Compromising Positions (1985)
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53% of critics liked it
(17 reviews) -
39% of users liked it
(84 ratings)
Director Frank Perry brings Susan Issacs' comedic whodunit novel to the screen with Susan Sarandon as a Long Island housewife who tries to escape her deadening suburban life by trying to solve the murder of a philandering local dentist. The dentist, Bruce Fleckstein (Joe Mantegna), is the kind… More Director Frank Perry brings Susan Issacs' comedic whodunit novel to the screen with Susan Sarandon as a Long Island housewife who tries to escape her deadening suburban life by trying to solve the murder of a philandering local dentist. The dentist, Bruce Fleckstein (Joe Mantegna), is the kind of swinging ladies' man who wears gold chains and jazzy clothing. He also arranges to meet his lonely housewife patients in hotel rooms for afternoon quickies. When he is found murdered in his office, the suspects are as numerous as the names in the Nyack telephone directory, especially since Fleckstein had the habit of taking incriminating Polaroid snapshots during his one-on-one sessions. Judith Singer (Sarandon) is an ex-Newsday reporter and bored wife of Bob Singer (Edward Herrmann), a stuffy business executive, and she was one of the last people to see Fleckstein alive. Considered a suspect by police detective David Suarez (Raul Julia), she determines to solve the case herself, interviewing suspects and searching for evidence. If she solves the crime, Judith hopes to write an article about it and get her old job back at the newspaper. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Directed By
- Frank Perry
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jun 1, 1985 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
A silly little whodunnit that's a mild embarrassment to all involved.
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, Time Out
It's all very humorous and engaging, if only for proving that American whodunits don't have to have car chases and brutality; and it has a wicked eye for the vacuity of middle-class good life and what it may conceal.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The movie has such a bitter core, such a distaste for its characters, that I ended up feeling uncomfortable in its company.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
A very mixed bag, but those who've missed a storytelling sense in American movies might want to have a look.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A lightweight but most enjoyable comedy-mystery.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Susan Sarandon
as Judith Singer
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Raul Julia
as David Suarez
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Edward Herrmann
as Bob Singer
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Judith Ivey
as Nancy Miller
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Mary Beth Hurt
as Peg Tuccio
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Joe Mantegna
as Dentist Bruce Fleckstein
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Anne De Salvo
as Phyllis Fleckstein
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Josh Mostel
as Dicky Dunck
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Deborah Rush
as Brenda Dunck
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Joan Allen
as Mary Alice Mahoney
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Elkan Abramowitz
as Police Sergeant
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Jason Beghe
as Cupcake
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Tanya Berezin
as Newsday Editor
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Paul Butler
as Cop
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Bill Cobbs
as Sgt. Williams
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Jack Gilpin
as Patrol Car Cop
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Tim Jerome
as Rabbi
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Kaiulani Lee
as Scotty Hughes
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Amanda Lyons
as Kate Singer
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Jon Polito
as Cop
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Pat Harper
as Newscaster
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Harris Laskaway
as Leader Cop
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William Youmans
as Motel Clerk
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Chris Cunningham
as Joey Singer
- Edward Hermann

