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Ann (Andie MacDowell) is a disaffected suburban housewife who feels constrained by her posh lifestyle, drained by her passionless marriage and who agonizes endlessly over starving children in Ethiopia. She lives a lonesome, unfulfilling life and buries herself in housework and therapy in order to cope. Her maddeningly oblivious sense of denial opens the film and immediately casts her in an unfavorable light – it’s hard to watch someone shake their head and deny the problems they know they have, but it happens every day and it makes for a stark and curious introduction.

Much has been made of Andie MacDowell’s acting ability (or lack of it, depending on your opinion) but her beguiling beauty and halting vocal delivery serves her well here. I am usually not a fan myself, but MacDowell wears Ann Bishop Mullany as comfortably as I wear my Doc Martens, to the point where it is difficult to tell whether or not she’s acting or just being herself. MacDowell is probably a bit more talented than her detractors think she is, but director Steven Soderbergh (this being his first feature film) has a knack for pulling latent ability out of his casts and somehow, some way, Andie MacDowell could not have been better cast. Yes I said it, I mean it, and I stand by it.

John (Peter Gallagher) is Ann’s husband, a pretentious, philandering swine who has just been promoted to junior partner at his law firm. He’s chosen to enjoy the fruits of his new position before he’s entirely earned his stripes, and spends his days carousing instead of working. You might say that a man who shops around on his wife has no respect for her, but how would you feel about a man who shops around on his wife with his sister in law?

Yes, John is an epic scumbag who is sleeping with his wife’s sister and has the nerve to pity himself, because his wife subconsciously seems to know there’s something off about him and his lover doesn’t betray her sister often enough for his liking. Like all the protagonists, John is a deeply flawed individual but Peter Gallagher savors the role the way one might a $50 steak dinner. He chews slowly and clearly enjoys every moment he’s on screen. There’s probably a lot of satisfaction in playing someone who does bad things, because you get to do deliciously evil things without really being evil. Yet despite this, there’s a tongue in cheek self awareness to John’s villainy that makes him surprisingly easy to tolerate. In fact the entire film shares his wily charm, defusing even the most controversial moments and making the entire experience a rare delight – but wait, there’s more…

Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo) is Ann’s sister, and John’s mistress. An extroverted wild-child who makes her living as a barmaid, Cynthia openly resents Ann’s beauty, popularity and good fortune and therefore wastes no opportunity to seethe about her older sibling. Rivalry between sisters is nothing new, but the glee Cynthia seems to take in defiling her sister’s marriage is a bit off putting, especially in light of the fact that the two women speak to each other daily. Ann seems to feel inherently more mature than her sister, yet allows herself to remain blissfully unaware of the affair that’s right under her nose.

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