Deceived (1991)

I love this movie so much

Simply Perfect

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

I was in the mood to watch an exciting who-done-it, so I picked this old Goldie Hawn flick, 'Deceived'. I was deceived, all right! It started off promising, then veered into the land of absurdity. The villain can be spotted almost immediately, so it is no longer 'who' done it, but why'd he do it.It always amuses me how the heroine puts herself in harm's way. If you are a lone female and come to an apartment with an open door, contents strewn everywhere, would you continue searching the rooms? I think not. Goldie's character does it multiple times. I understand that these movies are fiction and there has to be danger involved for the main character, but it still is not at all believable.I won't delve into the plot and give anything away, but I will quote two lines at the film's conclusion between the main character and the 'bad guy' to show the caliber of the story.'Are you going to kill me too?''I am going to kiss you. Then I will kill you, because that's love, too.''Nuff said. Five stars because the movie DID keep my interest and I watched it to the bitter end, but I wish it had been a nine or ten star effort

The cover of this movie has a quote from some critic who says "If you like Hitchcock, you'll love "Deceived"". I say "if you like thrillers where you can tell who the bad guy is just by looking at the title and the cast, you'll love "Deceived"". John Heard gives a solid and creepy performance as the duplicitous husband, but there is no transformation - he's creepy right from the start. His "resurrection" after his supposed death must be one of the most unshocking "shocks" in thriller history. Goldie Hawn looks good (it's amazing that she was in her mid-40s when she made this!) but her performance lacks the Goldie Hawn spark; I understand that she chose this role to "play it straight", but she may have played it TOO straight. The movie is tiresome and predictable, but the New York location shooting and Thomas Newman's score help it a little. ** out of 4.

New York art restorer Goldie Hawn (as Adrienne) is seemingly stood-up on a blind date. This works out well, however, because Ms. Hawn eventually hooks up with likewise attractive museum curator John Heard (as Jack Saunders). He happened to be at the location, then shows up in her workplace. It's a whirlwind romance. Hawn's character appears to be smart, but love is blind. If you stop and think about this set-up, it doesn't make sense. Prepare yourself for even greater stretches of the imagination. Five years (at least) pass quickly and without much incident. With a sudden death at the museum, the plot thickens...Instead of "explaining" the coincidental nature of the co-stars getting together, we suspend disbelief and proceed. To fill missing plot details in "Deceived" might take another hour. This well-produced, formula thriller requires leaving part of your brain at the door. The intricate story, by Mary Agnes Donoghue, is better than it plays; it might have been more intriguing and suspenseful to play down a pivotal character's status as a jewel thief and play up his status as a psychopath. Also, Hawn needs stabbing target practice. Kate Reid has a marvelous cameo, but Beatrice Straight barely appears. Damian Harris keeps you alert.****** Deceived (9/27/91) Damian Harris ~ Goldie Hawn, John Heard, Ashley Peldon, Robin Bartlett

A handsomely-made thriller saddled with a silly script, cluttered up with incredible situations and plot-holes. Goldie Hawn, toning down her upbeat persona, is curiously thoughtful and tense playing a woman whose husband has just died in a mysterious car accident; little by little she discovers he wasn't who he seemed to be. Nothing exciting or substantial is done with this premise, the child actors in the movie are just awful, and the long finale (a foot chase) doesn't do anybody any favors. The film's classy look dwarfs the marginal plotting (it leads one to expect much more), and the tag at the end--a freeze on Hawn looking wistful--is humorously self-defeating. There's nothing so thoughtful about "Deceived". ** out of ****