''Seducing Charlie Barker'' is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Amy Glazer, starring

Daphne Zuniga Daphne Eurydice Zuniga (; born October 28, 1962) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1982 slasher film ''The Dorm That Dripped Blood'' (1982) at the age of 19, followed by a lead role in another slasher film '' The Initiation' ...

Stephen Barker Turner Stephen Barker Turner (born June 27, 1968) is an American stage, television, and film actor. Career Turner was born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 27, 1968. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Juilliard School. Career After sta ...

, Heather Gordon and

David Wilson Barnes David Wilson Barnes (born October 30, 1972) is an American actor. He has appeared in '' Capote'' (2005), '' The Company Men'' (2010), '' The Bourne Legacy'' (2012) and '' Bridge of Spies'' (2015). Barnes was born in San Diego, California. His ...

. It is an adaptation of writer

Theresa Rebeck Theresa Rebeck (born February 19, 1958) is an American playwright, television writer, and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America's E ...

's play '' The Scene''.

Cast

as Stella *

as Charlie * Heather Gordon as Clea *

as Lewis * Steve Cell as Nick *

Pamela Gaye Walker {{Infobox person , name = Pamela Gaye Walker , image = Pamela_Gaye_Walker.JPG , alt = , caption = Walker in 2015 , birth_name = Pamela Gaye , birth_date = , birth_place = South Bend, Indiana , na ...

as Fiona * Liam Vincent as Lou

Reception

Dennis Harvey of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that Rebeck "excels" at character writing and dynamics while the performances "grasp their meaty opportunities with disciplined relish."

Frank Scheck Frank Scheck is an American film critic. He is best known for his reviews in the ''New York Post'' and ''The Hollywood Reporter''. He formerly edited ''STAGES Magazine'' and worked as a theater critic for the ''Christian Science Monitor Ch ...

of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' wrote that while the "storyline is hardly original", it "does provide the opportunity for Rebeck to unleash wickedly scathing observations about the sort of self-obsessed show business types who pursue their own interests no matter who it hurts". He also praised the performances, writing that Zuniga "provides just the right grace notes as the aggrieved wife", Turner "convincingly embodies Charlie’s sweaty desperation", and Gordon "displays such sexual abandon that there won’t be a male in the audience who won’t identify with her hapless victim." Jeannette Catsoulis of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that while Gordon "runs her mouth and works her curves like a champ — and ingeniously redirects our sympathies during a climactic bedroom confrontation", her performance is "almost too brittle", and "words bounce off her without making a dent", leaving the film "with little to do but hover anxiously over a marriage we don’t care about and a talent we are never persuaded exists."

References

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, seducing_charlie_barker, Seducing Charlie Barker American comedy films 2010 comedy films