COMPROMISING POSITIONS. Directed by Frank Perry; written by Susan Isaacs; produced by Frank Perry for Paramount. Starring Susan Sarandon, Raul Julia and Judith Ivey. Rated R (risque humor, a little nudity).
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If you've ever wondered what kind of trouble you could get into, if you were reasonably well-off, and had a lot of time on your hands, you might find Compromising Positions instructive.
It's a lightweight, mostly entertaining comedy/mystery. It features some well-drawn female characters, a passable murder mystery, and more than a few good laughs.
The trouble that housewife Judith (Sarandon) encounters involves murder, infidelity, pornography and dentistry. A provocative mixture which results from the murder of a philandering dentist who was also into creative photography.
Judith's obsessive interest in investigating the murder is a little puzzling at first. It's supposedly justified by her former career as a journalist. Once the story gets going, however, it's easy to forget that her involvement is so contrived.
A major flaw in Compromising Positions, though, is this lack of background information about the characters. For instance, Judith and lawyer husband Bob (Edward Herrmann) abruptly start yelling at each other in one scene. Half-way through the fight we learn that these dust-ups are common occurrences. But all we'd seen previously had been domestic bliss. For the most part, the characters are interesting enough that this sensation of being dropped into the middle of things is only slightly annoying.
I should say, the women are interesting. Sarandon delivers just the right combination of flakiness and common sense (although the flakiness usually wins out). Her friend, Nancy (Ivey), is also entertaining, particularly with the help of the movie's funniest lines.
There's an especially good scene with Judith, Nancy and Mary Alice (Joan Allen). It's beautifully orchestrated, with Mary Alice confessing some indiscretions with the late dentist and her friends reacting. The comic talents of all three are shown off to good advantage here. And most of the all-female scenes are of the same quality.
The men don't fair so well, though. Their characterizations are more stereotyped, less original than those of the women. But Detective Suarez (Julia, who is primarily a stage actor, but who also appears on "Sesame Street") is an appealing guy. The romantic tension between him and Judith is nicely played once the attraction is admitted. Here again, though, the onset of the infatuation is somewhat abrupt.
Don't go to see Compromising Positions expecting great cinema. But it's not without interest, as Sherlock Holmes would say. One of its main attractions is the almost totally adult cast. The few children are barely seen or heard, and have nothing to do with the story.
After a summer cluttered with teenpix (a few of which are nonetheless better than Compromising Positions ) it's at least refreshing to see the grownups take the stage.
September 18, 1985