HEXED (director/writer: Alan Spencer; cinematographer: James Chressanthis; editor: Debra McDermott; music: Lance Rubin; cast: Arye Gross (Matthew), Claudia Christian (Hexina), Adrienne Shelly (Gloria O’Connor), Ray Baker (Victor Thummell), R. Lee Ermey (Det. Ferguson), Norman Fell (Herschel Levine), Michael Knight (Simon Littlefield); Runtime: 90; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Marc S. FischerLouis G. Friedman; Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; 1993)
“The uneven pic is bogged down with too many tasteless gags.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A hit and miss black comedy on sex and violence, helmed and written in his directorial debut by TV director Alan Spencer. It plays out as a second-rate parody of “Basic Instinct” and “Fatal Attraction.”
Matthew (Arye Gross) is a compulsive liar and a hotel desk clerk. He lives a dull life, and finds excitement through his daydreams.
Hexina (Claudia Christian) is a famous sexy French model who is being blackmailed by a mystery person overa mass arson murder committed in her youth. With a makeover from that time, she is no longer fat or ugly or recognizable from her youth. When Matthew is in bed with Hexina, she inexplicably tries killing him. It turns out she believes he might be the blackmailer.
The uneven pic is bogged down with too many tasteless gags. There are ill-advised jokes about a Rodney King-like beating, Jews, priests, blacks, and alcoholics.
The comically talented Adrienne Shelly, from Hal Hartley films, has a minor part and all but disappears in the film.
REVIEWED ON 10/6/2015 GRADE: C
Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”
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