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Disclosure [1994] Barry Levinson, a promising auteur on the strength of Diner and Tin Men, became a hit-maker on the strength of Rain Man and Good Morning, Vietnam, but hit a losing streak with four commercial and/or critical duds [Avalon, Bugsy, Toys, Jimmy Hollywood] that have come and gone so quickly he has only now been forced to fall back on a cast-iron star/subject/writer package. Following the departure of Milos Forman, Levinson was evidently happy to handle this adaptation of Michael Crichton's latest best-seller, which cannily yokes current hot topics [sexual harassment, virtual reality] to an old-fashioned corporate creepy thriller. The result, crafted talented writer Paul Attanasio [Quiz Show], is a Hollywood Shit movie that can't fail to rake in big bucks. The set-up: struggling computer exec Michael Douglas loses a promotion to his scheming ex-girlfriend [Demi Moore]. Demi celebrates her new job by luring Mike into her office and doing everything short of raping him before he remembers wife and kids and the plot of Fatal Attraction and leaves, modestly adjusting his trousers. Moore accused Douglas of pawing her; he brings a historic counterclaim, charging her with sexual harassment. One of those movie lawyers who cares more about legal precedents than fees takes the case, and the wheels of drama grind on. Touching on the disturbingly popular Bitch From Hell sub-genre, with Moore taking the kind of demeaning role that suggests how lousy it must be to be a B-list female movie star, Disclosure takes a side-trip into cyberspace to unravel a plot which turns out to have less to do with sexual harassment than big business cut-throatery. Everyone does their job superbly: the opening sequences in the labyrinthine
offices have wonderfully art-directed paranoia, and there's sterling
villainy from Donald Sutherland as the Boss. As expected, it cops out
at the end with a hymn to family values and the prospects of happiness
under capitalism that would have been unthinkable two decades ago. Few
films have more unintentionally depressing endings: this stops short
of wondering why anyone would want to work for a Bastard Corporation
at any salary and falls back on gloopy sentiment about Douglas's happy
family. Hard to resist, but impossible to respect. First Published In: Empire [issue unknown] Visit Kim's Official Website at www.johnnyalucard.com
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