Woman Undone

"Woman Undone" is an exercise in bad moviemaking. The story is idiotic, the dialogue is amateurish, and the acting is wooden. The cinematography is unimpressive. The movie even looks bad, like it was shot on cheap film stock.

There are a few capable actors here, but none of them seem particularly enthused about being involved in this nonsense.

Mary McDonnell plays Terri, an unhappy wife who has relocated to L. A. with her jealous, moody husband (Randy Quaid). In the opening scenes, they're out in the desert, and he is burned to a crisp in their car while she stands on a hill with a horrified look on her face. The local sheriff is sympathetic after what appears to be a horrible accident. No big spoiler: It's not. An autopsy reveals that The charred corpse of her husband had a bullet in his brain.

A semi-retired lawyer (Sam Elliott) agrees to take Terri's case when she is arrested for murder. Just to add to the silliness, we learn in flashbacks that Terri has been boffing a young swim instructor (Benjamin Bratt, in what must be his dumbest role ever).

Did Terri murder her husband? The outcome is somewhat unexpected, but it doesn't lend any sympathy to her pathetic character.

You'll watch this one with a smirk on your face, and you'll cringe repeatedly as you witness some genuinely terrible film making. It's so bad that it's almost fun.

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.

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.

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.

When I was an editor I was hired to create a promo for a film distributing convention for "A Woman Undone". What was most enjoyable about the job was that I could use any background music I wanted because the finished product would not be seen by any paying customers. I chose music by Bernard Herrmann written for a 1971 British film, The Night Digger. I was very proud of my final product. I feel that I made the Showtime film intriguing and suspenseful when it may have not been. A bit of trivia is that One of the actresses, Georgann Johnson went to school with my mother, Marjorie Talle.

Dean Peter Merriman.