“Deadly Illusions” is a Disappointment
Film could have been a trash-terpiece, but doesn’t matter
BY GARY M. KRAMER
“Deadly Illusions,” now
available on Netfl ix, is often
unintentionally funny,
frequently head-scratching,
and worst of all, disappointing
— not because it isn’t better, but
because it isn’t worse.
Mary Morrison (Kristin Davis)
is a bestselling crime novelist, but
she has not written much lately —
and she doesn’t really have to. She
lives a picture-perfect life in a fabulous
house with her handsome
husband Tom (Dermot Mulroney)
and their two nondescript kids.
When she gets an offer from her
publisher Kioki (Shaun Wu) to
write another installment in her
series, she balks. His assistant
Darlene (Abella Bala) presumptuously
dresses the author down,
remarking about Mary’s privilege
— her home, her kids’ school,
and her royalty checks. Mary, to
her credit, responds, “You know
nothing about me. You don’t know
what you’re talking about, and
you should be fi red!” It’s a terrifi c
moment of feisty female empowerment.
And “Deadly Illusions” even
gives Mary a butch quirk; she
smokes a number of cigars. But
then the plot kicks in, and things
go south fast.
When Tom returns home, he
fi nds Kioki’s offer and, after sexually
pleasuring his wife, tells Mary
to take it. They need the money, he
confesses, because he lost “nearly
half of their reserve” (are they living
on wines?) six months ago.
(Tom’s job is vague). In order to
write, Mary can’t care for the kids,
so she is encouraged by her sassy
best friend Elaine (Shanola Hampton)
to hire a nanny. After visiting
a nanny agency, Mary meets with
a handful of awful prospects in a
tiresome montage.
Then Grace (Greer Grammer)
walks in. Mary assumes she is
from the agency, and Grace doesn’t
disabuse her. Mary also likes that
Grace reads — and Grace discovers
Mary is a writer. (Mary’s book
features the author photo and bio
on the inside front fl ap of the dust
Director Anna Elizabeth James lacks vision in “Deadly Illusions.”
jacket — something most publishers
would put on the back fl ap,
which shows how lazy and wrongheaded
this fi lm is, but never
mind).
Soon Grace is proving herself
an asset around the house
and becoming a muse for Mary’s
writer’s block. A strange scene
has Grace borrowing a one-piece
bathing suit from Mary, which
Elaine remarks makes her look
like she’s from an issue of “Playboy.”
Mary insists she has nothing
to worry about, though Grace
exits the pool in slow-motion
right out of a sex fantasy. The entire
scene is ridiculous. Mary and
Elaine are washing windows(?!)
while Grace plays with the kids,
and the soundtrack is like the
overture from a 1950s musical. It
is downright bizarre. Later, when
Grace gives the kids a shower,
things border on creepy.
However, “Deadly Illusions” does
not really know what tone to strike,
which can be part of the fun/problem.
When Mary cuts her foot one
morning, Grace attends to it, and
Mary, looking down Grace’s blouse,
insists they play hooky and go bra
shopping. However inappropriate it
is to help your nanny buy a bra, it
is probably more inappropriate for
Grace to put Mary’s hand on her
breast. But Mary is, well, titillated
by this, and soon starts observing
Grace and having erotic fantasies
about her. Is it an illusion? And
does it matter? Mary tells Elaine
that Grace is, “like a master seductress,
and I’m her lapdog waiting
for my next treat.” It would be funny
if it wasn’t so strange.
But Mary insists, “Strange
things happen when I write.” She
asks Grace to put lotion on her
back while she’s sunbathing topless,
and then coaxes Grace into
the pool after disrobing completely.
They drink and dance after, acting
more like teenagers than boss and
employee. Later Mary dreams a
man is pleasuring her, but it may,
in fact, be Grace. Grace also massages
Mary’s back as Mary bathes,
then fondles Mary’s nether regions
under the rose petal-fi lled water. Is
it all an illusion? Does it matter?
“Deadly Illusions” gets downright
cringe-inducing when Grace
and Tom go out for a meal and order
quiche. There’s a possible seduction
there. Or when Mary and
Grace bike for a picnic and Grace’s
hand caresses Mary’s leg as she
reads to her, culminating in a kiss.
Is it all an illusion? Does it matter?
Things get more awkward when
Mary and Grace are in the kitchen
and Grace may be performing oral
sex on her. Mary also envisions
Tom performing oral sex on Grace.
Again, Is it all an illusion? Does it
matter?
FILM
COURTESY OF KISS AND TELL PRODUCTIONS
All this build up is one long, slow
burn to the expected twist that
someone is not who they say they
are. There is a murder, and an obvious
reference to “Psycho.” There is
a scene of a knife-wielding character
coming after Tom, who has just
gotten out of the shower — another
blatant “Psycho” reference. But this
moment yields the fi lm’s best dialogue:
Tom asks, “Are you insane?”
The knife-wielding character replies,
“I’m completely insane!”
Yes, “Deadly Illusions” is completely
insane, but it is not bonkers
in a good way. It features lousy
dialogue, leaden pacing, and terrible
acting. Davis is far too chipper
even when she has an angry
outburst at the dinner table. It is
hard to take her seriously. Grammer,
in contrast, is trying far too
hard to act innocent. She is rarely
appealing and hardly seductive —
and Mulroney is especially wooden:
When talking to his wife, he is
unable to sell the line, “You’re my
world!” If the actors had camped
it up, this could have been a ripe
piece of cheese.
But director Anna Elizabeth
James has no clear vision here.
“Deadly Illusions” could have been
a trash-terpiece. Instead, it doesn’t
really matter.
“DEADLY ILLUSIONS” | Directed
by Anna Elizabeth James |
Streaming on Netfl ix.
GayCityNews.com | APRIL 8 - APRIL 21, 2021 27
/GayCityNews.com
