Released February 8, 1991, “Sleeping with the Enemy” solidified Julia Roberts as an icon in the modern Hollywood era. Roberts was just 23 years old when it was released, having already gained prominence for the romcom “Pretty Woman.” With “Enemy” she proves she’s a capable actress in any genre and here to stay.
A true thriller, the film was directed by Joseph Ruben and based on Nancy Price’s 1987 novel of the same name.
The Plot
Laura (Julia Roberts) lives a seemingly enviable life. She’s married to a millionaire broker-type yuppie and lives in a palatial palace on the beaches of Cape Cod. We quickly discover that her husband Martin (Patrick Bergin) is abusive, and Laura is effectively a prisoner inside her own life.
If you haven’t seen this film, I would urge you to watch it without reading anything further. All synopsis online and on streaming services will instantly spoil the plot, and I think that’s unfair to the story. All one needs to know is that Laura is looking for any way out of this terrible situation, and we the viewer will follow her on this emotional journey.
Spoilers Ahead!
Laura fakes her own death and escapes to Cedar Falls, Iowa, the furthest place from Martin and her Cape Cod existence. She establishes a new life in this quaint and quiet town. Things are going well. Of course, that ends when Martin finds out, tracks her down, and fill-in-the-blanks, you have your 90s thriller.
Great Acting
Julia Roberts is a true starlet and watching her perform a such a young age is a treat. You can see a unique blend of acting prowess and mystical beauty that few others possess. Roberts carries “Enemy” with the fervor of a seasoned pro.
I don’t know Patrick Bergin from anything else, but his performance here is grand. Bergin perfectly employs the demeanor of an obsessive, abusive, and controlling spouse. His charming surface concealing a horrific side. There are great character notes which we see Martin’s requirements for bath towels hanging in a specific way or canned goods lined up in the cupboard. Bergin plays a great bad guy, and his performance makes up for some of the issues I had with the movie. Ben Woodward plays Kevin, a friendly and flirtatious neighbor in Iowa. Chloe Williams plays Laura’s elderly mother. That’s the cast.
My Issues
“Sleeping with the Enemy” is fun but has its flaws. It seems unrealistic that Laura would marry a cartoon villain like Martin in the first place. There’s a bit of an exposition dump explaining that he didn’t start abusing her until after the marriage, and that she tried to leave before, and he stopped her etc. The dialogue between the two is unnatural. Martin learns that Laura faked her death far too easily. Hopefully these areas are fleshed out in the novel, but the deficiencies are noticeable here.
Huh?
Character choices are also head scratching. Whilst Laura is proceeding with her death-defying and elaborate escape, she chooses to flush her wedding ring down the toilet.
Director Joseph Ruben takes great pains to show us this scene. Eventually, Martin discovers the ring as it hadn’t fully flushed (for some reason) and it’s all the proof he needs to know she is still alive. Why Laura wouldn’t just toss the ring in the ocean is beyond my comprehension. Or just keep it. Put it in her pocket. She has a calculated escape plan that would have taken months to employ and ruins it by this one silly and nonsensical mistake.
The bits and pieces of the plot are revealed in a clunky way. I would love to see what could have been done with better writing and direction. It’s 98 minutes, and that’s too short. And what’s the deal with the music? It’s a suspense thriller with gripping tension at every corner, yet the score doesn’t reflect that.
“Sleeping with the Enemy” is enjoyable if you don’t dig too deeply at its surface. It showcases Julia Roberts as a star on the rise and offers a preview of the thriller packed decade of the 90s.
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