Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
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22% of critics liked it
(32 reviews) -
65% of users liked it
(62,829 ratings)
Hot off her success in Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts starred in this thriller about a battered wife stalked by her abusive husband. Roberts plays Laura Burney, the wife of a rich investment counselor, Martin (Patrick Bergin). Martin appreciates his wife as a trophy, but at home he abuses her for not… More Hot off her success in Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts starred in this thriller about a battered wife stalked by her abusive husband. Roberts plays Laura Burney, the wife of a rich investment counselor, Martin (Patrick Bergin). Martin appreciates his wife as a trophy, but at home he abuses her for not keeping the house as clean as he would like it. The verbal abuse descends into physical violence --so much so that Laura decides to disappear rather than live a life under Martin as a brutalized slave. Laura fakes her own death by drowning, and relocates to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where she changes her name to Sara Waters. She starts a relationship with her friendly Iowa neighbor Ben Woodward (Kevin Anderson), but her happiness is short-lived. Martin has discovered that Laura has staged her drowning and is coming to Iowa to reclaim his possession. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Directed By
- Joseph Ruben
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Drama
- In Theaters
- Feb 8, 1991 Wide
- Studio
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
It's the sort of movie where all of the characters and plot moves (if one wants to call them that) are tailored to the thriller mechanics and have no existence apart from their crude functionality.
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Variety Staff, Variety
Roberts is terrific in a layered part. Anderson brings an edge to the nice-guy-next-door role, and the dark, dashing Bergin is chillingly twisted.
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Stephen Garrett, Time Out
Tacky.
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Julia Roberts, a beauty who can also act, is one of the best things in recent movies. By my count she hasn't made a really good movie yet.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The film begins as an unyielding look at a battered wife, and ends as another one of those thrillers where the villain toys with his victim and the audience.
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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Julia Roberts
as Laura Burney/Sara Waters
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Patrick Bergin
as Martin Burney
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Kevin Anderson
as Ben Woodward
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Elizabeth Lawrence
as Chloe
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Kyle Secor
as Fleishman
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Claudette Nevins
as Dr. Rissner
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Tony Abatemarco
as Locke
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Marita Geraghty
as Julie
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Harley Venton
as Garber
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Nancy Fish
as Woman on Bus
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Bonnie Cook
as Mrs. Nepper
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Graham Harrington
as Minister
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Sharon Robinson
as Sharon the Nurse
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Sandi Shackelford
as Edna
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John D. Ward
as Theater Student
- Todd Thaler
- Mark Fincannon
- Pam Plummer
- Karen Rea



