Stockard Channing turns in a nuanced performance as Julie, a simmering corporate drone who has sacrificed family life for power and control. At an out-of-town business presentation, her assistant Paula (Julia Stiles) arrives forty-five minutes late, and, in a fit of rage, Julie fires her on the spot. That afternoon, the CEO of Julie's company informs her that she's been promoted--she'll be taking his position. In the mood to celebrate, Julie heads to the hotel bar where, to her surprise, she encounters Paula. Julie wants to make amends; Paula is cool but willing. The two hit it off and spend the rest of the evening palling around the hotel. When Julie's headhunter Nick (Frederick Weller) shows up unexpectedly, things get interesting. Paula tells Julie that he raped her friend in Boston and so the two plot revenge to teach him a lesson. The rest is a study in debauchery that leaves Julie unsure of herself. Stiles and Channing play smoothly off each other, slowly tightening the screws to win control. The outward coolness of the characters is reflected in the even tracking shots, but the tension between them is reflected in the mise-en-scene, becoming more cramped and claustrophobic as the picture unfolds.

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Full Frame - 1.33
Letterbox - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English

Stockard Channing: American actress, GREASE
Julia Stiles: 
Frederick Weller: Actor, BASQUIAT (1996)

Patrick Stettner: Director, THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS (2001)

Susan A. Stover: Producer
Robert Nathan: Screenwriter\"The Clock"

Patrick Stettner: Director, THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS (2001)

Alexander Lasarenko: Composer, DINNER RUSH (2000)

"...Sporting snappy, rhythmic dialogue that recalls David Mamet, and matching it with seductively chilly visuals....Stettner turns up the heat by making the action ice cold..."
"...Ms. Stiles brings a focused intelligence and vocal command to her portrayal....The film's performances are matched in power by its surreal, hellish vision of corporate life as in impersonal killing field..."
"...The movie works and Channing and Stiles zero in on each other like heat-seeking missiles..."
"...The characters are well-drawn at the outset....[Channing and Stiles] give finely nuanced performances..."
"...A maliciously funny and keenly observant movie....Channing and Stiles are live wires..."
"...It's a pitch-perfect portrait of life on the fringes of white-collar America, with dialogue that's attuned to the rhythms of modern-day business speak..."