It looks like Stanley Kubrick was really just a horny old man.
This was supposed to be Stanley Kubrick's final masterpiece, his greatest triumph and the last high note in a momentous symphony of a career... but instead it ended up being a "MacArthur Park" or "Muskrat Love," it just didn't cut it. I don't like to speak ill of the dead, but Eyes Wide Shut really didn't live up to the hype that all the critics gave it. Granted I am not the best judge of serious "art" films, but I do think I am a good judge of what is a decent flick, and I just didn't think this was it. About the only reason I can think of to go see it is if you are like a total fanatic of the famous married couple (Cruise and Kidman) and you are so desperate to see them in a movie that you have to see it.
Dr. Bill (Tom Cruise) imagines his wife with another man
Based on Traumnovelle (Dream Story), a novella by early 20th century Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise, Jerry Maguire, Mission: Impossible) is a rich doctor in Manhattan with a swanky apartment (or house), loads of money and a beautiful wife Alice (Nicole Kidman, Practical Magic, Far and Away). After Bill flirts with a couple of girls at a Christmas party Alice reveals her secret lusting for a Naval Officer she saw years before. Bill then becomes obsessed with the idea and goes on a hunt to (pardon the expression) get laid. After a couple of failed attempts with prostitutes he learns from his old college friend Nick Nightengale (Todd Field, Twister) of a weird sexual cult where everyone wears masks and takes part in an orgy that puts most porno movies to shame. Unfortunately he is discovered and barely escapes with his life. The remainder of the film is Bill trying to either to discover what is up with this cult, or trying to run away from its henchmen.
Alice (Nicole Kidman) smiles at her hubbie
As you can tell by my description, there isn't a whole lot to the plot of Eyes Wide Shut. So hopefully with a lack in plot there would be some major strengths in other areas like acting, artistic merits, etc. Unfortunately the only strength at all in this movie is a few moments of acting from Cruise and Kidman. The rest of the movie just made me want to go "Huh?" and "Why did they make this?" I don't care if it was Stanly Kubrick's obsession and he was a great filmaker... I just saw no reason why this should be made into a movie. The plot was too slow, the charators were bland and in many cases outright boring and the dialouge was, to be blunt, stupid. I don't want you to think this movie completely sucked, because it didn't, I just expected it to be building to some big climax and it just never did. I guess if you like artsy movies Eyes Wide Shut might me the type of film you like, otherwise stay clear.
