In this semi-erotic thriller targeting teens and overprotective parents, there's an alluring ambiguity to the passionate relationship that smooth-talking bad boy Mark Wahlberg and semi-rebellious suburb girl Reese Witherspoon strike up after meeting in a bar. Witherspoon is refreshingly natural and Wahlberg's performance is so close to convincing, even authentic, that when things slowly start shifting over from a depiction of real kids to a box-ticking of genre-conventions, we're more disappointed on behalf of the relationship between them than surprised by the script's downfall. After all, the picture never promised us anything else, even if some of us might have expected director James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross) to handle it all in a more subtle and elegant manner. William Petersen gives an effortful performance as Witherspoon's father, and their affectionate, clashing father/daughter relationship will most definitely ring true with current and former parents of teens.
Review of Fear
