Former spouses Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman star as an opulent married couple, Dr. Bill and Alice Harford, respectively, in the final film of legendary film virtuoso Stanley Kubrick. After a lavish, hedonistic party which poses challenges to both spouses' fidelity by way of its guests (two models and a mysterious Hungarian man), Alice drops the real doozie: she once considered cheating on her husband. After turning down advances at the party from two very tempting women, Bill feels more than confident in the trust his marriage seems to be founded on and is subsequently devastated when his wife delivers the news. The shock drives him into New York City to cool his heels where he finds himself in a number of strange places and encounters, most notably a massive orgy at a mansion on the outskirts of town populated by society's furthest upper crust.

The film is based on the 1926 novella Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler.

Technically speaking, the film is a masterpiece. I've always felt Kubrick's films were ahead of their time, both thematically and in their craft. This seemed to be less the case in regards to craft as technology improved throughout the decades. However Eyes Wide Shut is still superbly filmed. It features nearly all of Kubrick's trademarks from his camera angles, shots, depth of field, color schemes, music, etc. (don't tell me Tom Cruise in the back of the taxi doesn't evoke memories of Jack Nicholson in The Shining). The orgy scenes are particularly noteworthy with their use of color (especially red and blue), lighting and music (Christian Orthodox priests chanting backwards - really creepy). The direction in the film is, in fact, so good that you tend to notice things you normally don't like blocking. It's really distinct and different from pretty much any non-Kubrick film.

Cruise and Kidman were pretty decent in their roles. Kidman is a little melodramatic at times but she has significantly less screen time than Cruise who actually does a pretty good job. Maybe that's because he more or less is the character he plays: super rich without a care in the world until the slightest upset is introduced. In any case, the characters are relatively simple and don't demand too much from the actors.

Plot-wise, Eyes Wide Shut is probably Kubrick's most complex, ambiguous and ultimately challenging film. There've been countless theories and discussions of the film even to this day. There's arguments to be had that certain events may not even have occurred at all, certain characters' testimonies are not entirely accurate or trustworthy (if at all) and that a considerable portion of the film may have been a dream. Outside of Cruise's character, there seems to be very little that's definite and the lack of any real concrete information essentially makes any theory possible. At the same time, the film is loaded with symbolism and subtle clues as to relationships between seemingly unrelated characters and events. It's really a very carefully constructed story and at the same time feels free-range.

In short, it'll probably take numerous views to figure out what's really going on here or at least to find your stance.

The film seems centered around heavy themes ranging from extremely intimate (love, sex, marriage, honesty, trust, etc.) to broad and borderline political (social class) and all the little details that spring from such themes. All of this seems to be summed up in the final line of the film which is nothing short of a perfect end to the career of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Frankly, I feel like everything in Kubrick's career was building up to Eyes Wide Shut. That's not to say it's his best film or even the one that deserves the most recognition. But I do feel like with Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick had the freedom and the technology to just run with his vision which he had to earn with all of the films preceding it. I think there're few artists, let alone filmmakers, in this world who would even know what to do with such freedom.

Anyway, brilliant film. Exceptional, one of a kind piece of cinema. I think anyone interested in film owes it to themselves to watch this.

Interesting backstory to this film, which originally featured Harvey Keitel:

Quoted from some website Keitel and Kidman just did a scene in which Keitel's character is supposed to stand behind Kidman's character and masturbate.         Keitel is not only a fine actor, he is a method actor.         You probably see what is coming – as it were.         Kidman didn't.        He ejaculated into Nicole Kidman's hair.         She walked quickly off the soundstage.         The next morning, Stanley Kubrick, one of the great living geniuses of cinema, was confronted by Mr. and Mrs. Tom Cruise.         The two told him simply, "Us or Keitel."         Kubrick reluctantly fired Mr. Keitel.

Long-standing rumor that you may or may not have heard.  Sounds reasonable to me, though.  Go Harv!

I always thought the WIDE part of this snoozefest was describing the yawn while your EYES SHUT.   A plodding story, a TERRIBLE performance by Kidman where she speaks so slow that you just want to slap her (and I'm a pacifist).  

The funny thing is that years later I found out why she was speaking so slow and it's because the character was supposed to be heavily tranquilized by prescription medicine.  

Either way, it still was an incredibly bad performance.  And while I agree that the hallmark Kubrick stuff is there, unless you are such a fan of Kubrick that you are willing to sit through Barry Lyndon screened two times consecutively, then don't bother seeing this film.

I'm on James's side with this one. I loved Eyes Wide Shut from its first moment to its last. I can understand why some people would think it's a bore, but for me this is such a hypnotic, dream-like experience that it always moves far too fast. On a technical level, this is Kubrick's greatest accomplishment. The movement of the camera, the use of extremely wide lenses, the use of source lighting and colour establishes such a wonderfully brooding and eerie atmosphere for the film and, while it's not Kubrick's best overall, I certainly think it's his most human and comes closest to truly expressing Kubrick's feelings about sex, love, relationships and people. It's a really great film, and as James said, is a strangely appropriate epitaph for Kubick's long, glorious career.

P.S., Cornetto,

I loved Barry Lyndon too.  

Bert, I never heard about the Keitel thing.  Sounds absolutely wild...and possibly true.

As for the film, I've often said how much I loved this movie, and for me, it's easily Kubrick's best.

I don't find any of it to be plodding or even remotely so.  For me, it was all fascinating and so well done.

I've never been a Cruise or Kidman fan, but I thought both were incredible and incredibly believable in this...most notably, Cruise.

The scene where they get stoned was awesome, totally realistic and so well acted.  It wouldn't surprise me in the least if they both did get stoned, right then and there for that scene.  They both looked and acted exactly like a couple like them would.

Awesome movie, and surprisingly, one I list on my short favorite lists!

Great review, James!

No doubt this is an exceptional film but it doesn't really fit into the kind of rythym, pace and tone that I usually like.
Fascinating subject matter though but I'm wondering if it takes too long to say what it has to say.

Nice review, James.

I love the film too but personally wouldn't consider it Kubrick's best. Of course that's nothing to be ashamed of when looking at the man's near perfect canon.

Quoted from Dreamscale Bert, I never heard about the Keitel thing.  Sounds absolutely wild...and possibly true. As for the film, I've often said how much I loved this movie, and for me, it's easily Kubrick's best. I don't find any of it to be plodding or even remotely so.  For me, it was all fascinating and so well done. I've never been a Cruise or Kidman fan, but I thought both were incredible and incredibly believable in this...most notably, Cruise. The scene where they get stoned was awesome, totally realistic and so well acted.  It wouldn't surprise me in the least if they both did get stoned, right then and there for that scene.  They both looked and acted exactly like a couple like them would. Awesome movie, and surprisingly, one I list on my short favorite lists! Great review, James!

Wow, I'm extremely surprised you're a fan of this, Jeff. I'd have (wrongly it seems) presumed that this wouldn't be your cup of tea...at all. I can only speculate the kind of review you would've given it if the script had been posted here by some randomer without any film to base it on.

Uh-oh.  I got a feeling I'm going to get some backlash for saying this:

Eyes Wide Shut is easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life!  I've only walked out of two movies in my entire life.  'Wag the Dog' and 'Eyes Wide Shut'.  If I had seen 'Brown Bunny' in theatres, I would've walked out of that one, too.

I'm speaking as a Kubrick fan, too, so my opinion is not biased in the slightest.  I don't even mind Tom Cruise and I love Nicole Kidman.  This is just a plain, old, boring snoozefest.  If given the choice between going to see this movie again or having somebody jump on my eyesockets with a pogo stick for two hours and thirty-nine minutes, I'd take the pogo stick.

For some God-doesn't-even-know-why reason, I decided to give this film a second chance years after I first saw it.  And my opinion hasn't changed one little bit.  It is still to me one of the most pointless stories ever written.  Oh no, some uppity doctor's wife almost, but didn't, cheat on him.  How the hell can you make a more than two and a half hour movie around that crappy storyline?  You can't.  No one can.  Even Kubrick, a master of visuals, failed miserably on this movie.

Absolutely nothing happens!  The ending, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENS!  She says 'Let's f*ck' and that's all.  The movie ends!  Nothing happens!

I'm sorry to say this, but this is not a way for such a great director as Stanley Kubrick to go out.