all becomes a by-the-numbers legal thriller.
Its hard not to feel that both could have still managed more here.
To their credit,Disclosurestill emerges as an enjoyable film, albeit an uncomfortable one.
And there are a few factors that breathe life into it.
Firstly, theres Douglas.
(Blockbusters tend to work with one or three stars, but never really two.
Well be coming back to this point in a future article.)
The supporting cast are the ones allowed to have a bit more fun, though.
You wont be surprised that he succeeds.
I particularly liked Caroline Goodall here, though, as Toms wife, Susan.
Because the sexual harassment angle only really spans about ninety minutes of the two hours running time.
Well, it sort of becomes a techno thriller.
From the start, the films technology, once cutting edge, looks painfully old.
The giant mobile phone is always the big giveaway, butDisclosurewas made back when e-mail was a novelty.
But then, Toms computer treats every e-mail as a special event.
A massive spinning e, and then an animation of a letter being opened as every e-mail is opened?
But its used for brilliant comic effect when it comes to Meredith Johnson covering her tracks.
Its brilliantly hilarious, and instantly makes you understand why virtual reality never took off in the first place.
Yet, despite its R-rating, and despite the possibilities in its concept,Disclosureknows what its doing.
This isnt a deep drama, keen to be namechecked around awards seasons.
This is a blockbuster thriller.
Sex is box office, more like.
And that does taint it a little as the otherwise glossy, entertaining thriller it might be.
See more of our Looking Back articles here.
