Review of Dying Young / Sleeping With The Enemy

Introduction

Dying Young

Or in this case `Dyeing Young` as Julia Roberts appears with very red hair to fit with the theme of obsessive love and painter`s models. Or not.

Julia plays Hillary O`Neills, a girl who having just emerged from an unsuccessful relationship returns home and looks for a job. Apparently this is what modern women do. Finding a small ad that requires a housekeeper with some nursing skill she dons her shortest skirt, massages her CV and get the job from a young man who is being treated for leukaemia.

Of course it`s not just about nursing him but about learning to live life to the full. Escaping from the treatment he takes her to an enchanted cottage on the coast but reality catches up with them.

Video

Colourwise the film suffers from a poor transfer. The exteriors are overly bright and the interiors dingy.

Audio

The sound seemed uneven I was occasionally glad of the subtitles due to the whispered exchanges between our couple.

The music is pretty standard Saturday afternoon matinee stuff.

Features

Once again a trailer that spoils the whole film if you watch it first. Unless you`ve seen it before of course.

Conclusion

There are two discs in this set and I`ve only seen Dying Young. Put together I can imagine a really gloomy night`s viewing. I managed to avoid both of these at the cinema and happily only one was sent for review.

Although on the plus side it doesn`t trivialise the pain and suffering associated with leukaemia it doesn`t do enough to draw the viewer in. Films that deal with pain and illness have to be pretty special because too many people know the reality. Julia Roberts re-playing her Pretty Woman for this film just doesn`t ring true. Dying man wants to spend his time with a nice bit of skirt. OK, yes, but he wants to educate her as well? Come in Eliza Doolittle. It shoots off in all directions and doesn`t settle to anything. I just didn`t buy the package and I`ll cry at the drop of a hat. For a weepie it just did not make me weep. On the plus side I did learn that putting mayonnaise on your hair makes it shine…

The DVD is another budget back catalogue affair with no additional content and an average looking transfer. For those who favour completeness in their Julia Roberts collection.