Sleeping with the Enemy
Short description
Laura Burney appears to have an ideal life with her husband Martin, but behind the façade of their home on the New England coast he is controlling and violent. Unable to see any other way out of the marriage, she stages her own death and starts over under a new name in a small Midwestern town, where she gradually begins to trust a man named Ben. When Martin learns that she is still alive, he sets out to find her.
Joseph Ruben directed the film, working from a screenplay by Ronald Bass, with Leonard Goldberg producing. It was released in January 1991 and followed Ruben's earlier thrillers The Stepfather and True Believer in his filmography. Julia Roberts plays Laura, with Patrick Bergin as Martin, Kevin Anderson as Ben, and supporting turns from Elizabeth Lawrence, Kyle Secor and Tony Abatemarco.
Made for about 19 million dollars, the film took roughly 175 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 6.3 out of 10 from around 71,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from about 1,300 votes, while a critics' score of 4.8 out of 10 from 38 reviews places it below the audience ratings.
What's left behind the scenes
- By the time Joseph Ruben became the director, the lead role in the film had been given to Kim Basinger. Shortly thereafter, Basinger herself turned down the role, and Julia Roberts was cast instead.
- The role of the film's protagonist, Laura/Sarah, was originally written for Jane Fonda.
- Ben's students are rehearsing a scene from Anton Chekhov's (1860-1904) play "The Seagull" (1895-1896).
- Her performance in "Sleeping with the Enemy" made 23-year-old Julia Roberts the youngest actress to receive a seven-figure salary for a role.
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