I finally saw the movie after hearing about it a long time ago! It was on TV, IFC. I think James Spader is a magnificent actor--still is on Boston Legal. I didn't "understand" the movie right after I saw it. It had to sink in first. I think the key is the title...it's about sex AND lies and the videotape of course. But the most important part is observing these four people and determining for yourself which are lies and which are not lies. I thought at first maybe Graham was in love with John in college and that's why he came there to haunt him. But NO that's not it. Near the end, Graham tells Annie that he is a pathological liar. I was married to a pathological liar and one of his kids is also one. They just lie to lie, even when the truth is no trouble at all. They would rather lie. (The make good compulsive gamblers, too.) And is Graham's statement (being pathological liar) also a lie, too? What else was a lie? I think (and I may be wrong or may change my mind) that Graham knew that John had had sex back in the old days with Elizabeth and he came to town to get revenge on John -- because John was basically a "successful" lawyer, and also a liar and a cheater...etc. He came to expose him for being the cad he knew John was underneath his proper lifestyle. So Graham came back to muck up John's life and he also came to have sex with John's wife. I think the impotence was a lie, and he set it up to get Annie to willingly offer to have sex with him. I think he achieved his goal. I don't think he was planning to get romantically involved and stay in town after the end of the movie. He was vindicated, maybe at his own cost. But he brought everybody down, didn't he? The characters hurt each other/helped each other and basically changed their lives by bouncing off of each other. AND, did you see in the bar when Annie came to give her sister Charlotte a birthday gift (after she was divorced from John at the end?) She was wearing the pearl earring of Charlotte's that she found in the bedroom. Perhaps to remind her not to fall for lies anymore from anyone in the future? Did you notice the pay of black and white in the houses, walls and clothes of everyone and also addition of reds and pinks? This was an important part of the movie. AND my gosh, was James Spader good-looking and sexy back then? Yum. He's so great in Boston Legal.
Review of Sex, Lies, and Videotape
