Escapist entertainment it may be, but obsessed is the kind of movie that cobbles together so many other higher quality films, that the characters and plot proportions begin to resemble archetypes or placeholders rather than living breathing motivations. Enter Derek and Sharon Charles (Idris Elba and Beowulf) the seemingly mismatched "perfect" couple that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere but in this kind of "movie of the week" meets AMC. Being a huge fan of the wire, when I heard that Idris Elba was attached, I just knew that "the wire" royalty checks and DJ career were just not cutting it. So it made a bit of sense that he would be slumming it in this type of project. Beowulf is another story entirely as I feel people have grown tired of seeing her portray motown era stars and singers, hoping to break her own archetype and play a living, breathing human being....she drops the ball on this entirely.
When we meet this 'Happy" couple, Derek has received a promotion at a private firm and Sharon just kind of seem like a plot element until enter Ali Larter (completely wasted) as Lisa, the temp who is dead set on setting her hooks into Derek. For a good twenty to twenty five minutes I would say that "Obsessed" completely exceeded my expectations. During this time, its smartly written, beautifully filmed, and perfectly acted. But Matthew Knowles is listed as one of the executive producers so I was expecting at some point that "Obsessed" would become "The Beyonce Show" and when it does the whole ordeal goes south.
The exact moment that "Obsessed" morphs from a fairly interesting take on corporate gender politics into a pyscho stalker drama is when Derek and Lisa have an encounter at the office holiday party in which both have had too much to drink, enter a public bathroom, and the advances of one shame the other as Lisa's motivations become evidently clear. What is not, is the archetypes that Derek and Lisa turn into while beyonce straightens her lacefront and gets her "Ima show ya crazy" face on.
"Obsessed" is a wholy misguided opportunity to cash in on the likes of "Fatal Attraction" and 1993's "The Temp" which would have been a much more appropriate title for this yawn. for Lisa becomes the dellusional pencil skirt to Derek's cluelessness as both spend the majority of the running time convincing the other that they did or did not cross the line into "affair". Which is unfortunate, cause their early chemistry with each other sorta makes the film (notice how I haven't mentioned Beowulf yet). And speaking of Beowulf, I am positive her casting had more to do with box office than actual inspiration as she too is a plot contrivance that never reads to have a pulse. In the early scenes, She is the reactor, but then she becomes the protagonist and Derek and Lisa's characters become the reactors and the whole time I'm just sitting there thinking...what are Lisa's motivations for acting the way she does. Oh, duh, its all designed to build up to the girl on girl fight that totally makes no sense, but is rousing only because its probably one of the few times we'll ever see Beyonce get "grimy" on film. But its all so blandly choreographed that the ending seems directly liften from "War of the Roses"....with a more morose twist.
I'm sure Ali Larter and Idris Elba will be able to benefit from appearing in trash like this if only to add some gusto to their clip reel. But I'm sorta on the side of actors and actresses who point out that sensationalized pop starts who have big screen dreams are taking away roles in hollywood and therefore diluting the quality of films made. Well, quality wasn't on anybody's mind when they made "Obsessed" but what they have achieved and should be handsomely rewarded for (which, financially they will) is duping the public into buying a repackaged, stale, overly serious, hardboiled, expanded version of a mad tv skit.
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