Unfaithful (2002)
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A suburban couple's stable life is shattered when the wife begins a clandestine affair with a stranger.
The story
Connie and Edward Sumner live a happy life in upscale Westchester County, New York, with their young son. Their stability is threatened when Connie meets a handsome Frenchman named Paul in SoHo. After a chance encounter leads to a burgeoning physical connection, Connie begins to hide the affair from her husband. However, Edward becomes suspicious of her behavior and eventually hires a private investigator. The discovery of her infidelity creates a tense atmosphere of suspicion and secrecy as the consequences of Connie's choices begin to surface, threatening the foundation of their family and their shared future.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Connie and Edward Sumner enjoy a happy life in Westchester County until Connie meets Paul, a Frenchman in SoHo. Their affair begins after a chance encounter, and while Connie tries to maintain her double life, Edward becomes suspicious and hires a private investigator. After Edward discovers the truth through photos, the tension peaks when Connie tries to end things with Paul but finds him with another woman. In a confrontation, she is forced into a final encounter with him. Shortly after, Edward finds Paul and, in a fit of rage, kills him with a snow globe. He hides the body while Connie remains unaware of his actions. Later, they discover the truth of each other's actions: Connie finds the evidence of her affair in Edward's belongings, and Edward reveals he knew of her infidelity from the start. They eventually choose to remain together, living in a state of shared secrets and a desperate attempt to maintain their normal life.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Adrian Lyne
- Writers
- Alvin Sargent · screenplay; William Broyles Jr. · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Richard Gere · Edward; Diane Lane · Connie; Olivier Martinez · Paul; Erik Per Sullivan · Charlie
- Genres
- erotic thriller; crime drama; crime thriller
- Themes
- infidelity; jealousy; guilt
- Tone and mood
- erotic; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- affair; murder; domestic drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Unfaithful Wife (1969)
- Reception
- The film was a box office success, grossing $119.1 million against its $50 million production budget. It received mixed reviews from critics, though Diane Lane received critical acclaim for her performance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 50% · review count: 165; Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 34; CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A to F
- Awards and nominations
- Satellite Award · Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama · 7th Satellite Awards · win; Academy Award · Best Actress · 75th Academy Awards · nomination; Critics' Choice Movie Award · Best Actress · nomination; National Society of Film Critics · Best Actress · win; New York Film Critics Circle · Best Actress · win
- Production trivia
- The film was Adrian Lyne's final directorial effort for 20 years until Deep Water (2022).; Jennifer Lopez was offered the role of Connie but turned it down.; The studio initially wanted to change the storyline to show the Sumners had a bad marriage with no sex.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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