Though Jane Campion's sexually explicit adaptation of Susanna Moore's 1995 novel has shortcomings as an erotic thriller, it's a fascinating deconstruction of an exhausted genre. Think of it as LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR (1977), with a feminist twist and a startling performance by America's erstwhile sweetheart Meg Ryan. Fascinated by words and the ways they're used and abused, New York City English teacher Frannie (Ryan) attempts to explain Virginia Woolf and the notion of irony to smart but underachieving city teenagers while using their input to write a book about slang. Good with words, Frannie is less than brilliant when it comes to men: a careless fling with an uns...
Released:
2003
Rated:
R
Length:
118 mins