Domestic Disturbance (2001)

Directed by Harold Becker. Starring John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Teri Polo, Steve Buscemi, Matt O’Leary, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Angelica Torn. [PG-13]

Divorced dad Travolta is surprisingly easygoing about his ex-wife (Polo) remarrying younger and wealthier Vaughn, but he changes his tune quick when his son (O’Leary) witnesses Vaughn murder a criminal accomplice (no one else believes the kid, though—it’s that kind of movie). Marginally interesting at the outset, with Vaughn nicely underplaying the creep factor, only letting it rise to the surface during scenes like a tense game of catch with his stepson. But once the kid and birth pops catch on, it goes from routine to silly to just plain stupid, and poorly-directed to boot (Becker’s career can pretty much be graded on a straight curve down from the late-80s to this point, and he hasn’t directed another feature film since). A rare example of a bad movie that might have improved if it was longer; if there were fewer plot holes, and more time for suspense to build, complications to arise, characters to flesh out, it might have been watchable. Also a rare example of a movie where a miscarriage seems to almost be shrugged off…or else the actors were too bored to try and look upset (it would be hard to blame them). Film shows clear signs of being edited down for that coveted PG-13 rating, which is really just another warning to skip it.

37/100