Search - Stevie Wonder :: Woman in Red

Gene Wilder's wandering eye

MortensOrchid | Cleveland, OH | 08/30/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There's something appealing about Gene Wilder, a certain je ne sais quoi. He's not sexy, that's for sure, but his sense of humor shines through even if he's silent. Something about him makes you smile with just the thought of him. This was the movie I always think of when someone says his name, even if it wasn't the all time greatest.



Gene Wilder falls for some mysterious stranger (a.k.a. The Woman In Red - hence the title) that sets him off on a tangent. Some would call it a midlife crisis. Infidelity is an ugly thing, but he makes it funny. He and his friends - especially Charles Groden - are a bunch of cutups and their antics are hilarious (that blind man routine!). His real life wife, Gilda Radner, made an appearance as the woman scorned while his wife is blissfully unaware of his wants. An often glossed over character is Shelly, the nice Jewish boy punk rocker who for some reason is hanging around their house a lot with his kids. He's creepy and weird, but harmless. In the end, he faces a big question that a lot of us face when it comes to fidelity vs. infidelity. I've had many conversations that mirror this exactly - "What the hell am I doing? I have a wonderful [fill in the blank] and I'm going to throw it away over a piece of ass?" And a lot of people do. But he wises up before it's too late. It'a lite hearted trip."

Don't get caught cheating!

D. Roberts | Battle Creek, Michigan United States | 11/11/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Here is a Romantic Comedy which centers around the un-Romantic Comedy subject of adultery. Kelly Le Brock portrays the stunning, goddess-like woman who is denied to most of we mere mortals. Gene Wilder plays the sort of creepy guy whom creepy guys like me aspire to be like!



Theodore (Wilder), is a normal, happily married man who lives an average life. That is, until he happens to see a breath-taking woman in red (Le Brock). His encounter with her makes him study his life and ask the age-old question: "Is this all that there is?" He decides to pursue the woman in red, but he has two problems. (1): He has a very jealous wife, and has seen the disastrous consequences of his friends getting caught cheating 1st hand. (2): As we've already said, mere mortals typically don't stand a chance to get the time-of-day from Supermodels.



The film has a few "flat" spots, but also has a handful of classic scenes. The late Gilda Radner is great as the poor innocent girl who gets caught in-the-middle of Theodore's gambit. Still, this is certainly not the funniest or most-entertaining RC film I've ever seen.



Perhaps the most important aspect of the film is Kelly Le Brock. I've always been dismayed that she didn't do more films. She "nails" the part of the model who is a coveted object-of-desire. Yes, there are plenty of beautiful women in Hollywood. However, only a small percentage of them could pull off this part. Merely being gorgeous was not good enough for this part; a certain "mystery" was required as well. Le Brock certainly has that mystery about her that always mesmerizes creepy guys like me - and she always has had it. Without Le Brock, this movie would barely make 1 star."