Product Details

• Actors: Armand Assante, Sherilyn Fenn, Kate Nelligan, Sean Young, Christopher McDonald
• Directors: Carl Reiner
• Writers: David O'Malley
• Producers: Katie Jacobs, Pierce Gardner, Pieter Jan Brugge
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: April 1, 2003
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008972V
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,398 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Fatal Instinct" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Carl Reiner tried to give the Mel Brooks treatment to the Fatal Attraction/Basic Instinct genre of films about vicious, conniving women and the not-so-bright men who get involved with them. In this case, it's Armand Assante, an actor not particularly known for his comedic chops. He plays a guy who is both a police detective and a defense attorney, so he can defend the people he arrests. He becomes the target of a female stalker (Sean Young, in a bit of typecasting), as well as the dupe in a murder plot involving his wife (Kate Nelligan). Reiner takes a scattershot approach to comedy, hoping to play in the same ballpark as the Zucker brothers or Brooks. While he hits a few singles and the occasional double, he never knocks a joke out of the park and so the movie winds up with an awful lot of pop fouls. --Marshall Fine

Product Description

A hot chick with an ice pick takes a stab at loveand laughter in this hysterically funny spooffrom the director of The Jerk and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid. As the all-star cast pokes hilarious fun at such steamy thrillers as Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, Sleeping with the Enemy and Cape Fear. Lana. Laura. Lola. They're beautiful, sexy and all after Ned Ravine! One wants to marry him. One wants to kill him. And the other just plain wants him dead or alive!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Armand Assante is hilarious! March 11, 2006

By harry44callahan

Format:DVD

This is one hilarious spoof movie, but what really makes it outstanding is Armand Assante. Seeing Assante playing such a role adds immeasurably to the humor of this movie! Anyone familiar with Assante knows he has always played dramatic/heavy roles until this (check out his performance in "Q&A" with Nick Nolte or "I,the Jury" for powerful examples), and that alone carries this film to must-see status! Truly outstanding!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie. But DVD is lacking. May 1, 2003

By Jon

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved this movie. It was hilarious. It is a spoof tha twas a response to the rash of, I don't how else to put it, "troubled marriage" movies that came out around this time. It makes fun of Fatal Attraction as well as Sleeping with the Enemy. Absolutly hilarious. HOWEVER, is only comes in STANDARD. I do not understand why a wide screen version is not available. The direector originally intended the movie to be widescreen. Keep it that way. If you must have one side of the DVD Standard and the other side widescreen. Grrr....

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars FATALLY FUNNY March 25, 2006

By Michael Butts HALL OF FAMEVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Carl Reiner's FATAL INSTINCT is a surprisingly funny spoof of movies like FATAL ATTRACTION, BASIC INSTINCT, AND CHINATOWN. It benefits from a lot of AIRPLANE like sight gags and some wonderful one liners tossed off by its unusual cast. Armand Assante, not known for comedic roles, is very funny as the cop/lawyer embroiled in with a beautiful stalker (Sean Young in a sexy performance), and a greedy wife (the usually dramatic Kate Nelligan just perfect in this role) and her dumb lover (Christopher McDonald) who plan to bump him off. Add a vindictive ex-con (James Remar), a devoted secretary (Sherilyn Fenn) and Judge Tony Randall and you have the ingredients for a rather hilarious send up. I laughed a lot and I think you will too!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sorry but I thought it was funny August 10, 2005

By Wayne A. VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Sometimes the editorial reviews here are funnier than the movies being reviewed. Sean Young typecast? Well, they call that irony where I hail from--and just how does one typecast anyone when the film is meant to be a parody? The lead not known for his comedic chops? Seems Leslie Nielsen wasn't known for his comedic chops which made him (and a bunch of other old hams) ten times funnier when he turned up in "Airplane." Again, something about irony. Irony. Hmmm. What is that? Someone respectable from the UK I believe recently said that Americans lack a sense of it. It's our national failing, our fatal flaw. It's the real reason the world hates us, we don't get anybody's jokes (I heard that exact complaint from a German no less).

To get straight to the meaty core here, this movie is great fun if you like Airplane, Kung Pow, Hot Shots II, or any of the other wacky and wise parodies and satires that came out during the last decade or two (Now then, aren't I being helpful?). If you're a "Scary Movie 1 through 20" fan this may not be your cup of hemlock (I'm helpful here too, trying to save you a few bucks). There's zaniness for its own sake (which really seems to confuse some people) and the courser stuff isn't driving the bus (Yet even more helpfulness on my part, I'd say).

So, basically, if you're a highly intelligent person, likable, talented, with a great sense of humor and irony, an achiever, a born leader, a scholar and a lady or gentleman, then you should own this DVD. If you're a scabrous lurching Neanderthal look elsewhere for entertainment.

[The above statement was intended as an ironic comment on the whole review schtick and is not to be taken literally nor is it meant to offend Neanderthals--the noblest beings that ever lurched scabrously about the Earth.... I mean, after all, there is no good or bad, right or wrong, up or down; everything is purely a matter of taste, isn't it. Say, why don't we do here what they do at Harvard--give everything an automatic Five Stars!] Read more ›

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Bad Reviews? I Don't Know Why... November 24, 2001

By "emlynn"

Format:VHS Tape

This movie was slammed by critics. The most common review of this said that there was 'just too many jokes' in it. I watched it with a critical eye, and thought it was a really fun movie.

I didn't laugh out loud with tears running down my face, but did spend the entire run time giggling at the antics of all the characters. The cast consists of several Serious Actors (Kate Nelligan, Armand Assante) who play their parts as though they were in a drama. To me, those are excellent comedic acting skills. It's when actors play for laughs that they are not funny.

You might not be tickled by this one if you aren't familiar with the 'film noir' and detective film genre. If you are a fan of those, you will laugh as you recognize all the devices in those films over-used to good effect in this one.

I had a good time watching it...give it a try!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Funny Movie March 12, 2007

By nettie gene

Format:VHS Tape

It is a movie that is a take off from the real McCoy movies. It is goofy but a fun movie...especially if you know the movies they are doing the take off from. It will make you laugh. A good escape!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fatal Instinct January 9, 2007

By Hattie Shepherd

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Oh what a glorious spoof! For the movie buff, spotting the homages to a plethora of films;for the lover of comedy a delicious black thriller.Superb performances, great sets, wonderful costumes and a non-stop pace. Ace movie!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars for FUN....0 stars for format on DVD!!! May 7, 2006

By Richardson TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Okay...

what is wrong with this picture? a movie on DVD (FULLSCREEN?) edition...well it happens..but this isn't a cheap knockoff...they have legendary Carl Reiner doing a commentary (he was the director) ...and to add insult to injury....several deleted scenes..PRESENTED in the proper 1:85 widescreen aspect ratio!!!

would it have killed them to issue in the proper ascpect ratio? Its still a very fun/inexpensive purchase, and the bonus features are strong for such a non-hit movie....just wondering WHY no widescreen?

enjoy!