Customer Reviews

Nine 1/2 Weeks

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

I keep seeing reviews; "a high budget porno" or "a dull, boring story with sadistic sex scenes". This movie is so different from these decriptions, it makes me wonder if these people talked, read or played chess through out the entire movie only glancing up occasionally. Mickey Rouke is so subtle with his expressions and dialogue that he creates that mystique that portrays John. Mixed with good looks, a high calibre job (Wall St. Money Market Dealer) & the most amazing apartments money can buy, Kim Basinger (Elizabeth) could not help but be curious. Kim Basingers use of nervous twitches and shy looks makes this her best performance by far. 2 great performances and the best use of a camera, I have seen, makes this 80's style New York flick a stylish, never to forget experience. The scenes in the equestian shop, Farnswoth house, the bed shop, the clock tower are just so well done. Every time you see this movie, it becomes more classy as images of New York's inner city life are portrayed beautifully. Forget the sex scenes, (yeah, they are neccessary) this movie really moves you & keeps images cemented in your mind for a long time. "Elizabeth, please come back before I count to 50...1, 2, 3.."

I have loved this movie since I saw it in the theater. I have owned it on tape and now on DVD. This is one of my all time favorite movies. I decided to write a review of this movie because it seems that men write most of the reviews.

The chemistry between Rourke and Basinger is electric. You can practically see the sparks fly off the screen. Is Rourke's character a nice guy? Not really. However, is he sexy, and would he make most women melt? Yes he would without a doubt.

The scene in the kitchen is particularly appealing. It is interesting that in recent years a pizza commercial ripped off the kitchen scene when a blindfolded women stomps out of the house because she thinks that a pizza delivery man saw her blindfolded on the kitchen floor. I find it fascinating how this movie seems to have permeated our culture.

I have female friends that agree that they love this movie but don't want to tell men that they love it. Not that I completely understand this behavior mind you. I can only guess that it has to do with wanting to be seen as a "good girl".

I see this movie as one that tried to break taboos in its time. Bondage was just not seen as "normal" behavior in the middle class America in 1986 when the film was released. This film is all about the chemistry of lust. It depicts what can happen when a relationship becomes sexual before people really get to know each other. Their relationship burned brightly for a while, and then burned out.

I highly recommend this movie. As a woman I find this movie erotic, and very sexy. I think it is a great movie for a married couple to watch that needs a little spark put back into their relationship.

This definitely doesn't belong in the Romance or Drama category. It is worthy of a Steamy, Deviant Sexual Attraction genre all of its own. Basinger and Rourke toy with a fine line between pleasure and pain, and I kept expecting the games to go too far, to turn deadly, and that keeps the viewer and Basinger (as the submissive) on edge throughout the sexually deviant games. The balance of power between the two lovers slowly shifts throughout the movie, making for edge-of-your-seat viewing and a surprising ending.

This is a movie that breaks many taboos, not just fun naughty ones, but deep-seated cultural ones. There are some unforgettable scenes (don't miss the striptease scene, which is amazing two decades later!) and a great soundtrack. The apartments epitomize 1980's "modern" décor. 9 ½ weeks is a must-see for any film fan.

SPOILERS. There are many ways to "see" "9 1/2 Weeks", from watching only the sex scenes to looking for "degrading to women" parts. The movie is a lot more than that. It shows Mickey Rourke as "John" in the only way available to him to feel and express love and desire. His lack of the full emotional range results in his needing highly controlled situations to get excited. He loves Elizabeth's beauty, but can't see-can't love HER, even though she is very lovable. He treats her like a pretty object. He's so disconnected from his own feelings, he talks very little, always in a controlled way. He has no interest in what Elizabeth feels-only in how she reacts to the situations he sets up.
He observes her reactions closely with pleasure and amusement, like studying an insect under a microscope; he is a spectator rather than a participant. He cannot feel, and makes her feel instead, to see what it's like ("I saw myself in you" and "What does it feel like to be out of control!", he told her).

Elizabeth liked him very much from the first moment she saw him. She thought this was a relationship like most others so she invites him to meet her friends. When he refuses, she submits-she likes him so much that she starts going along with HIS shaping of their relationship.
The little "normal" voice inside her speaks again, when she asks, "Aren't you interested whether I like the dress?", after he buys her clothes of his own choice. His answer is telling: "No, I'm not", spoken with a tender, beguiling, confusing smile, and soft, caressing voice, which-to her- belie the truth of his words. She just can't put together in her mind his tenderness, soft voice, polite manners, good looks, expensive gifts, breakfast in bed, "I want to take care of you", "I love you Elizabeth" with his actual indifference to her feelings,and his progressively humiliating and hurtful demands.
He even whispered "I love you" in her ear the moment before he went to open the door to the prostitute he had arranged to visit them-you'll hear it if the volume is up.
She continues going along with his demands, trying to please him, until the moment comes when she realizes he will not give her any of the loving interest that his tender smile and soft voice promised her at the beginning. She obviously has fallen in love with him, and as she walks away for the last time from his place, she turns her head back hopefully, crying, in case he has ran after her-still hoping for a real sign of love from him, in spite of her best sense that this guy is incapable of love as we know it. Just like most women would. Meanwhile, he stands frozen, close to tears, willing her to come back "...until I count to 50...", but unable to just open that door and catch her.
There were two things that the director used to tell us clearly that John was a control freak; shots of his closet with the evenly spaced hangers as if with a ruler and lots of identical shirts, pants, and coats and nothing else, and his desk drawer, with everything in its place, and a place for everything, chillingly neat. He was a man with a total need to control his environment (usually resulting from high anxiety).
Also, how he avoided personal involvement is shown in their first conversation at the Italian restaurant: Here he was sitting with a lovely, sexy woman who obviously likes him, and his conversation was not flirtacious, not about him, not about her, but the history of murders in the restaurant. Maybe only someone who has met a man with these outward signs and symptoms can connect them to the huge emotional lack of his feelings.

And the much talked-about sexual scenes are vital to the story because that was ALL their interaction, there was no usual closeness and talks about each other's life, family, etc.The director makes that clear, showing us Elizabeth's attempt at sharing a funny tidbit about her dead uncle: John ends that attempt with his comment about his own Stock Exchange screens.
A very accurate psychological portrait of a highly attractive man unable to love, with a twisted attitude towards relationships, and a woman who is soft and hopeful for 9 1/2 weeks, before she leaves him when the pain becomes too much.
It is so interesting to see that at no time does he question his behavior towards her-at no time does he apologize. He behaves as if it is the most natural thing to ask of her what he asks.
Only those who have known people like that will realize how correct the portrayal in the movie is-and I have.
Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger were superb in these highly nuanced roles, with award-meriting performances. "9 1/2 weeks" is a psychological drama of great depth and accuracy, told beautifuly on the screen.

02/05/06:
I read the book by Elizatheth McNeill,ISBN: 0060746394. I tried to find info. about her on the web, publishing house, etc. Nothing. There is another Elizabeth McNeill at Severn House Publishers, author of : The Lady Of Cawnpore. Press Relations. Hot News. Unforgettable. The Last Cocktail Party. A Bombay Affair. The Golden Days.
So it is not the same Elizabeth McNeill who wrote "9 1/2 Weeks, the memoir of a love affair". That McNeill has vanished.
All I can say is that they should have made two movies: the one they made, and another one, with the same actors, true to the book, to be released later. The book is short, written in an amazingly personal, simple,raw way, which-having seen the film-brought it to life. It does not have one extraneous word in it. I can understand why they could not make the movie as the book really was. The book was truly sadistic-she was tied to the leg of the table for example. The film, even though much milder than the book, succeeded very well in portraying John as the author lived him. The book does round out the experience, and the ending is very different than the film's. The book really cemented my opinion that this story did happen.

"9 1/2 Weeks" is an erotic thriller about the romance between Elizabeth (Kim Basinger) and John (Mickey Rourke). As the name implies, their time together is not long, but without a doubt steamy and memorable. John had his eye on Elizabeth from the beginning and swooped down like a hawk, while she could not resist his advances.

Elizabeth falls in love with him very fast, and even as John becomes increasingly controlling and dominating, she still cannot break free from his charms. He showers her with gifts almost continuously, but I hardly think they had much affect on her, since it was him and his excitement she seemed to like most. The interactions and intimacy between two people are taken to a high level as she is blindfolded and he touches her body with ice cubes, as he feeds her with her eyes closed, and has sexual encounters with her in places such as a back alley and a clock tower. The film does have more than a few erotic/sexual scenes, but not as vulgar as it could be, leaving some things to the imagination.

Because I really did not know what to expect with John and if and when he would snap from being calm to angry, I was on edge for most of the movie. Actually, he retained his exterior calmness even when he was dominating her, giving him a true covertly hostile personality. On the other hand, Elizabeth was often timid and just wanted to be loved. Moreover, although she may not have enjoyed all the games he wanted to play, it did look like she enjoyed much of them. Seeing them both interact will leave an impression on you and may rank among one of the most memorable films about lust you may ever watch.

This movie was outstanding. The dom/sub thing was so subtle that it really pulls you into the story without even realizing it. There was such a fine line between sexual excitement and true fear. It was like one was bleeding over into the other. Extremely sexy.

For the longest time, I've steered clear from this movie because I once overheard my mother say to her friend,
"Oh my God, I had to walk out in the middle of this filthy movie because it had no respect for food..."

That was sometime in 1987.

A few years ago, I thought I'd be rebellious and watch the movie anyway.

Hell, my mom didn't have to know.
Plus I was definately old enough...

On the contrary to my initially biased impression, this movie, for some reason wasn't as blatantly "filthy" to me as how my mother described. Rather, it was an interesting story about a woman captivated in a torturous love affair that was ever so consuming - and how she managed to free herself from an addiction to a numb lover who was equivalent to a cruel child.

In other words, I really liked it. :)
And for the record - I still have no problems eating strawberries.
Then again, who with 20/20 vision can say "No" to pre-surgery Mickey Rourke??

As an avid reader of erotic literature, it's certainly understandable that most erotic books could hardly be put on film without the cast and producers being immediately and summarily jailed by the powers to be.

However, this DVD of top notch entertainers, both in front and behind the cameras, have managed to develop those super elements of eroticism, of pursuit, capture, and ultimate submission of the mind and body that give spice to the sex and sin of it.

Zalaman King, as one of the team that produced and wrote the screenplay, and soundtracks by Grace Jones, Eurythmics, and Joe Cocker, not to mention the wonderfull acting skills of Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke (don't let preconceived notions of Mickey cloud your judgement in this DVD)makes this DVD a star packed sensation cut by masters.

It follws that the technical production of this DVD is blue blood quality and of course it's widescreen, dolby digital etc etc ... nuff said ...

In the story our hero(Mickey,) meets and then seduces, Elizabeth(Kim B,) and then leads her on a wild and woderfull erotic journey of the heart, mind and the body. Elizabeth does not understand this and has trouble with this magical mystery tour since she has never met a wealthy, gentle, caring man who is a master of all flavours of erotic delights, and, he has the patience to court, woo and gently seduce our heroine .... (BTW it's true those men don't exist, so, if you want reality, stop reading here and forget this DVD ... LOL ) ......

The erotic seductions scenes are skillfully done, and, the scene on the kitchen floor where Rourke feeds Bassinger a luscious assortment of foods is probably the best food erotic scene ever filmed. Trust me, there aren't many of todays actress stars that would allow the camera to get in that close to their faces as Bassinger did while literally gobbling up those dleights that she should get an academy award for that performance ....

Finally, I would venture to guess that most men would not enjoy this movie, (they wouldn't have the patience and besides that's why they invented porn) but, I can assure you, that if you are a woman and reads romance novels you'll, love it, and, here's the best part, if you are a woman that enjoys erotic literature, well then RUN and I mean RUN and buy this DVD cause like I said, hands down, (or whatever) it's fabulous and you won't love this DVD you'll gobble it all up ......

The movie touches me each time I see it. Kim Basinger is at the top of her game, irresistible; Mickey Rourke is mesmerizing. Nothing is left to chance in 9 ½ Weeks. The photography is remarkable. Everything is close and simple. It is a very intimate movie in the way it was shot, with a story in which each of us should find a familiar sense of the questions we have about love and sex, passion and fantasies, true love and cruel love.
A beautiful forever modern movie.

This is quite a quirky film. On the one hand, there is a passionate sexual relationship that seeks to ever increase excitment, etc. through ever more bizarre games. In this, it is an affair that is unusual, but not unhealthy in my view as many state here. On the other hand, there is a serious examination of the two people involved, both of whom are not very good at relationships. All the reasons for their failures - and the bad mix that they become - is portrayed clearly, and while it isn't appallingly deep, it is a solid novelistic treatment. So the content is quite good, a slice of life in passionate experimentation that eventually transgresses too many bounds. I believe it is somewhat of a classic of the genre of deep porn. Now that I am a middle-aged man and not their age, I still thought it was very good.

There is also an artistic backdrop, which appeared a bit stilted to me after 20 years. The music cut-ins felt a bit contrived, the New York art world - and I was living there at the time and into that world - doesn't appear at all relevant anymore. I was surprized I felt this way.

Interestingly, the film diverges from the book. Without giving anything away - and this did not happen in the film - at the end the guy just leaves when the woman has a nervous breakdown, their encounters having become the focus of her existence. He remains distant and never reflects on who he is, what he is doing, or what the woman means to him.

Recommended. It is a bit dated, but there is a lot there.