Extramarital (1998)

I love this movie so much

Best movie ever!

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Let's face it folks. Traci Lords is not a person. She is a controlled, marketed and merchandised commodity. Web sites sell Traci books, music, photos, T shirts, films, and even Traci dolls for kids to play with. A critical review or discussion of her porn career could be deleted mostly because sales might go down for these marketers. She is badly miscast in this film as an intern reporter who wants to do a story on a woman's affair who she met on a plane. After the gal is murdered by her lover, Traci senses the missing woman might be in trouble. There is a scary message on her recording before the murder happens. She tells her husband and her boss, "I can hand-uh this story myself-duh," then goes on to ask them what she should do next, giving the secrets away before she writes it. No missing persons report is even filed. She trusts the suspected killer even after he walks up and hears her playing back the recording of the girl's distress. She even trusts him enough to meet him alone at his apartment. Now, the film was not endured to the end, having seen dozens like it, I had already guess-duh what is was. Traci's star vehicle is partly produced by her, contains some lines from her former husband, Brook, and badly acted in an aloof, unemotional way. She wears phony glasses to appear smart, but seems to say "duh" at the end of each sentence. Somehow, The Emperor's New Clothes fable is repeated here. She's The Bad Actress Without Clothes and people are afraid to tell her that her acting is bad-duh! But working Without Clothes more often would improve her next movie. She needs to relax in a nudist colony, someplace.

I really like Traci Lords. She may not be the greatest actress in the world but she's rather good in this. She play the dowdy, conservative, reporter to a 'T'. It's a great little thriller which keeps you guessing for a good while. Jeff Fahey is also good as Traci's boss. I think given a decent break Traci could be a top actress. She's certainly no worse than some of today's leading ladies.

I thought that this movie was very well done. The writing is very thought out and the acting is exceptional, particularly in the case of Ms. Lords. She plays Elizabeth, who is a journalist for a stylish magazine who stumbles upon what she believes to be an interesting story. She wants the story to be well done, partly so she can impress her boss, Griff (Jeff Fahey). She is also having marital problems with her husband, Eric (Jack Kerrigan), and finds her jobs as an outlet for her frustration. As the movie's title implies, the story is about sex. But if you are renting this movie simply to see nudity, you might be disappointed. There is a sex scene or two, but they aren't nearly as steamy as those in other sex thrillers. It is the complex plot (particularly the ending) and good acting that makes Extramarital a good movie.

Ok i am a huge Traci fan so her just being in the movie automatically makes it rank at the 8.5+ rating. But even besides her being in it i thought it was a good movie especially for it being an HBO movie. But i am afraid if you take Traci out of the movie it would just be ok. But a person can't do that she is in it and she is a wonderful actress. She just keeps getting better and better.