Cast: Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Diana Scarwid, Joe Morton, James Remar, Miranda Otto
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Producers: Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis
Screenplay: Clark Gregg
Cinematography: Don Burgess
Music: Alan Silvestri
U.S. Distributor: Dreamworks SKG
While the careers of the high-profile stars and director of What Lies Beneath will be able to survive a creative disintegration of this magnitude, what unfolds on screen during this 127 minute feature is the kind of cinematic disaster that could easily ruin the prospects of someone with less clout. In a summer that has boasted one disappointment after another, What Lies Beneath represents a new nadir - a supernatural thriller that would have earned a direct-to-cable trip if it wasn't for the guaranteed bankability of actors Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, and the name of "Robert Zemeckis" in the director's spot. The man credited with penning the script, Clark Gregg, is an unknown behind the cameras (and hopefully will remain so, sparing us from future offerings), but he appears to have graduated from the Ed Wood Screenwriting Academy. (Although, to be fair to Gregg, he is a capable actor - witness his performance as Hank/Henrietta in The Adventures of Sebastian Cole.)
Ghost stories are hot properties in the wake of the two stunning successes of the summer of 1999: The Blair Witch Project and the overrated The Sixth Sense. What Lies Beneath is the latest movie to capitalize on this trend, and it proves an old adage: few things are less satisfying than a poorly constructed ghost story. This film has little to recommend it beyond the sweet feeling of release that occurs once the ordeal is over. What Lies Beneath doesn't start badly, which makes its ultimate fate all the more dissatisfying. In fact, for about the first hour, it's a fairly creepy ghost story/murder mystery. Then, with all the grace of a dilapidated high rise that is rigged for an implosion, What Lies Beneath collapses in a sudden and spectacular fashion, leaving behind a huge pile of rubble that isn't worth sifting through. The film's final half-hour is especially difficult to sit through. It's not quite bad enough to be comically enjoyable (although it comes perilously close at times), so it drags on, seemingly without end - a mess of cliches and predictable "shocks" that devolves into a bloody and obvious conclusion.
What Lies Beneath is set against the backdrop of a picturesque lake in Vermont. It's the new home of Dr. Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford) and his wife, Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer). While Norman, a respected geneticist, is wrapped up in preparing an important research paper, Claire is suffering empty nest syndrome - her only daughter has just left for college. So, while her husband is away during the daylight hours (and sometimes after dark) - she spends time working in her garden and playing solitaire on the computer. Then strange things start happening. Doors open unexpectedly. Circuit breakers pop without reason. A new neighbor (Miranda Otto) disappears. And Claire begins seeing and hearing things - faces in the bathtub water and distant, indistinct voices. Norman thinks she's having a nervous breakdown, but Claire believes she is the victim of a haunting. And her psychiatrist (Joe Morton) and best friend (Diana Scarwid) encourage her to attempt to make contact with the spirit.
All that sounds promising enough, but that's the good part of the movie. The effective setup paves the way for a lean, mean story of supernatural terror that What Lies Beneath proves incapable of delivering. Except for the occasional "boo!" moment, when an animal dashes for cover or someone appears behind an opening door, Zemeckis proves unable to scare up much in the way of surprise or tension. The storyline is predictable, with heavy-handed foreshadowing littering the dubious terrain. It's the kind of movie when someone says, "Honey, you know the cell phone won't work until you reach the middle of the bridge," that you know the bridge and a phone are going to play an important part later. Likewise, a seemingly "offhand" reference to a paralyzing serum is presented in such a way that it carries more import than it should. By piecing together references like this, it's possible to assemble a clear picture of the routine, over-the-top climax long before it happens.
Through the mists of ugliness that have settled around this film, it's possible to see that the director is talented. Although Zemeckis doesn't try to incorporate any "fake presidents" into this movie (the way he did with both Forrest Gump and Contact), he has fun with another historical icon: Alfred Hitchcock. References to the Master's work abound, including a subplot lifted directly from Rear Window and shots, plot devices, and a key name from Psycho. The camera often makes effective use of mirrors, placing them both where things can be seen and where we expect them to be seen. Alas, such artistry serves only to emphasize the stench emanating from the material that the director has chosen to waste his abilities upon.
Although Harrison Ford may not be an actor with great range, he's usually a better judge of projects than this (although his recent participation in Six Days, Seven Nights and Random Hearts makes one wonder if he should consider a new agent). As Norman, Ford is his usual, laid-back self - the kind of hard-working husband that any woman would love. Meanwhile, Michelle Pfeiffer has two modes. In the one, with a come-hither look in her eyes, she spreads her legs invitingly. In the other, she looks like my first grade teacher, a stereotypical school marm. Actors like Diana Scarwid, Joe Morton, and James Remar pass in front of the camera once in a while, occasionally even stopping to utter a line of dialogue, but this movie is mostly Pfeiffer with occasional doses of Ford.
Somewhere, deep inside, I want to believe that What Lies Beneath is Zemeckis' version of Scary Movie - a sly parody that exposes poor story development and cliches by embracing them. However, the film does not have the tone of a satire, nor is there any evidence that the filmmakers expected us to take things in any way but seriously. So, in the absence of further evidence, I am forced to conclude that this motion picture is exactly what it seems to be: a contender for a coveted spot on the year-end Worst 10 List. Most people enjoy a good scare; unfortunately, the only thing frightening about What Lies Beneath is that, given the opportunity to spin a ghost story, this is the best that the combined talents of Zemeckis, Ford, and Pfeiffer could conjure up.
© 2000 James Berardinelli