Don't listen to the negative reviews

A Disappointing Continuation

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Blistering performances.

Television director Steve Shill's "Obsessed" desperately wants to be another "Fatal Attraction," but it falls far short of its goal. The naughty girl isn't as devious as Glenn Close was in "Fatal Attraction." Sadly, this chick flick is too shallow and too predictable, and truth be told Beyoncé doesn't have a good part. Idris Elba is Derek the husband, and Beyoncé Knowles is Sharon the wife who once worked in his office as a temp before they exchanged wedding vows. Happily married now, they have an infant son to spoil. They have just moved into a sumptuous house. Ali Larter of the "Resident Evil" franchise is Lisa the incandescent blond who comes between them in this low-grade thriller. Beyoncé spends most of her time at home, while Ali spends most of her time at the office. She imagines that Derek wants to have an affair. You can tell that the guys in the office look the other way when their comrades want some fun. At the company party, Derek heads to the men's room. Imagine his surprise when Lisa marches boldly in to grope him. Derek and she wind up in a toilet stall, while another man employee smirks at their silent shenanigans in that stall. Predictably, Derek is shocked and about to inform Sharon about this terrible dame. As he is about to do this, he hears her relay a story about another 'off limits' office romance. Derek has told Lisa in no uncertain terms that he doesn't want her. Nevertheless, this doesn't keep her from hopping into his car uninvited in a long coat and them flashing her bikini clad body. In a really earthy seduction saga, the sexpot would probably expose her private parts. Eventually, Lisa gets the message and decides it is time to quit the company. Naturally, Derek is relieved. Unfortunately, he hasn't seen the last of Lisa. She shows up at the motel where his office is holding meetings. Initially, she slips knockout drops into his beverage and shares his bed for the evening. Later, she slips back into his room and takes just every sleeping pills not to kill herself. The fourth major character enters the action. Detective Reese (Christine Lahti of "Leaving Normal") isn't sure what is going on in this weird case. When Sharon cannot reach Derek at his conference, she calls Derek's co-worker Ben (Jerry O'Connell of "Tomcats") and he spills the beans. Derek is not prepared to see Sharon. When Sharon learns about Lisa's predicament from Detective Reese, everything turns upside-down for Derek. In the drop of a hat, Sharon suspects Derek of infidelity and boots him out of their house. Presumably, Derek and Sharon were on uncertain footing with each other for Sharon to suspect her husband. Lisa recovers and strikes, and Sharon warns her that she doesn't play. These two ladies tangle at Sharon's house when she forgets to set the house alarm and returns to find Lisa wearing a number 14 jersey and waiting in bed for Derek. The shrewdest thing that Shill and scenarist David Loughery do is foreshadow the outcome of this confrontation in the attic. Early on in the first few minutes of "Obsessed," Derek and Sharon explored the attic, and Derek kept her from falling through the ceiling. The catfight between Sharon and Lisa is fast and furious. Clearly, you know who wins. The problem with "Obsessed" is the husband didn't incriminate himself adequately and Detective Reese seems to believe that Derek was stepping out. The character of Derek behaves like a man in a sex comedy who is afraid of the consequences if his life finds out about his affairs. The Beyoncé is too ready to believe that her husband hasn't been faithful. "Obsessed" concerns about five to seven characters so nothing really gets out of hand. "Obsessed" provides some minor thrills but it isn't memorable.

This isn't really a review, but I just happened to be looking through Beyonce's acting credits and one thing jumped out to me. Unless I missed something in her list of acting credits this is the last major motion picture she acted in and has now moved exclusively to music. Everything she has done since this movie have been music videos and what not. There's a reason for that. Watch this movie and you will know why this was the last movie she acted in and probably ever will be in. God, her acting is horrible. She's a great singer. "B" stick to singing. You are good at it. Acting.....not so much!!!

I was first attracted to this film by the members of the cast, then I read more about this film, I knew it had low reviews by the critics, but I was still willing to give it a chance and see why it was apparently bad. Basically Derek Charles (Idris Elba) is a successful asset manager for a private finance company, he is happily married to beautiful wife Sharon (Razzie nominated Beyoncé Knowles, also producing) and they have a baby son. While Derek is at work, he meets temporary worked Lisa Sheridan (Razzie nominated Ali Larter), she believes Derek was flirting with her and attempts to seduce her, he repeatedly rejects her, but Lisa continues to pursue him, including making a sexual advance at the Christmas party and flashing him in his car. Derek intends to report Lisa to human resource management, but he finds out she has already quit, thinking she has given up he is shocked to receive flirtatious emails. Derek and his workmates attend a conference at a resort, he spots and confronts Lisa, he has no idea that she has spiked his drink, incapacitated and helpless he returns to his hotel room, Lisa has followed him and rapes him. Derek confronts Lisa again the next day and persists that there is nothing between them, hours later he is shocked to discover her naked in his bed and has attempted suicide overdosing on drugs, he calls emergency services and she recovers in hospital. Sharon finds Derek at the hospital after repeatedly trying to call him, Detective Monica Reese (Christine Lahti) in front of Derek and Sharon says that Lisa is claiming they had an affair, but she is sceptical of Lisa's claims, due to inconsistencies, she believes Derek, but Sharon refuses to believe Derek and throws him out. Months later Derek and Sharon meet for dinner, for his birthday, they begin to reconcile, meanwhile Lisa tricks babysitter Samantha (Scout Taylor-Compton) into letting her into the house as a friend of Sharon's, returning home Derek and Sharon are shocked that Lisa has seemingly abducted their son Kyle (twins Nathan and Nicolas Myers), but Derek finds him in the backseat of his car. Kyle is checked over at hospital and has not been harmed, but returning home Derek and Sharon find Lisa has trashed their bedroom and removed Sharon's face from a family portrait, Sharon calls Lisa and leaves a threatening voice message , and for extra protection they set up a home alarm system. Lisa learns from a work colleague that Derek and Sharon will be going away for a few days, Sharon leaves the house and forgets to activate the alarm, so Lisa breaks in and decorates the bedroom with rose petals, returning home to set the alarm Sharon hears Lisa. Sharon confronts Lisa, who claims that Derek and her were seeing each other, the two women get into a rough fistfight, Derek calls and Lisa answers, he calls Detective Reese and they head to the house. Lisa and Sharon end up in the weak spot of the attic floor, Lisa falls through, Sharon tries to help her, but Lisa tries to pull her down with her, after a squabble Lisa finally falls onto the glass table below, and the chandelier falls from the ceiling and kills Lisa. Detective Reese arrives as Sharon is walking out of the house, she goes in to investigate, and Derek arrives and the married couple tearfully embrace each other. Also starring Jerry O'Connell as Ben and Bruce McGill as Joe Gage. Elba (after The Wire and before Luther) gives a wet performance as the man tortured by the obsessed woman, Knowles is only on screen for the obvious bits and tries and fails with her feisty attitude, and Larter is unfortunately laughable as the deluded stalker bitch who will not give up getting the married man. I can definitely see the comparison to Fatal Attraction, same sort of plot, but it is chockablock with clichés, the white blonde woman pursuing the African-American married man is different, but the acting and script is like something out of a bad soap opera, and it just feels hysterical and ludicrous, it is a terrible psychological thriller. Pretty poor!

Attractive and successful financial adviser Idris Elba (as Derek Charles) becomes acquainted with leggy blonde "temp" Ali Larter (as Lisa), when several office secretaries take time off. Frequently flashing her legs, Ms. Larter is efficient at work and makes it known she's available for sex with Mr. Elba. Happily married to beautiful red-haired Beyoncé (as Sharon Sheridan), Elba declines. Larter doesn't take "no" for an answer and tries to seduce Elba, repeatedly. She pleads for fellatio then jumps in his car to show off her underwear. Elba tells Beyoncé, "I would never cheat on you," but can't convince her the naked blonde in his bed wasn't welcome..."Obsessed" is a predictable, sub-par "Fatal Attraction". Elba is able to get in some fairly good acting, though his leading ladies are less lucky. Larter could have been helped by some back-story involving her sketchy character; that she has a sister adds no understanding. Mostly known for her recording career, Beyoncé simply hits the high notes. Capable and recognizable players Christine Lahti (as Monica Reese) and Jerry O'Connell (as Ben) have little to do, but they do it well. After some slow-going and implausible communication, director Steve Shill tries to liven things up and leave viewers swinging on the chandelier, so to speak. That works.****** Obsessed (4/23/09) Steve Shill ~ Idris Elba, Beyoncé, Ali Larter, Christine Lahti