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Obsessed
MPAA Rating: PG-13Current Showtimes: No showtimes available
Nobody messes with Beyonce’s man. Sadly, Ali Larter’s Lisa seems to have not gotten the memo, as she throws herself at B’s hubby, Derek (Idris Elba), almost immediately after the opening credits roll. Lisa sets her sights on Derek once she begins to temp at his office, serving as not much more than a character who, without a doubt, is going to get the s**t beaten out of her by everyone’s favorite diva at the film’s end. Once the catfight between wife and Other Woman goes down, in all of its head-butting, hair-pulling, “I’M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS, BITCH,” voracity, the trashy, campy, thoroughly entertaining vibe of the film is impossible to ignore. Obsessed follows a pattern that is completely predictable, yet there is something about watching Beyonce bitch slap Ali Larter, pick up the phone, tell her husband, “I’ll call you back,” and then promptly deliver a few swift, you-messed-with-the-wrong-bitch punches that makes one unable to remove his or her eyes from the ridiculousness presented on screen. Oh, and it all ends with “Smash Into You,” Beyonce’s new single, playing over the end credits. What a diva-licious (and appropriately named) song choice to end the film. Revealing that the film culminates in a catfight isn’t giving anything away, as the ads for the film and the film’s cookie-cutter setup want audiences to know that their girl B is going to knock a bitch out, although there are some surprises and twists as the film moves along.
Obsessed doesn’t even try to hide the fact that its narrative comes almost directly from past thrillers such as Fatal Attraction and Single White Female. The problem with this 2009 bout is that unlike previous films, Obsessed is scared to go all the way. Derek doesn’t even cheat on Sharon (Beyonce Knowles), so it’s a bit puzzling that Lisa would become so infatuated with a man who won’t even touch her. In Fatal Attraction, for example, Glenn Close’s Alex goes into psychotic bitch mode after she has sex with Michael Douglas’ Dan and he instead chooses his wife. No such choice exists for Derek, who stays faithful to Sharon at all times, even though Sharon comes off at the beginning of the film as needy and controlling. Before even meeting Lisa, Sharon warns Derek that he had better fire his new female secretary or else. The fact that she will not even allow women into Derek’s office makes Sharon seem a bit out of control, yet much is forgiven once Lisa proves to be completely insane. Lisa’s ass-kicking comes after she drugs Derek, grabs at him in the bathroom and messes with Derek and Sharon’s son, to name a few incidents. While Lisa’s behavior is crazy, it never goes into completely insane, scary territory. There is never a moment during the film when one is not completely certain that Lisa is no match for Sharon, making Lisa a crazy, albeit quite throwaway, villain.
While Obsessed may not be the most original or most gripping story, it sure is entertaining. The film is fast-paced, and the payoff is certainly rewarding. Also, the acting is quite strong. All three leads tackle their roles with the energy and emotion needed to distance their characters from simply becoming stereotypes. Both leading ladies, especially, have their strong moments. Larter, in a very over-the-top role, holds her own against her diva enemy, making Lisa’s extreme clinginess almost uncomfortable to watch (in a good way). Beyonce does exactly what one would think: She yells, she vows revenge, she kicks ass, yet she does it all with a real star-worthy sense of presence. Obsessed is precisely what it is advertised as: a trashy good time that has about as much substance as a vat of cotton candy.
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