Every Woman's Dream

I recently watched this movie on cable a few months ago, and I could not stop crying. I initially thought it was a typical drama movie, however, there was more to it. I am divorcée of a NPD and I did not realize this or ever heard of people with NPD, until I saw the movie. The commentary helped me to understand the concepts of people with NPD. This movie opened doors for me that I did not know how to close. Again, Thank you for making such a good and important film. The actors depicted real life situations and how woman can be naive. It is most definitely a wakeup call for people to see. As I look back and relate some instances of my life with this movie, I can say that it captured a lot of close issues that I endured during my marriage. I have since been diligent in learning more about people with NPD.

I found it kind of boring...then narration...and in the beginning especially, the filming wasn't all that great. It's the type of movie that you could probably watch when you're at home, and there's nothing great on TV. It's about this man, Mitch Parker, who's leading a double life. He married a woman (with two children from a previous relationship), and marries another woman (whom he has met on a plane, played by Kim Cattrall from "Sex and the City"). He lies, cheats and cons people. The reason the movie was boring was because the filming was dull. For a movie made in 1997, it looked like something made in the early 90's (to me, anyway). I got so bored with it that near the end, I didn't really want to watch it anymore.

Every Woman's Dream is a very interesting story. If it were true, who were the characters upon whom it was based. Would love to know more about what happened to the character of Mitch - is he still on death row? What happened to his first wife, Candy? Does anyone know? Did this story take place in Florida and California? There are probably thousands of self-centered narcissists like Mitch and it is an important movie for all women to watch. No man is that perfect and it is surprising that his first wife took so long to figure out that he was such a liar. The movie starts out by claiming it is a true story, but I don't recall ever hearing anything about this. What about the senators and congressmen with whom Mitch had dealings? What happened to them?

Steven Schachter knows how to tell a story and keep up the appearances of a rich, good-looking man who surprisingly develops into a criminal. Step by step you discover the real Mitch Parker (Jeff Fahey) behind the curtain. Not only he deceives his second wife Liz Wells (Kim Cattrall) by being at the same time in the same town (!) with two women, but also his friends among whom there is a senator (Bob Belding played by John Sumner). The movie keeps up the realistic touch until the end and you feel that the script-writer (Martin Davidson and others based on a novel by Karen Kingsbury) and the director want to deliver us a message: never trust people who talk too well and too much.

I think every young woman looking for the "perfect man" should watch this movie and learn from it. I recorded it for my 2 daughters, both of whom have had their hearts brokens by a smooth-talking "Mitch." Jeff Fahey is the perfect antihero. He's got Mitch's charming, albeit narcissistic, personalty down so well that the viewer can easily get caught up in his lies. In a scene where he practices telling the truth, I found myself cheering him on, hoping he would ultimately fess up and redeem himself. The film is true to reality here... these types never do,even when confronted with the overwhelming evidence of their lies. Underscored by the use of a whimisal soundtrack throughout the first 3/4 of the film, men like Mitch are often perceived as harmless and entertaining. The startling end brings us to the reality that Liz (wonderfully played by Kim Cattrall)never quite gets until its too late, reminding us how dangerous these seductive types really are.