The Business of Strangers Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)April 8th, 2002
THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS (2001) / **
Directed by Patrick Stettner, from his screenplay. Starring Stockard Channing, Julia Stiles, Frederick Weller. Running time: 84 minutes. Rated AA for offensive language by the MFCB. Reviewed on April 7th, 2002.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Julie Styron (Channing) is a company vice-president who believes she is about to be fired after a major presentation gets blown by the late arrival of her assistant, Paula (Stiles). Julie calls in corporate headhunter Nick (Weller), only for all three of them to end up stuck in a hotel when their flights out are cancelled by a storm. As the alcohol flows freely and Paula and Julie develop an unusual relationship, revelations come to light which precipitate drastic deeds during the night.
Review: Stylistically, "The Business Of Strangers" is all over the map. It starts off making you think it's going to be an exploration of the dog-eat-dog corporate lifestyle. Fifteen minutes later, it abruptly becomes a intriguing battle of wills between Julie and Paula, as the two very different but very intelligent ladies try to one-up each other while still enjoying a certain unique camaraderie. (A scene in an elevator full of men, in which Paula tries to bait Julie with a sexually-charged remark and the older woman rises to the challenge -- and then some -- is perhaps the movie's high point.) But then the last half of the picture degenerates into a titillating, transparent, rather mean-spirited wannabe-thriller. It's as though writer/director Stettner couldn't come up with a better way to develop his premise beyond the excellent middle reel, and so resorted to the filmmaker's last line of defense: melodrama. The performances by Channing and Styles, too, seem to rise and fall depending on the level of the material. During "Strangers"'s better sequences, they portray complex, engaging women; latterly, though, Julie and Paula come across as simply bitchy and indecisive. In style and approach highly reminiscent of a two-act play, "The Business Of Strangers" makes you wish you'd left the theatre during the intermission.
Copyright © 2002 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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