|
|
'Fear' features one unhappy family
San Francisco Examiner - April 12, 1996
By Barry Walters, EXAMINER STAFF CRITIC
Mark Wahlberg is deliciously scary as
menacing boyfriend
WE ALL know that Markie Mark is scary - those
pecs, those abs, that grin, all totally frightening.
But what we didn't know is how convincingly
horrifying Mark Wahlberg - as he's known in the
post-rapping, post-pants-dropping /
underwear-exposing phase of his career - can be as
an actor. In his first starring role as every girl's
psychopathic dream date in "Fear," Wahlberg
proves himself the spookiest sweetheart since Eric
Roberts preyed on poor Mariel Hemingway in "Star
80."
Even more shocking is how forceful and well-acted
the whole of "Fear" is. Plagued with one of the least
promising trailers of the current season, this
domestic thriller directed by James Foley ( "After
Dark, My Sweet" ) is nevertheless the darkest film
to deal with the dynamic between father, daughter
and boyfriend.
With its mix of sexuality and psychosis, "Fear" is
also a bit like "Fatal Attraction," and has the dead
pet to prove it. But whereas that film crudely and
rather cruelly pointed the finger at the single woman
for destroying the nuclear unit, "Fear" illustrates how
vulnerable a family becomes when communication
and trust fall apart.
Baby-faced 16-year-old Nicole Walker (Reese
Witherspoon) has parent problems. She's recently
moved in with successful dad Steve (William
Petersen), and stepmom Laura (Amy Brenneman)
and can't deal with them both: Steve is reluctant to
let "daddy's little girl" grow up, while Laura isn't
much older than Nicole and behaves appropriately,
that is . . . inappropriately.
To speed up the growing process, Nicole and her
best friend Margo (Alyssa Milano) meet up with
some older guys. While Margo's beau is clearly a
hood, Nicole's new love interest David (Wahlberg)
isn't so easy to peg. Although he has the
self-assurance of a stud-about-town, he speaks so
tenderly to Nicole and her family that he at first
comes across as a rogue with a heart of gold.
In an extraordinary early scene that serves as a
metaphor for the movie, Nicole and David ride a
roller-coaster. As the car moves up the track,
David puts his hand between Nicole's legs. The car
makes its descent and Nicole's face flashes with
ecstasy. She's feeling good enough to let herself fall,
but where she's headed isn't at all safe.
David soon reveals himself as one seriously
demented guy, and when he feels he is wronged,
goes ballistic. Just when you think David has
peaked as a weirdo, he gets more psychotic while
Steve moves right in behind him. The male rage in
this movie is nearly unbearable.
Yet this is ultimately a young woman's story and
Witherspoon reveals herself to be a major star in
the making, or at least an even more vulnerable
Alicia Silverstone. She's got a serious Lolita thing
going on and the sexual tension between her,
Wahlberg and Petersen gives the film much of its
power. Foley's direction is also remarkably focused:
Each scene slowly builds upon the last until the
drama explodes in the apocalyptic finale. "Fear"
truly lives up to its title.
Copyright © 1996 San Francisco Examiner. All rights reserved.
|
