On M List of Movie Reviews

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Mary Reilly (1996)

Rate: 3
Viewed: 12/21

12/21: Oh, great...it's another cinematic variation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Have there been enough already? This time, it has a twist: a female who witnesses all of the bipolar tomfoolery. Hence, the film is called Mary Reilly, a notorious box-office failure in 1996 mostly because of the movie poster displaying Julia Roberts' white-as-a-sheet face with vacant stare by using her deep brown almond eyes.

However, I'll say this: the movie was never going to work, regardless of Julia Roberts' presence or in-and-out Irish accent. Really, the only reason why I decided to give it a look for the first time ever is that many people from Dangerous Liaisons decided to reteam. Plus, having John Malkovich on board goes a long way. Well, it's been a sad disappointment on many fronts although the hierarchy concerning the Victorian servants looks correct.

For starters, Mary Reilly is boring. When I say that, I mean it's really fucking boring. Because getting the image of Pretty Woman out of my head is so hard, I can't accept Julia Roberts' transition to a Victorian servant. To make matters worse, she's in every scene, trying to come up with something original to say. The woman on the same bed with her did the wise thing: she slept through it all.

It's easy to spot John Malkovich from a mile away. Why can Mary Reilly do that? Apparently, it's him playing both characters. She never asks the question: "Are you the same man?" Or perhaps they're twin brothers? At the end, he chases her in an empty room that's inexplicitly full of chains and swinging platforms.

All in all, Dangerous Liaisons is a masterpiece while Mary Reilly is a certified turkey.

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