Fatal Attraction

This article is about the 1987 film. For other uses, see Fatal Attraction (disambiguation).
Fatal Attraction
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAdrian Lyne
Screenplay byJames Dearden
Based onDiversion
by James Dearden
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHoward Atherton
Edited by
Music byMaurice Jarre
Production
company
Jaffe/Lansing Productions
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • September 18, 1987 (1987-09-18) (United States)
Running time
119 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$14 million[1]
Box office$320.1 million[2]

Fatal Attraction is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film Diversion. Starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer, the film follows Dan Gallagher (Douglas), an attorney who cheats on his wife Beth (Archer) with editor Alex Forrest (Close) following a chance encounter at a work function. When Dan decides to end the affair, Alex grows increasingly unstable and begins stalking him and his family.

Fatal Attraction was theatrically released in the United States on September 18, 1987, and emerged as a major commercial success at the box office, grossing $320 million against its $14 million production budget, becoming the second highest-grossing film of the year in the United States. The film received widespread acclaim, with particular praise for Lyne's direction, Dearden's screenplay, the editing, and the performances of the cast.

It received six nominations at the 60th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Lyne, Best Actress for Close, and Best Supporting Actress for Archer. Considered a pop culture phenomenon in the years since its release, the film is also credited for setting off the erotic thriller boom of the late 1980s to the mid 1990s.[3]

  1. ^ Thompson, Simon (April 16, 2020). "Director Adrian Lyne Talks Revisiting 'Fatal Attraction' And 'Flashdance'". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  2. ^ "Fatal Attraction". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  3. ^ Yahr, Emily (May 25, 2023). "The cultural phenomenon that is 'Fatal Attraction' will never die". The Washington Post.