Natalie Karp Movies
An average American family suffers from a grave and unexpected loss that forces its members to confront past issues in this all-star ensemble drama from acclaimed director Dennis Lee (Jesus Henry Christ). Julia Roberts stars as Lisa Taylor, the wife of a college professor, Charlie (Willem Dafoe), living in the Midwest. As the tale opens, the aging couple are proud parents of two grown and reasonably successful children, Michael (Ryan Reynolds) and Ryne (Shannon Lucio). Then tragedy strikes: not long after Michael arrives in town (visiting from Manhattan), Lisa perishes in a fatal car accident, leaving the family bereft of its matriarch. As the devastated Taylors feebly attempt to cope with their loss, tensions resurface that have long boiled beneath the surface between Charlie and Michael; meanwhile, Michael's estranged wife, Kelly (Carrie-Anne Moss), turns up at the funeral to pay her respects to Lisa and gradually begins making amends with Michael. When Michael announces to the family that he's planning to publish a memoir about his childhood, Lisa's younger sister, Jane (Emily Watson), grows horrified that it will unearth devastating long-buried skeletons from the family's past; moreover, it seems that prior to her death, Lisa was guarding one major secret of her own that lingers just out of view and threatens to destroy everyone's sense of familial security when it finally comes to light. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds, (more)
Traci Lords served as executive producer as well as star for this thriller concerning murder and infidelity. Elizabeth (Traci Lords) has given up a career in business to pursue her dream of becoming a full-time journalist, winning an internship at an upscale lifestyle magazine where her editor, Griffin, (Jeff Fahey) alternately praises her for her great potential and treats her a bit better than dirt. None of this pleases her husband Eric (Jack Kerrigan), who looks upon her writing career as a glorified hobby and resents the loss of her previous income. While the magazine is preparing a special issue on contemporary attitudes about sex, Elizabeth strikes up a friendship with Ann (Maria Diaz), who openly discusses an ongoing and very satisfying extramarital affair. Elizabeth is convinced Ann's story is perfect for the magazine, but Ann's romantic joyride soon jumps the tracks when she's murdered. Elizabeth finds herself tempted by Ann's former lover, Bob (Brian Bloom), while she wonders if the neat way these events fit together is just a bit too coincidental. The film is surprisingly light on nudity given the star and the themes (Lords appears to be developing a sense of modesty after all these years). Extramarital is an erotic thriller with the emphasis on "thriller," and features an unexpectedly strong performance from Lords, who is the best reason to watch this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Traci Lords, Jeff Fahey, (more)
