Unfaithful (2002)

49% of critics liked it
(160 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(57,866 ratings)

Diane Lane is a wayward wife and Richard Gere is her suspicious husband in Adrian Lyne's Unfaithful. Connie (Lane) leaves her suburban home on an errand, venturing into Manhattan during a wicked windstorm. On a trash-strewn Soho street, she literally runs into Paul Martel (Olivier Martinez), a… More Diane Lane is a wayward wife and Richard Gere is her suspicious husband in Adrian Lyne's Unfaithful. Connie (Lane) leaves her suburban home on an errand, venturing into Manhattan during a wicked windstorm. On a trash-strewn Soho street, she literally runs into Paul Martel (Olivier Martinez), a handsome young Frenchman carrying a huge stack of books. Connie has a bad scrape on her knee, and is unable to get a cab, so Paul invites her up to his apartment. Paul is quietly flirtatious as he gives Connie some ice and a bandage for her knee. Connie phones home and explains to her son, Charlie (Erik Per Sullivan), that she's running late. Before she leaves, Paul gives her a book of Persian poetry, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. She mentions the encounter in passing to Edward (Gere), her husband, but it's clear that she's obsessing about Paul, and soon she's back in the city, with a pretext for calling him up. Soon, they are lovers, and they grow bolder and bolder in their passion. Edward begins to suspect, and eventually gets a private investigator (Dominic Chianese of The Sopranos) to follow Connie. His worst fears confirmed, Edward decides to confront Paul, a decision that will come to haunt him. While the screenplay for Unfaithful is credited to Alvin Sargent (Ordinary People) and William Broyles Jr. (Cast Away), the inspiration for Lyne's film came from Claude Chabrol's acclaimed 1969 film La Femme Infidele. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 4 min.
Directed By: Adrian Lyne
Written By: Alvin Sargent, William Broyles
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: May 8, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Dec 17, 2002
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
A movie about sexuality that really throbs with eroticism.
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic
The movie is called Unfaithful, but it's actually extremely faithful -- to the adultery movie rulebook, anyway.
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
A glossy, depthless melodrama.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
After the plot's big turning point, the movie loses its focus and can't decide whether it wants to be a melodrama or a crime thriller.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Diane Lane is magnificent in this movie.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
At what point in the movie is it too late to ask for your money back?
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Not for kids, but some adults will like it.
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
Works precisely because it is so upsetting, unusually so for a studio film, and so empathetic for Connie at the hands of her attractive manipulator. [Blu-ray]
Todd Gilchrist, IGN Movies
Unfaithful is not so much about the conventions of a typical bored housewife falls for exotic foreigner with disastrous results story, but in fact plumbs the depths of what really constitutes intimacy, and how complacency, rather than the melodramatic ups
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
[Diane Lane] is more than enough reason to see Unfaithful.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The outstanding performances help smooth over the plot devices.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
Devolves...from bland diversion into some truly unsettling sexual politics, and tumbles from that already low plateau into an ersatz In the Bedroom.

Read all 12 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Spencer S

Somewhere between soft core porn and an Oscar nominated drama.
Steven C

"Unfaithful" works because it has solid actors as the leads, steady direction, and a script that ties together so many small objects and encounters in such non-contrivance that it's a thrill to watch unfold. Unfortunately, the story does fall into cliche in the… More
"Unfaithful" works because it has solid actors as the leads, steady direction, and a script that ties together so many small objects and encounters in such non-contrivance that it's a thrill to watch unfold. Unfortunately, the story does fall into cliche in the picture's first half, but it's in the expertly crafted final shot where the film finds it's own identity.
Nicki M

Really good. A bored housewife has an affair with a French man that she meets during a storm. The first half of this is about the sneaking around, the second half takes a turn I didn't expect and really gets quite dark. I did not expect this to be as good as it was.
Tim S

I really don't enjoy these kinds of movies.
Wahida K

Where do you go when you've gone too far?
Anthony L

Not bad but it?s let down by the fact that all the characters are unlikable and so you care very little of the eventual outcome. It does have its dramatic moments though.
Candy R

Thriller starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere. The couple have been married for many years and have a son. One day Diane bumps into a stranger (Olivier) and they start a passionate affair. Richard senses there is something wrong and hires a detective to follow his wife. He finds out… More
Thriller starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere. The couple have been married for many years and have a son. One day Diane bumps into a stranger (Olivier) and they start a passionate affair. Richard senses there is something wrong and hires a detective to follow his wife. He finds out how her lover is and approaches him, in an act of rage he kills him and covers up the murder. Good cast and story. Very similar to A Perfect Murder, Presumed Innocent and What Lies Beneath.
Lenny M

Diane Lane so seductive, Richard Gere so unproductive, Olivier Martinez has to slip in as the French Lover. What is this movie doing?
Tim S

Well made and Diane Lane is gorgeous.
Dan S

Seen most of it, and as disguisting the subject material is, its frighteningly realistic, with a dead-on performance by Diane Lane.
Curtis L

This movie is crazy. I will admit it is extra Extra sexy, but the best part is certainly Richard Gere burying a man in a pile of garbage.
Rachel F

Olivier Martinez makes this watchable other than that its just too sick.
jay n

The ending is very ambiguous, but Diane Lane proves she is one of the most talented actresses around.
Aliyanto L

Sex is not the problem, lust and ego are!
Drew S

Decent romantic thriller. Completely par for the course, in fact. The movie doesn't do anything particularly well or poorly - it just kind of exists.
Dean M

I see Diane Lane's slow-burning, fiercely erotic performance charges the movie.
Steve K

Like a fine wine, Diane Lane gets more beautiful and more talented as she ages.
Ilyaas H

Diane Lane is brilliant - but for a thriller, Unfaithful is inconsistently riveting.
Matthew R

Diane Lane is what makes this movie work. If this character had been a miscast this could've been really awful. She is not only a great actress but she takes some major risks in this role, with all of the nudity. Though the the ending really brought this movie down, Unfaithful is… More
Diane Lane is what makes this movie work. If this character had been a miscast this could've been really awful. She is not only a great actress but she takes some major risks in this role, with all of the nudity. Though the the ending really brought this movie down, Unfaithful is an ok film about a married couple who face problems. Story: C+ Acting: A- Direction: C Visuals: B- Overall: C+ **1/2 out of 4 stars
Fascade F

Incredible "Fatal Attraction" type flick but not as WILD as Fatal Attraction was! Worth looking at.For those of you who think that Spring Fever is in the air! Watch this before getting sprung!!! LOL