"Chloe" is a film that is well-crafted in many ways, yet still manages to be ridiculous and predictable in the end. A physician wife believes her college professor husband is cheating on her with young co-eds. So, she naturally hires a hooker (Chloe) to entrap her husband. Chloe comes forth with all sorts of details of "interactions" with the woman's husband, so much so that the woman herself is turned on by the descriptions. She, ironically, then jumps into bed with Chloe. The acting in this film is actually very good overall, despite the weak dialogue they have to work with here. There are, however, so many silly components to the movie that it is hard not to laugh. For instance, Chloe describes a romantic picnic in the park that was supposedly held with the physician's husband; yet, the entire films takes place in the middle of the freaking' winter with snow and slush all over the ground! Also, when the woman's affair with Chloe is revealed to her husband, he acts like she just told them the cable TV is out or something--no big deal. Let's not forget that the physician believes this hooker is completely credible with her stories with not the slightest hint of evidence that they are actually true. Perhaps we're supposed to believe the physician wants the stories to be true. Finally, the wrap-up of the movie depends upon what has to be the flimsiest window ever constructed. If you're in the mood for the erotic thriller genre, this one is okay, but be prepared for a film that doesn't entirely add up.

There was something about the way this film began, husband missing flight home for admittedly 'surprise' birthday party because he is having a drink with one of his students. Something clunky and seemingly predictable about the whole proceeding and then a prostitute is hired to see if husband would seduce her. Can it get more daft? Well, it can and it does, even if some twists change things up a bit. Julianne Moore can act but I've never been a fan and here at 49 it is simply unfair to have her compared to the young (and lovely) Amanda Seyfried all the time. Liam Neeson does no more than he usual seems to to make things realistic and believable and the 'mixed up son' (director Egoyan's alter ego, I suspect) is just too young and too inexperienced for such a difficult and underwritten role. The fairly explicit and frequent sex scenes are OK but the trouble is we are almost wishing not to see them, so unlikely and unbelievable are they.

Catherine suspects her husband David may be cheating on her, so she hires a prostitute named Chloe to flirt with him and report back to her about how he responds. Her plan to tempt her husband backfires (no kidding- on what planet does this seem like a good idea) putting their entire family in danger.As far as sexual thrillers go this was okay. I guess I expected it to be better with Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson attached but it just never really gets going. In fact once the thriller element kicks in which is when this should have moved into high gear it fails almost completely, heading into dry, weird, almost B-movie territory. On the plus side the sexual mystery and tension are captivating, I mean I wanted to see how this was going to play out even if my mind did wander occasionally. There are dark psychological twists, manipulation and its scary in a 'Fatal Attraction' sort of way. Liam Neeson takes almost a secondary role here as this is more about the women. Julianne Moore is as always excellent and Amanda Seyfried in one of her breakout roles is scene stealing in her influence and deception. Erotic I guess, but forgettable and the ending... quick and tidy. Filmed in (and actually takes place) in Toronto. 12/29/15

We all have those actors we never really manage to click with, whom most likely have some kind of obvious promise and talent but just don't sit well with us and mine has always been Seyfried. I just don't like her, I think she's overrated. Chloe however is underrated as I hadn't ever heard the name of the film before, even though the actors involved such as Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore are household names. It wouldn't appeal to everyone, the film isn't funny, scary, thrilling or anything as such but its an intricate character piece and is more or less fascinating to experience. Think Fatal Attraction meets Roman Polanski's Carnage. There's a heavy amount of character development throughout which always prompts perspective of a benevolent director, he knows what the audience wants and promises something we only receive ten minutes before the end. Unfortunately for Egoyan's audience, it's slightly anti- climactic and we're left with plenty of unanswered questions. The acting is fantastic, really. Even from Amanda Seyfried who I've already mentioned as usually managing to turn me off from a film, but even her I found to be effortless and cool in the delivery of the title character. The chemistry between Moore, Neeson and Seyfried is taut, real and memorably erotic. Unfortunately overall, I wouldn't clamber to watch it again but I did find it enjoyable and stimulating for the duration. Recommended. 6/10