Woman Undone (1996)

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

I actually thought it was a parody at first... the people in it are pretty good actors. I could not stop watching because it was hard to believe it was continuing to be so bad... dialog stiff, strange, odd... story line pretty close to a laugh...but never quite made it...oh, I'm lying, maybe when we found out she shot her husband to keep him from suffering when he got stuck in a burning car... that was so far-fetched, esp. since she was cheating on him with a young hottie and planned on getting a divorce... wish the writer had dared to take this one over the edge. With more work, it might have been a great parody. Unless you're desperate or a movie masochist, skip this one.

Interesting lead actors and their characters were involving enough to make me stick it out to the end of this so-so film. Sam Elliott played the only likable character. He's solid as the lawyer in here.Mary McDonnell, famous for playing "Stands With A Fist" in "Dances With Wolves," plays a cheating wife and Randy Quaid, usually a comedian, is anything but here, playing an abusive husband.Most of the story is told in flashback after Quaid is killed fairly early on. It's kind of a soap opera at times but kept my interest going just to see what would happen to McDonell's character, "Teri Hansen."

A good cast is wasted on what might have been an intriguing story. Unfortunately, it is hurt by the execution. This slow-moving film looks like it was made on the cheap - in fact, parts of it appear to have been filmed at a motel. Mary McDonnell, a wonderful actress and a beautiful woman, is miscast as a femme fatale. Her hair is unnaturally dark and apparently the cameraman despised her. How she tells Benjamin Bratt (wasted in a poorly-defined role) that she's 36 with a straight face is a tribute to her acting. It's a shame because the story was an interesting one, not going exactly the way one expects. But I wonder how many people stuck with it long enough for the plot to unfold. However, miscast or not, it's always a pleasure to see McDonnell, and great to see Sam Elliott.

Teri Hanson(Mary McDonnel)is definitely undone. Teri and Allan Hanson(Randy Quaid) have just moved to California to make a new start and to try and save their failing marriage. Allan is really angry and abusive. Teri is very lonely and she meets Jim Mercer(Benjamin Bratt), a life guard at the pool where she swims. Now Jim is a gorgeous, be-still-my-heart man. He is a gigolo though. Soon things heat up. The story twists and turns from there through out the movie. (Sam Shepard is a handsome lawyer, who's wife has died recently.) It's an okay movie. The twist at the end leaves you with your jaw on the floor and some unanswered questions. I would watch it just for that reason.If you are a Benjamin Bratt fan, you have to see it just cause he is drool worthy as the sleazy lover. There are some steamy scenes between him and Mary McDonnel.