Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle. IMDB says: “Literature student Anastasia Steele’s life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey.”
This is a movie based on a book piece of Twilight fan fiction that riled up pent up housewives all over the nation with its depictions of BDSM sex. This is all I and I’m sure anyone else that hasn’t read the source material knew about Fifty Shades. My desire to check out the film was slim beyond the morbid curiosity of how the novel could actually be adapted. My sister on the other hand (yes, I have an older sister) was a big fan of the book series and was upset that she had no one to go see the movie with. Movie reviewer was there to save the day.
The very basic plot follows Anastasia Steel or to spare yourself the eye rolling, is also referred to as Ana. Ana is a smart and capable English Lit major and overall seems to be a nice person. She is also quite a looker but doesn’t fancy herself as anything of the sort. Fortunately, her naiveté isn’t entirely unbelievable in the context and her character comes across as authentic. She meets the attractive and mysterious billionaire Christian Grey when she agrees to fill in for her sick roommate on an interview assignment. Ana is instantly intimidated and intrigued by the enigmatic figure. Christian finds something in Ana equally enticing. The two begin a cat and mouse like courtship as they struggle to accept each other’s boundaries but are increasingly drawn to one another.
I had picked up on that much based on the bits of the book I had heard about but there was more depth to the Fifty Shades of Grey’s narrative than I anticipated. Well, it’s not much more depth, but there was a thread line that I was unaware of. For the uninitiated, Ana is a virginal bookworm but Christian on the other hand is into bondage. Opposites attract, am I right? But Mr. Grey isn’t just like “hey I wanna spank you and slap some handcuffs on ya” he has an entire “playroom” devoted to his desires and he requires Ana to sign a 30 page contract that describes in detail the hard and soft limits of their sexual relationship (including gems like genital clamps and anal fisting, both of which Ana will be having none of.) Oh! And I almost forgot – Ana will have to live and sleep in a separate room in the house (only on the weekends) and only eat certain foods and they cannot go on dates. Maybe you’re wondering what Ana will get in return? Well, Christian of course. He’s a total dreamboat.
Ana agrees with the viewer and thinks this sounds ludicrous. So the movie is essentially her trying to understand why he is like this and Grey attempting to open up to Ana as she continues to draw him in emotionally. I’m not saying that this was some sort of revelation to me while watching but I did not expect this angle at all. Grey says some real serial killer type shit and my sister informed me that he’s “even more deranged in the book.” What the what! There are tiny details uncovered about his past but it is only hinted that something very bad happened during his childhood. It’s weird.
Anyway, there are clearly some corny and cringe worthy scenes peppered throughout the film. It has the source material working against from the start but it does an okay job digging itself out of the hole. For the most part, the characters are fairly believable despite their fan fiction origins. Sam Taylor-Johnson’s direction is solid and a few special inclusions (pubes!) in the film made me feel more at ease that there was a female behind the lens. It’s clear that Sam and screenwriter Kelly Marcel carefully covered the beats to make sure the movie was tasteful and aware of itself. The sex isn’t gratuitous but it does become boring. I never found it titillating which is thanks in large part to some of the forced chemistry between the actors.
You’re either with this movie or you’re not. I’m sure most of you can read the synopsis and know if you’re interested. The dude next me that kept loudly chewing his ice and muttering under his breath was not interested. But for those of you that are curious, the movie comes down to two factors: Dakota Johnson as Ana and Jamie Dornan as Grey. Johnson has popped up in small roles in 21 Jump Street and The Social Network, and I am familiar with Dornan thanks to his excellent turn in the TV series The Fall. Dakota is a great lead allowing herself to be charming and innocent without becoming a caricature. But Jamie on the other hand doesn’t fit. Physically, he doesn’t strike me as much of a presence on screen. He’s inscrutable but never exudes power or mystery. It comes off a lot more like the vanilla guy in a suit might have a secret. His performance is serviceable but I was frequently distracted by his inability to maintain his American accent.
So was Fifty Shades of Grey the train wreck everyone anticipated? Not nearly. But that doesn’t mean you should watch it either. Like Mr. Grey’s turn-ons, this movie will only appeal to a certain audience and it will be easy to determine which crowd you fall into. After a rocky start, I myself was pleasantly surprised at the path the movie traversed and literally shocked at the way it ended. I doubt I’ll ever watch it again but the experience wasn’t entirely devoid of enjoyment.
