Deception: Sex Club Membership Has Its Benefits
Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams

By Christopher Manson May 1, 2008 Issue

In Marcel Langenegger’s appalling thriller Deception, from Mark Bomback’s boneheaded screenplay, Ewan McGregor portrays Jonathan McQuarry, a hardworking accountant who watches life and custodial workers pass him by as he crunches numbers deep into the night.

As the film opens, McQuarry is befriended by charismatic lawyer Wyatt Bose, played by Hugh Jackman. They step outside to smoke and joke, and soon the two are bonding on the tennis court, in the locker room, and at a picnic lunch where McQuarry inadvertently grabs his new pal’s cell phone.

If that last bit resembles a trite sitcom device, you’re right. But Deception is only unintentionally funny as McQuarry finds himself an all-too-willing member of an anonymous sex club that strives for “intimacy, without intricacy.”

After a half-dozen or so trysts—Bose is off on business—McQuarry gets his heart stolen by a trampy-looking blonde played by Michelle Williams. They spend a night in a hotel room engaged in the non-sexual kind of intercourse. The following evening, the two meet up in Chinatown where “Sunbeam,” the girl, gives McQuarry a scarf. He in turn, presents her with—I’m not making this up—a wind-up ducky.

Halfway through, the movie takes a turn that will not surprise anyone who has seen any thriller made in the last decade. Once the police get involved, Deception grows increasingly ludicrous. The film’s final “surprise” is as predictable as Ralph Nader getting shut out of a presidential debate.

Jackman, who also produced this dud, is effective when he is luring McQuarry into his adventurous world. He opts for scenery chewing once the plot wheels start turning, though. As the shy accountant, McGregor appears to have copped his voice from the early films of Jerry Lewis and his hairstyle from John-Boy Walton. Williams is all pouty-lipped and isn’t given much to do. Charlotte Rampling turns up for one not-too-embarrassing scene as a senior member of the sex club.

The film does offer a few moments of gleefully dreadful dialogue:

Sunbeam: I don’t want to complicate your life.
McQuarry: I want all the complications you got.
Sunbeam: Maybe I should go.
McQuarry: Maybe you should stay.

With some spicier sex scenes, Deception might have been a better-than-average late night time-killer on Cinemax. As it is, I’m not sure what attracted these actors, all of whom have done much better work elsewhere.

Gigli Star Redeems Himself Behind the Camera

On Sunday, May 4, the Seaside Repertory Theatre continues its Starlight Film Series with a screening of Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone. The film is of a piece with Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River, which also benefited from gritty Boston locations and Dennis Lehane source material. Fans of TV’s The Wire are familiar with Amy Ryan’s talents, but her performance here as a missing child’s coke-addicted, foul-mouthed mother is a revelation. The exceptional cast also includes Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, and Affleck’s kid brother Casey. Emotions run high throughout. Starts at 8 p.m. on the Lyceum Lawn. Additional information at www.seasiderep.org.

Next weekend, the series presents Julie Delpy’s 2 Days in Paris. Delpy wrote, directed, starred, and cast her parents in what The Rep’s Craige Hoover calls “a genre-defying comedy. It certainly passes as a romantic comedy, but with an independent, offbeat spirit. The characters are round, their conflicts are real, and the comedy feels new. It was in my top five last year.”


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