Product Details

• Actors: John Travolta, Nick Loren, James Lashly, Rebecca Tilney, Debra Mooney
• Directors: Harold Becker
• Writers: Gary Drucker, Lewis Colick, William S. Comanor
• Producers: Harold Becker, Anson Downes, Donald De Line, George Waud
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: April 16, 2002
• Run Time: 89 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005JKQS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,804 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Domestic Disturbance" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If you focus on the effective casting of John Travolta and Vince Vaughan, Domestic Disturbance may grab your attention as a thriller that hits too close to home. After playing a greasy villain in Swordfish, Travolta ably serves up the good-guy charm as a divorced father who must rescue his teenage son from a murderous new stepfather, played by Vaughan with bad-tempered relish. Director Harold Becker is worthy of better material (like his earlier hit Sea of Love), but he handles this B-movie potboiler with professional flair, particularly in the setup involving an accomplice (the ever-reliable Steve Buscemi) who threatens to destroy Vaughan's small-town respectability. The plot's about as plausible as Britney Spears in a remake of Sophie's Choice, relying heavily on lame-brained cops and vast chasms in logic, but by the time Travolta and Vaughan engage in their inevitable showdown, even childless viewers may feel a twinge of parental instinct. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

In this "edge of your seat thriller," John Travolta stars as Frank Morrison, a man who discovers that his son's new stepfather (Vince Vaughn) is not who he pretends to be. Frank's investigation into this man's past explodes into a terrifying mission to rescue his son from the ultimate danger. This chilling, critically acclaimed hit will have your heart pounding from start to finish!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice in places where it should be naughty. November 28, 2001

By D. Litton

Stereotypical characters, convoluted logic, and an abundant absence of intelligence abide in "Domestic Disturbance," a thriller that wants to be naughty, but ends up playing nice. What begins as a somewhat interesting film tailspins into an unending chasm of unbelievable plot twists and aggravating characters who make all the wrong choices. Here is a movie that covers familiar ground, yet it fails to spark much interest once things go awry.

John Travolta stars as Frank Morrison, a boat builder whose ex-wife Susan (Teri Polo) is on the brink of remarrying. This, of course, is unacceptable to their 12-year-old son, Danny (Matthew O'Leary), whose outbursts against his parents' divorce have led to being picked up from the police station on numerous occasions. Like any good father, Frank advises Danny to accept that which he cannot change, and to give his new stepfather, the wealthy and popular Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughn), a warm welcome.

Now anyone who knows their thrillers can guess that if there is money involved, then there's usually a tainted past here and there; this film is no exception. The wedding goes off without a hitch, despite the presence of Ray Coleman (Steve Buscemi), a former acquaintance of Rick's who is set on collecting a large sum of money from his old pal. One thing leads to another, contrivances appear, and Rick has a murder on his hands, unaware that Danny witnessed the deed from the backseat of the car in which it occurred.

This is the first in a series of several scenes that look promising, but hold little intensity or surprise. Judging from Danny's "Boy Who Cried Wolf" syndrome, it is easy to foresee that no one will believe him when he reveals what he saw, save for Frank, who must hold a grudge against his son's aggressor if there is to be any action or energy in the story. There's a little bit of cat-and-mouse going on, as Frank searches for the missing Ray and possible clues to take to the police, but it goes virtually nowhere.

The movie seems more interested in showing us just how stupid people can be in such situations, however unbelievable they may be. From the start, Susan stands by her man, defending him against Danny's accusations. Does it ever occur to her that when a strange event happens, Rick was out of the house at that same time? Does she ever stop to think about how her disbelief in her son's statements is affecting him, rather than the old song-and-dance about her marriage to Rick? Even the police are completely clueless, ignoring everything until the end when it hardly matters.

My big complaint with "Domestic Disturbance" is its editor, who has chopped the movie down to a mere 88 minutes, too short for a thriller and too long for a documentary on vengeful stepfathers. Paramount's advertising campaign for the film hit us with a slew of pre-release television commercials, as well as a lengthy and revealing theatrical trailer. There are scenes in both of these, one of which involves a car chase, the other involving a discussion between Rick and Frank in which Rick tries to buy him off. These and others glimpses are not even included in the final cut, and perhaps may have been more interesting than what we see here.

The climax is standard fodder, but it has the ability to generate more intensity than the rest of the film altogether. Travolta turns in a good performance, convincing us of his status as a loving father; Vaughn fails to generate a sense of menace, while Polo does little else except look completely clueless. For all its attributes (which are few), "Domestic Disturbance" adds nothing new to a worn out genre; its lack of lucid plot could be overlooked if not for its failure to generate any level of suspense. '

Note: The film was shot on the eastern coast of North Carolina, in Southport, yet in one scene, Ray mentions his locating Rick was from a childhood memory of Rick's about a family vacation in Maryland. Your thoughts, Mr. McNally?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars very predictable November 10, 2001

By ash

It's a sheer waste of Travolta's talent even though he gave a good performance, the plot is very predictable, repeated and lame. I would rent this movie just for John Travolta's and Vince Vaughn's performances, Steve Buscemi does justice to a creepy character, but movie is no thriller.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good moments, but could have been better November 11, 2001

By A Customer

John Travolta is convincing as a good father, who is trying to be accepting of his son's new stepfather, Vince Vaughn...and Vaughn is frighteningly real as a sociopath. Steve Buscemi once again does a good job as an individual with questionable character; and Teri Polo continues to raise her acting stock since her star role in "Meet the Parents."

The tense moments where Vaughn and Travolta control the action are well-designed. However, these moments seem a bit contrived at times, and complex situations are resolved too easily. A truly good thriller will take the audience through a number of intertwined events that are not easily solved. Much of the storyline in this film is one-dimensional, and great actors also come across as one-dimensional when they have a weak script to work with.

Also, this movie clocks in at less than 90 minutes, so character and plot development don't get the fair amount of time they need for a truly strong movie.

Still, some good thrills are found in this movie, and it's a good flick for a rainy day when you aren't looking to think too hard about what you are watching. However, spend your hard-earned money on the matinee bargain price.