Obsessed

Ring the alarm because Beyonce is on a rampage. All you single ladies watch out; if you mess with Beyonce’s man, she’s coming after you. Not only can this diva belt out a beautiful ballad and dance up a storm, she can put up a damn good fight. She’s losing the halo and becoming a naughty girl, because someone is obsessed with her man and she’s not going to take it. Derek Charles (Idris Elba) has the perfect life. He’s a successful asset manager, lives in a beautiful home with his wife Sharon (Beyonce Knowles) and their adorable son Kyle, and is downright gorgeous. The opening of Obsessed may shove Derek’s idyllic existence in your face, but Steve Shill doesn’t let him enjoy his good fortune for long. Just a few minutes into the film Derek meets Lisa Sheridan (Ali Larter), a new temporary worker at his office. The sexual tensions flare up immediately, and before Derek can realize how serious the situation is, Lisa has rearranged her schedule with the other temps and winds up with one that coincides with his.

Lisa takes advantage of the company’s no-wife policy at the annual Christmas party and makes an unusual and fairly uncomfortable play for Derek in the men’s bathroom. Derek may be built like an ox, but apparently a few cocktails throw him off his game, and he’s taken aback by the situation she puts him in. It doesn’t take long for Lisa to strike again. Either Ali Later is trying to assuage her desire to wear a costume on Heroes or always wanted to be a flasher because she pops up in Derek’s car wearing a trench coat over some sort of lingerie in a pathetic attempt to seduce him. If there’s a Seduce Your Boss for Dummies, Lisa has it. It’s pretty clear that Lisa is insane, but it isn’t until Derek e-mails Lisa telling her to leave him alone and she replies with a smiley face that I lose all restraint and laugh louder than I did during The Hangover.

Derek has no problem brushing these problems under the rug until Lisa follows him on a business retreat, determined to pull him in once and for all. Things spin out of control, but if you can hold on long enough you can witness the coveted catfight. Who cares if this film lacks any character development and you’ve rolled your eyes so many times you’re dizzy; this fight is intense. The apex scene may be just as contrived as the rest of the film, but at least it’s exciting and finally has you rooting for Sharon.

Every film doesn’t have to be completely original. From a business standpoint, Hollywood thrives on recycling plots and scenarios. Apparently someone forgot to tell David Loughery that if you’re going to reuse material, you have to give it a hint of originality in order to make it mentally stimulating. Yes, you’re supposed to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show, but a film should at least require your brain to be alert; otherwise everyone would just sleep through the film. Idris Elba grimaces, Ali Larter is seductive, and Beyonce says things like, “You better do something about this woman, or I will.” Hopefully that’s enough for you, because if you buy this DVD, that’s all you’re getting. “Playing Together Nicely” is the classic making-of featurette. It kicks off with the pre-production stages and emphasizes that those involved were aware of the fact that keeping the audience on the edge of their seats was necessary. Sadly, the featurette doesn’t reveal when the concept of novelty was lost in the shuffle. The highlights of the material are the portions that involve the cast. When you put Beyonce’s name in the credits, you better milk it for all its worth. After watching this movie you’ll probably be wondering why Beyonce would follow up Dreamgirls and Cadillac Records with such unintelligent material, and this featurette gives her the opportunity to do so. You don’t have to worry about what Idris has to contribute to the video, because you’ll be so infatuated with his accent you won’t hear anything anyway. Ali Larter hits the nail on the head in one of her interviews; Obsessed is simply “an amazing ride.” While that doesn’t make it a good movie, it makes me have much more respect for Larter, considering she is the only one working on the project that isn’t searching for some deep meaning in a seemingly meaningless film.

“Girl Fight” is the equivalent of telling a child there is no Santa Claus, but worse. Beyonce and Larter don’t do their own stunts! This featurette details the process of creating the fight scene, showing lots of blond locks and curly red hair flapping around, but not on the heads of the two ladies you’d expect. At one point, the stunt coordinator even mentions that the majority of the final product is actress vs. stunt double. I guess we have to accept that these ladies can’t do all of the work themselves, but what makes the whole idea of the stunt double especially disconcerting is seeing them in the same shot as the actress they’re stepping in for. If you really want to see the details of this high-heeled, hair-pulling battle, you’ll love “Girl Fight,” but it does kill some of the illusion.

“Obsessed: Dressed to Kill” is exactly what it sounds like: a featurette about what the actors are wearing. Even if you don’t have an appreciation for fashion, it is fascinating to see how much thought goes into choosing clothing for just one scene. It’s unfortunate that so many minor yet outstanding details go unnoticed to the average moviegoer.

Nothing makes me happier than clicking on the “Preview” element of a DVD to find each preview individually clickable. It’s not like I’m seeing Obsessed in the theaters and have to sit through all of the previews in order to make it to the film; I could easily press the skip button or just not get to the preview point of the menu at all. Kudos to Sony Pictures for letting me watch the previews at my own convenience. It’s really a win-win situation, because now Sony can include as many previews as they want. There’s Armored, The Stepfather, Not Easily Broken, Nora Roberts: Four Must See Films, Sugar, Paris 36, Every Little Step, Impact, Cadillac Records, Lakeview Terrace, Termination Point, The Pursuit of Happyness, Stomp the Yard, First Sunday, Prom Night, and Seven Pounds. Also thrown into the preview mix is a quick montage promoting Blu-ray high-def. It’s no dealmaker, but definitely a good step to getting more people to make the transition.