Obsessed

It’s not quite ‘Fatal Attraction’

IDRIS BELBA and Beyonce Knowles in “Obsessed.”

It’s not the most original concept for a movie.
And the ending leaves a LOT to be desired.
But come on, “Obsessed” isn’t that bad of a film.
This is almost a remake of “Fatal Attraction,” except no family pet gets cooked on the stove and the husband stays true to his wife. It’s just nobody believes him.
Idris Elba plays Derek, a likable vice president of a high-classed company who loves his wife, played in lackluster fashion by Beyonce Knowles.
He seems to have a great life. He has a beautiful wife, a 2-year-old son. He’s just moved into a cavernous house.
Among initial conflict in the film is, should they leave the mirror over the bed in the master bedroom?
On his way to his office one day, he finds himself alone in the elevator with a temporary employee, Lisa, played by the luscious Ali Larter.
They make small talk. She drops papers. He helps her pick them up. She flashes her eyes and her skirt.
After a day as a secretary, she becomes his aide for a week while the regular guy is out with a cold.
All seems fine except she seems too good to be true. She knows just what to do. She knows his routine. And was she listening in on his private conversation?
Now Derek’s wife had the aide position before the guy Lisa is filling in for.
Lisa smiles, she stops in the office. She gets the boss a bootleg of his favorite band.
The company Christmas party is coming up and it apparently is open to temp workers, but not spouses, even if they are former employees.
Derek uses the bathroom before going home, but is suddenly pushed into a stall by Lisa, who tries to seduce him. He runs out.
The next day, clad only in sexy underwear, she jumps into his car. He screams at her to get out.
Derek decides he better tell wifie about the events, but she feels down because her sister found out her husband was cheating. Derek decides that isn’t the best time to talk to her about Lisa.
Like in any cliché movie, Derek thinks Lisa is out of his life, but she never is.
When he goes on a retreat with his boss and fellow workers, there she is and this time she slips into his room and takes an overdose of drugs.
Wife learns about it and shows up at the hospital with Derek and a police detective, who takes an unusual interest in the case. Are there places police investigate for days suicide attempts?
Larter and Elba are pretty decent actors. They keep the suspense up and the drama flowing. Beyonce needs a little work in the believability factor.
But there are big problems. If Elba’s character acted smart like he is portrayed and reported her actions, the problems would have ended.
And the ending is not only stupid but it builds to a climax and then doesn’t really deliver.
All of the characters act like they are supposed to in order to advance the plot of a Grade B movie.
It isn’t terrible but another revision or two would have helped with “Obsessed.”

OBSESSED
• Directed by Steve Shill
• Written by David Loughery
• Runtime: 108 minutes
• Rated PG-13 for sexual material including some suggestive dialogue, violence and thematic content
• 3 stars out of 5