A Familiar Attraction
With his wife Cynthia (Leigh Taylor-Young) in remission after having been told her cancer was terminal, art professor Alex Connor (Tim Matheson - Going Underground) decides to quit his job. Quitting his job also means calling time on the affair he has been having with sexy student Shelia (Jennie Garth - Star) something which she takes badly, very badly as she plots her revenge. That revenge includes seducing Alex's son Rick (Peter Facinelli) amongst other things.
What if "Fatal Attraction" or "Play Misty for Me" has been made as a TV movie rather than for the big screen, chances are they would have ended up forgettable. That is what "An Unfinished Affair" is as it is another one of those movies about the woman from an affair turning psycho and trying to get her revenge for being dumped. To sum it up "An Unfinished Affair" ends up not only suffering from familiarity but also from the issues which tend to befall many TV movies.
So what are those issues; well they start with the characters who are nothing more than stereotypes and over the top ones at that. When we meet Shelia for the first time we not only realise through her lack of subtlety that she is a horny little minx but also psycho which is even more apparent when she starts to flip out following being dumped. If it is not the lack of subtlety which ruins characters it is the complete lack of depth which is the case of Alex who is completely flat through the entire movie.
The characters are not the only issue as the cinematography whilst occasionally a little eye catching is mostly ordinary as is the movies pacing. What isn't ordinary is the dialogue which is full of cheesy lines which are never said in the real world.
What this all really means is that "An Unfinished Affair" ends up familiar and mediocre and a movie which ends up relying on the actor's likeability. And that is what it has as Jennie Garth, Tim Matheson and a young Peter Facinelli are all likeable actors who are easy on the eye. The fact that none of them deliver a good performance and are saddled with poor characters is an issue but you still find yourself enjoying watching these good looking actors.
What this all boils down to is that "An Unfinished Affair" is just another one of those movies about a dumped lover exacting their revenge. It suffers for many reasons from being far too obvious to too stereotypical but the likeability of the cast go a long way to keep you watching.
