Fifty Shades of
Grey since it's release as a book has
been a cultural phenomenon selling millions of copies, and igniting
countless fantasies. It started out as Twilight fan fiction, and
although it really is not well written, it has swept the world and
brought many under its spell. The movie hits theaters this weekend,
and by many critics its getting killed in reviews, but its exactly
what it set out to be. Lovers of the book will enjoy the adaptation,
but the uninitiated will be left scratching their heads.
When college senior
Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) steps in for her sick roommate to
interview prominent businessman Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) for
their campus paper, little does she realize the path her life will
take. Christian, as enigmatic as he is rich and powerful, finds
himself strangely drawn to Ana, and she to him. Though sexually
inexperienced, Ana plunges headlong into an affair -- and learns that
Christian's true sexual proclivities push the boundaries of pain and
pleasure.
The first meeting
between Ana and Christian conveys her awkwardness best and with
perfection. She's never been the hot blonde, like the women that work
for Christian, or the center of attention, and her clumsiness does
her no favors. Ana trips and falls on her face upon stepping into
Christian's office, and she is as graceless as can be, yet Christian
finds himself intrigued. She's ordinary, guileless and somewhat dull,
yet this enigmatic aristocrat with peculiar tastes and dark secrets
finds that he cannot stay away. I have to admit that I was most
uneasy about Dakota Johnson's casting, but she works, and most of it
is in her giggle. When she giggles I believe it. She makes Ana wry
but playful, cocky and funny and manages to somehow make it sexy.
Sure there's plenty of lip biting and vacant stares, but you've seen
Twilight, and well this is a huge part of the character. Thankfully
all the “inner goddess” monologue from the book has been
completely removed, allowing Ana to have a quirky and fun
personality.
Christian is on the
opposite spectrum. There's a cool aloofness to Christian that Jamie
Dornan displays perfectly. He wasn't my first choice for Christian
Grey (Henry Cavill takes that honor) or even my second or third, but
his casting was one I fully supported. Since his turn as the Huntsman
on Once Upon A Time, Dornan has been a wanted man. Christian has huge
walls built around his heart and soul, and yet he has moments of
tenderness. Christian disdains love and romance, but creates both
without trying. He claims to just want to lure Anastasia to his "red
room of pain," as she labels it, a chamber outfitted with whips,
chains, handcuffs and other toys. He's got deep seeded issues from a
rough start in life, and just can't bring himself to open up to her
when she's awake, or even let her touch him in or out of the bedroom.
It's in those scenes
when she's trying to get close to him and touch him that are the
hardest to watch. Not only do they feel out of place with everything
else in the movie, Ana comes off as whiny and Christian as wooden.
They don't match the tone of anything else, and seem to be thrown in
at will. The chemistry between Johnson and Dornan isn't just strained
and nonexistant in these moments, but in the more mundane ones too,
but when it counts its there.
While Johnson is
going to get much of the praise for the film, its in the bedroom
where Dornan's intensity is at its dominating peak, that really makes
it all work. There's plenty of steamy moments between the pair but
little pay off, sorry not a single O face. The sex scenes are greatly paired down from the book.
The much featured elevator scene doesn't go further than it does in
the trailer, or the book for that matter. Although Christian says he
“doesn't make love, he fucks hard.” that's about the extent of
his dirty talk. There's body sweeping views, plenty of thrusting, but
a complete lack of Ben wa balls, vibrators and canes.
During the screening
one person commented that no self respecting woman would ever let
anyone do the things that Christian did. Here's the thing. Ana is
torn between a world she doesn't understand and falling for a man she
really doesn't know. Being of sound mind and intact virginity, Ana
doesn't take Christian's proposition lightly, and google isn't her
friend. She doesn't feel comfortable, and isn't able due to a
non-disclosure contract, to talk to anyone about what she's about to
embark on so she's all on her own with Christian. Her struggle to
overcome her aversion to what she perceives as being abused, degraded and isolated just to
please her man is the real challenge. Her lack of understanding, and
mental preparedness leaves her acting irrational and immature at
times. While she is very book smart, she's naive when it comes to
love and life. Being young and in love, there's a whole lot that she
can be talked into, that anyone could be talked into and Christian
Grey is use to negotiating to get what he wants. Say what you will
about the domineering Christian, but at least he knows himself. Ana
is a blank slate, and wanting to be enlightened but really not
prepared for what she's asking for.
Some will see it as
glamorizing sexual violence, and implying
that women seek to be controlled. Instead I feel that its a twist on traditional gender roles and blurs the lines of transgressive
desires. Christian’s sexual tastes are intriguing to Anastasia, but
they are the result of deep emotional wounds. He has to control her,
and she can't help but to fall for him as she sees glimpses of the tenderness he's capable of and his wounded soul. She tolerates his kind of sex, and even enjoys some
of it, but she wants more, and she wants him to want it too. She
wonders why he wants to change her, never realizing how much she's
changing him, and that is the hook, that kind of love that can heal the past, that can change you for the better.
Fifty Shades of
Grey was never meant to be an
introduction to BDSM, though there is a dominance/submission
relationship. If you're looking for the BDSM 101 movie look further.
Nor is it the sexfest that many are expecting. The books themselves
may have been labeled "mommy porn" and yes there is a lot
of sex, but its really not about the sex, there's a deeper story
beyond the sex, and that story is just at its beginning. Fifty
Shades of Grey shouldn't be looked at
like a trilogy, it really isn't that. Most films in a trilogy are
their own films that tell a complete story, but are also linked to a
much larger story. Fifty Shades of Grey
doesn't tell a full story, it's part one of a miniseries really. The
series really is his way, her way, the compromise.
The supporting cast isn't given much, with all the focus on Ana and Christian. For the most part they're well cast, but I would have gone with different choices for Christian's brother Elliot and Ana's roommate Kate. Elliot and Kate will remain of the canvas through both sequels should they remain close to the books. Elliot is too sleazy looking, and didn't work for me at all. Better than the nonexistent parts for anyone outside of Ana and Christian was the music. The song choices were perfect for the film. The haunting tones of familiar songs, showcased the deep obsession and worked well with the blues and reds director Sam Taylor-Johnson utilized to match Ana's emotions.
Fifty Shades of
Grey may not be a great movie, really
it isn't. But it is exactly what it set out to be. It's fun, it's
trashy, its the movie that you'll get teased about and tease your friends about seeing and it does plenty to make you squirm and giggle. Lovers of
the book will cherish the adaptation, even though it is very paired down. Newcomers will be left in
confusion or wanting more. And well haters are gonna hate, hate,
hate. But with two sequels in the works and high presale numbers, Fifty Shades of Grey
will have no trouble just shaking it off. Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed were recently announced, no release dates for either yet.
Fifty
Shades of Grey hits
theaters February 13, 2015.
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