Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

USA 1986
Director: Adrian Lyne
Cast: Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Margaret Whitton, David Margulies, Christine Baranski, Karen Young
Rating: R
Release Date: 21 February 1986
Running Time: 1 hour 57 minutes

The Movie Review

Nine 1/2 Weeks film still 1

The Super Sensual Wall Dance


NINE 1/2 WEEKS
Storyline:
Cast:
Ending:
Overall:

"It's payback time" I said to myself when coming across a copy of Nine 1/2 Weeks in a store the other days. I wasn't allowed near the Betamax Tape of 9 1/2 Weeks when I was just a lit'l boy. Back then I even didn't have any idea to what the movie is all about. Whether it's an action, drama or horror, I didn't know. All I could think of that I wanted to rent a movie! That's it. As time went by, all I knew that Nine 1/2 Weeks was an erotic movie, but I didn't search for it. So when I held it on my hand, I pop in the DVD with fairly so-so expectation. Not too excited but also still curious enough.

But now that I think of it clearly, well frankly, I was grateful to not see the movie back then, whew.... Imagine the shock I would have suffered had I seen the unusual sex scenes in the movie. "Date-rape" and rough sex is the name of the game.

Nine 1/2 Weeks centers on a vivacious young attractive blonde woman named Elizabeth (Kim Basinger). She's working in an art gallery called Spring Street. When Elizabeth is buying some food in a traditional Chinese store, a man named John (Mickey Rourke) suddenly stands besides her. He's simply smiling at her and starring her with her deep meaningful stare. Afterwards in a crowded place Elizabeth runs into John again, and with a mysterious mutual attraction between them, Elizabeth agrees to go to John's friend's house. In what appears to be just a short fling continued to be a deeper, romantic and more lustful relationship between them. Elizabeth doesn't know anything about John, and John doesn't want to know anything about her and he even doesn't want to meet her friends. What John wants is to take care of Elizabeth, to feed her, to bathe her, to dress her in the morning and to undress her at night. Will Elizabeth agrees on his sex games? What will happen to John and Elizabeth?

Nine 1/2 Weeks was released before Unfaithful (2002) or Indecent Proposal (1993), and even before Fatal Attraction (1987). This movie has got some erotic content which features several nude and topless scenes of Kim Basinger, although it's claimed to be performed by a body double. But it's important to note, the eroticism falls majorly on sadomasochism with something more rough and lustful instead of your regular romanticism. So even though your an adult, the content may not be your regular cup of coffee.

I guess I'm also glad that I didn't watch this erotic drama film back then also because it turns out the movie is simply a bore. Especially from the story point of view. Basically it's like watching a series of highly artistic music clip or sex-clip. I admit when talking about artistic... Whow! The movie is very very artistic to the point that almost every frame looks like postcard or beauty product advertisment. But I really expect more to the story side and not just sex scenes. And it's true to say the sex scenes are rather iconic perhaps, especially with the "Ice cube scene", or the playful "Refrigerator feeding scene" or the super duper hot "Wall Dance scene". Yes... really really artistic, no doubt about that. But the movie needs something waaay stronger to glue those scenes together. Anyhow, for Indonesian people, that wall dance scene is probably the main source of inspiration for a very famous video music clip of an Indonesian female singer by the initial of R.A. released in 1997.

Anyhow, 9 1/2 Weeks is based on a novel written Elizabeth McNeill. And 7th Razzie Awards included the film as nominees in their 3 categories of Worst Original Song, Worst Actress (Kim Basinger), and Worst Screenplay.

Nine 1/2 Weeks is nowhere near being a porn, definitely not a softcore, but it's also not erotic, though it's certainly artistic. Sigh... Don't know what's the hype is about, since this is a so-so. John and Elizabeth bump ugly and hump hard. That's it. Between those sex scenes, nothing is specifically worth seeing.

> Taking the same theme, likely you'll find something more interesting in Body of Evidence (1993), Killing Me Softly (2002) and the very beautiful Romance (1999).