Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writers (WGA):

Nancy Price (novel)
Ronald Bass (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 February 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Self-Defense is not murder

Plot:

Laura and Martin have been married for four years. They seem to be the perfect, happiest and most successful couple...

Plot Keywords:

New Identity | Escape | Faked Death | On The Run | Deception

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Julia Roberts	...	Laura Burney
Patrick Bergin	...	Martin Burney
Kevin Anderson	...	Ben Woodward
Elizabeth Lawrence	...	Chloe Williams
Kyle Secor	...	Fleishman
Claudette Nevins	...	Dr. Rissner
Tony Abatemarco	...	Locke
Marita Geraghty	...	Julie
Harley Venton	...	Garber
Nancy Fish	...	Woman on Bus
Sandi Shackelford	...	Edna
Bonnie Johnson	...	Mrs. Nepper (as Bonnie Cook)
Graham Harrington	...	Minister
John Ward	...	Theater Student (as John David Ward)
Sharon J. Robinson	...	Sharon (the Nurse)

Also Known As:

Dormindo com o Inimigo (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
A letto con il nemico (Italy) [it]
Der Feind in meinem Bett (Germany) [de]
Durmiendo con el enemigo (Argentina) [es]
Durmiendo con su enemigo (Spain) [es]
Egy ágyban az ellenséggel (Hungary) [hu]
En fiende i min säng (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
I seng med fjenden (Denmark) [da]
Les nuits avec mon ennemi (France) [fr]
Noci s neprítelem (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Nyhtes me tin ehthro mou (Greece) [el]
Sova med fienden (Sweden) [sv]
V postelji s sovraznikom (Slovenia) [sl]
Vaenlasega voodis (Estonia) [et]
Vihollinen vuoteessani (Finland) [fi]
Yatagimdaki düsman (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for wife abuse terror and a sex scene.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Spain:13 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | UK:15 (DVD rating) (uncut) (2001) | UK:18 (video rating) (uncut) (1992) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (original rating) (cut) | USA:R | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Abbeville, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The sign at the carnival reads "Claude Powell's Super Carnival". 'Claude Powell' worked as the construction coordinator in the Art Department on the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: The cut/bruise on Laura's head comes and goes. After she is hit by Martin leaving a nasty abrasion on the left side of her forehead, he leaves to go to town after telling her they will sail that night. She goes outside to break the lantern, and the wind blows her hair off her forehead - no bruise. Later that night, she has her hair back in a braid, before they get on the boat - no bruise. Then, when she meets Ben a couple days later, she flips her hair off to one side and he sees the bruise. The very next day (or soon after) she has her hair back again with Ben, no bruise.

Quotes:

Martin: You sneaked off inexplicably, need I remind you how I worried?
Laura: No. You reminded me enough the night I came back.
Martin: You're not suggesting I enjoyed that?
Laura: God, no. That would make you a monster.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Cheers: Teaching with the Enemy (#11.6)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

CIRCLE OF ONE

By-the-numbers thriller is boosted by good performances.

I think most people tend to overlook how well-done the first 20 minutes of this movie really are. Ruben carefully builds a creepy atmosphere, relying on brief glances, moments of silence and quietly expressive performances (especially by Julia Roberts) to help the viewer understand that, behind the image of a perfect couple, something is really wrong. Unfortunately, after Roberts escapes from her husband, the movie turns into a strictly by-the-numbers thriller, where you can predict almost every development of the script. It's a visually polished movie, though, and the very good performances give it a strong psychological center that keeps it above-average.