“The Business of Strangers ” (2001)
Film Review by Julia Dudnik-Stern

When an entire film hinges on character work, it is near-impossible to pull it off with two actors, especially when one of them is a relative newcomer. Yet “The Business of Strangers” is the business. In spades.

To dispense with the obvious: Yes, there are some flaws, like a relatively small budget and all that it can mean. Given that this is an indie feature, I am in a forgiving mood. It’s also certain that many a man would label this one a chick flick, but “Thelma & Louise” (1991) this is not. It’s is a story of two polar opposites, who happen to be women, passing through each other’s lives during one long day. In this particular aspect, “The Business of Strangers” reminds me of “Scent of a Woman” (1992), where the two main characters are forever impacted by spending a weekend together. On the other hand, the seemingly dominant sub-plot of “The Business of Strangers” does validate a theory of this movie being an answer to — or a gender-reversed take on — another independent feature, Neil LaBute’s critically acclaimed “In the Company of Men” (1997), where two guys decide to play a cruel joke on a vulnerable woman. Even the amount of parallels drawn so far indicates that “The Business of Strangers” isn’t as linear as it may appear at first glance.

Julie Styron (Stockard Channing) is a high-powered executive who has made many a sacrifice to attain her professional status. She gets off a plane to make a business presentation, interrupted by a mobile phone call on her way there. Her boss is flying in to see her on an “urgent matter,” which instantly sends Julie into “worst case scenario” mode — she thinks she’s about to get the ax. By the time she gets to her meeting, she is so irate that she takes it out on her entry-level underling Paula (Julia Stiles) who arrives late with much-needed meeting materials. When Julie finally returns to her hotel for much needed R&R before her morning flight back, she bumps into Paula in the lobby bar and attempts to make up for her abrupt behavior by offering to buy Paula a drink.

As one would expect, the two women begin a conversation which moves from the bar to Julie’s room, the hotel spa and gym, and back to the bar over the span of the following hours. Enter Nick (Fred Weller), a headhunter Julie thought she would be needing, and casual chatter gives way to more serious — and dangerous — matters. When Julie and Paula are left alone again, Paula confesses to having been raped by Nick. The two women, having forged a bond, embark on avenging Paula’s honor, but it quickly becomes obvious that their individual motives vary as greatly as their ages.

With film credits dating back to 1969, many remember Stockard Channing (below left) for her portrayal of Betty Rizzo in the cult classic “Grease” (1978). Channing’s most critically acclaimed role to date is the high-society dame Ouisa in the absolutely remarkable “Six Degrees of Separation” (1993), for which the actress received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations (Actress in a Leading Role). Channing’s current television work is meeting with phenomenal success: She has been honored with Emmy Awards for The West Wing (1999, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series) and “The Matthew Shepard Story” (2002, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie). She continues to appear in big-screen productions as well, and the host of awards and nominations she’s gathered over the years is a testament to exactly how incredibly talented and unusual (read “not mainstream”) Channing is.

Despite her still-budding career status, Julia Stiles (above right) has already amassed an impressive list of credits, along with a few awards and nominations. She is definitely not just another pretty face: While varied, Stiles’s credits naturally lead to the “serious actress” conclusion supported by several Shakespearean roles (“10 Things I Hate About You,” “Hamlet,” and “O;” 1999, 2000, 2001). With plenty of teen film lead roles under her belt, Stiles has not been typecast like many other young actors and is moving nicely toward bigger features, with a competent supporting performance in “The Bourne Identity” (2002) and the lead in the romantic comedy “A Guy Thing” (2003).

This isn’t an action movie, so very little actually happens. The real beauty is in the script, as the sharply written dialogue is the glue that holds this film together. Everything is set in basically one location; the cinematography is simplistic, resulting in a realistic, almost documentary feel which naturally focuses the viewer on the plot: The two women as individuals and as a unit.

There is Julie — successful and financially well off, and, at the same time, menopausal, lonely, with an open phone line to a therapist. Her unfulfilled maternal instincts kick into high gear at the very thought of a young, vulnerable woman being abused in the most despicable fashion. Then, there is Paula — a sharp-tongued aspiring non-fiction writer whose mental state seems to fluctuate between disaffected calm, impetuous euphoria, all-consuming anger, calculated manipulation, and criminal scheming. As the two women plot revenge against Nick the rapist, Paula’s motives remain a mystery to both the audience and her unlikely co-conspirator. Julie, on the other hand, goes through her own spectrum of emotions, suspicions, and realizations. As she gets closer to Paula and the moment of truth, she begins to question exactly how far she is willing to go to avenge the rape.

To my great pleasure, the ending of the film does not bring the entire thing to a nicely packaged conclusion. Instead, you get to figure it out on your own. “The Business of Strangers” is most certainly a social statement, but don’t go conjuring up feminist notions. Yes, this is a commentary on the female condition in today’s society; however, the film goes far beyond dividing the audience along gender lines. It’s also an examination of good and evil, of how far people are willing to go for sheer entertainment, and of the inherent cruelty that lies deep within us all but is acted upon by only a few. Let’s hope that this feature debut of the incredibly talented writer/director Patrick Stettner will not be followed by the typical Hollywood sellout phase.

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