Meg Ryan, the once-reigning queen of late 1980s and 1990s Hollywood, experienced a precipitous fall from grace in the early 21st century. Her starring role in the 2003 erotic thriller, In the Cut, marked the beginning of a prolonged absence from the big screen for the once-beloved actress. While the film itself was not entirely terrible, in retrospect, it represented the worst possible career choice for Ryan, effectively eliminating her from the public eye for an extended period.
In the Cut, directed by Jane Campion, is based on Susanna Moore's 1995 novel of the same name. The film follows Frannie Avery (Meg Ryan), a middle-aged, lonely school teacher who seeks to cure her life frustrations through random sexual encounters with strangers. One night she witnesses something that might be related to woman being brutally murdered in her neighbourhood. She is questioned by Giovanni A. Malloy (played by Mark Ruffalo), police detective investigating the case, to whom she feels attracted.
Meg Ryan has built her stardom on the cheerful, bubbly "girl next door" persona, so effective in romantic comedies. That image, however, was difficult to maintain following the alleged adulterous affair with Russell Crowe on the set of Proof of Life and the subsequent collapse of her longtime marriage to Dennis Quaid. The actress had previously experimented with different genres and characters, but her decision to take on the role of Frannie was a bold one, as it required her to shed her well-established image and venture into uncharted territory. Ryan's portrayal of Frannie, a far cry from her iconic "girl next door" image, is unglamorous and detached, reflecting the character's own emptiness and desperation.
Campion, a New Zealand female director known for her highly praised dramas that deal with issues of female sexuality, seemed to be the perfect fit for this project. However, her vision for the film was not without controversy. Campion liked to feature nudity in her film, but In the Cut she went even further, probably inspired by early 21st Century arthouse cinema trend of adding unsimulated sex into otherwise mainstream films. In the unrated version, In the Cut features one such scene, although using a prosthetic penis instead of actual anatomy. Ryan, who appears nude in the film, seemed to be fulfilling the fantasies of her male fans from previous decades.
Despite the graphic sexual content, the film is, in fact, quite un-erotic, much like Meg Ryan's performance. The setting, featuring seedy bars, dark cramped apartments, and unpleasant issues of perverted sexuality and serial killing, only adds to the film's overall sense of unease. As a mystery, In the Cut is unsatisfying, with a predictable script that relies on red herrings and plot twists that fail to deliver. Campion's "artsy" directing style, complete with confusing flashbacks, is supposed to provide a pseudo-feminist message to the audience, but ultimately results in confusion and disappointment.
The cast does what they can with the roles given to them, with Ryan leaving a worse impression than Mark Ruffalo as the enigmatic police detective or Jennifer Jason Leigh as Frannie's sister. The film's lack of enthusiasm from critics was exacerbated by Ryan's hostile treatment of journalists during the promotion. Despite solid box office results, In the Cut was considered a failure, and Ryan waited several years for her next starring role, relegated to independent, low-budget productions.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
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