Overview
A passionate affair spirals into a dangerous obsession, threatening a family's stability.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- sensual
- paranoid
- foreboding
- late night thriller viewing
- 1980s movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a powerful, expertly directed erotic thriller elevated by strong performances, while finding its manipulation effective despite controversial gender politics.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Dan's affair generates danger that increasingly penetrates his marriage, home, and family life.
Dan's decision to have an affair drives the crisis, while the story foregrounds the costs of his concealment and denial.
Adrian Lyne's direction emphasizes rich, sensual imagery in apartments, kitchens, and intimate encounters before redirecting that texture toward menace.
Dan attempts to compartmentalize the weekend affair, but Alex's persistence makes the hidden relationship impossible to contain.
Films like Fatal Attraction, and why
Basic Instinct
shared erotic thriller framework, marital betrayal, and escalating psychological obsession
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
shared domestic suspense, infidelity, and a threatening outsider invading an apparently secure relationship
Body Heat
shared neo-noir atmosphere, erotic danger, and morally compromised protagonists caught in escalating peril
Movie Details
- Director
- Adrian Lyne
- Release Date
- 1987-09-18
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (1759)
Cast
- Michael Douglas
- Glenn Close
- Anne Archer
- Ellen Hamilton Latzen
- Stuart Pankin
- Ellen Foley
- Fred Gwynne
- Tom Brennan
- Lois Smith
- Mike Nussbaum
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Fatal Attraction about?
- A married New York lawyer’s secret affair becomes a relentless domestic nightmare when his lover refuses to be forgotten.
- What is Fatal Attraction like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Fatal Attraction as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Fatal Attraction violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Fatal Attraction as moderate.
- What did critics think of Fatal Attraction?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a powerful, expertly directed erotic thriller elevated by strong performances, while finding its manipulation effective despite controversial gender politics.
- Which films are like Fatal Attraction?
- Films with a similar feel include Basic Instinct, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and Body Heat.
- How long is Fatal Attraction?
- Fatal Attraction runs 119 minutes.
- Where can I watch Fatal Attraction?
- In United States, Fatal Attraction streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
