\nOmar Epps co-stars in a film too chaste to be a “Fatal Attraction” ripoff and far too boring to approach the hammy charms of “Obsessed.”
\nToo chaste to be a \u201cFatal Attraction\u201d ripoff and far too dull to approach the hammy charms of \u201cObsessed,\u201d the greatest assets of Peter Sullivan\u2019s \u201cFatal Affair\u201d are stars Nia Long and Omar Epps. They keep this from looking and feeling like a limp Lifetime movie knockoff, but Sullivan himself hails from the wide world of Lifetime and Hallmark moviemaking (including no less than a dozen directorial efforts with the word \u201cChristmas\u201d in their titles).
\nAnd yet, armed with the freedom that Netflix backing should bring \u2014 aka not needing to worry about keeping things broadcast-friendly \u2014 Sullivan and co-writer Rasheeda Garner don\u2019t so much as bust out of the genre box as dig into it. Opening with a double murder, the film somewhat makes good on its \u201cfatal\u201d promise. The \u201caffair\u201d part? Not so much.
\nCut from the same cloth as dozens of other erotic thrillers \u2014 theatrical hits \u201cFatal Attraction\u201d and \u201cObsessed\u201d as well as scores of made-for-TV outings \u2014 Sullivan\u2019s film follows a predictable pattern, with a few twists that should have elevated it to greater heights. Ellie (Long) is a high-powered attorney in the midst of a massive life change: She and husband Marcus (Stephen Bishop) have become empty nesters, complete with a move outside the city and Ellie\u2019s decision to leave her corporate gig and set up her own shop \u2014 and her emotional and sexual needs aren\u2019t necessarily being met.
\nEnter David (Epps), an old college pal who suddenly (yeah, okay) picks up a freelance gig at Ellie\u2019s office and is all too eager to reconnect. As much fun as Epps seems to have in the role \u2014 some other intrepid filmmaker should cast him in another, meatier role that involves this much menacing standing \u2014 Long appears to be more compelled by the dramatic elements of Ellie\u2019s conundrum. She\u2019s a skilled-enough actress that even head-slapping moments stay grounded, such as when she confesses to David (after decades of not seeing him) that her husband feels like a stranger.
\nSullivan has the genre\u2019s cinematic language down pat, from longing looks tossed over shoulders (desire!) to couples slinking into bed and turning their backs on each other (the marriage is dying!). That\u2019s enough to zip through the film\u2019s first act with a measure of intrigue. After a boozy night out with David, Ellie rededicates herself to Marcus and decides not give into any adulterous desires (prudes never fear, the pair\u2019s only \u201csexy\u201d interaction is decidedly PG-13), but David isn\u2019t the kind of guy who takes \u201cno\u201d for answer.
\nIntroduced as a tech whiz, David soon announces himself as \u201ca hacker!!,\u201d though his skills seem to be limited to placing cameras in obvious areas and surreptitiously deleting incriminating emails (and then emptying the virtual trash to boot!). Sullivan and Gardner\u2019s script builds in plenty of opportunities for David (or even Ellie, desperate to reclaim her life) to go truly nuts, but always stops short of real wildness or emotional depth.
\nThere\u2019s no shortage of twists, but convoluted plotting shouldn\u2019t be mistaken for actual ingenuity and tension. Sullivan and Gardner frequently leave compelling angles \u2014 like the sense that David has been obsessed with Ellie for far longer than she could have ever known, or that his plan to possess her might have been put into action much earlier \u2014 on the table, only to move on to some other tiny drama. For every tantalizing surprise, \u201cFatal Affair\u201d falls back into scenes as bland as Ellie and Marcus\u2019 new beach house \u2014 a location with all the charm and specificity of a model home.
\nA handful of unintentionally amusing moments break up the monotony, from repeated appearances by Ellie\u2019s daughter\u2019s sweet suitor (but, also, why?) and at least one line reading from Estelle (cast here as Ellie\u2019s secretary) that\u2019s hysterical enough to warrant the multi-talented performer get her own Netflix comedy right now. Otherwise, amusement and originality is in short supply. A fatal affair? Only if you\u2019re liable to die from boredom.\n<\/div>\n
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