Rubdown (film) explained

Director:Stuart Cooper
Country:United States
Language:English
Network:USA Network

Rubdown is a 1993 Beverly Hills-set television thriller film directed by Stuart Cooper and starring Michelle Phillips, Jack Coleman, William Devane, and Catherine Oxenberg.[1]

Cast

Plot

When a businessman is found dead with a bullet in his head and his wife vanishes, the masseur she was having an affair with becomes a murder suspect. The masseur is former baseball player Marion Pooley (Jack Coleman), who was offered $50,000 by the dead businessman, to sleep with the woman who has disappeared.[2]

Release

The film premiered on the USA Network on September 15, 1993.[1]

Critical response

Denise McIver of Variety panned the film, writing: "The most disturbing thing about this two-hour cable telefilm is its cynicism and the fact that none of the characters seemed redeemed, or at least changed, by their experiences. This is not to say it won’t hold one’s interest, if only for the scenario, which delivers lots of bare backs, naked legs and superficially steamy sex scenes."[1] Glenn Kenny alternately praised the film, writing: "Despite Rubdowns multiple improbabilities, this story of murder and faked identities is surprisingly absorbing, mostly due to its sassy dialogue."[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Variety. Review: 'USA World Premiere Movie Rubdown'. McIver, Denise I.. September 15, 1993. https://web.archive.org/web/20170320190841/http://variety.com/1993/tv/reviews/usa-world-premiere-movie-rubdown-1200433347/. March 20, 2017. live.
  2. [Gibraltar Chronicle]
  3. Entertainment Weekly. Kenny. Glenn. Rubdown. January 28, 1994. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190512222541/https://ew.com/article/1994/01/28/rubdown/. May 12, 2019.