THE CRUSH
US, 1993, 89 minutes. Colour.
Cary Elwes, Alicia Silverstone, Jennifer Rubin, Kurtwood Smith.
Directed by Alan Shapiro.
The Crush is a 1990s teenage version of Fatal Attraction.
Cary Elwes portrays a writer who boards with a family and encounters their fourteen-year-old daughter, played by Alicia Silverstone. She is something of a Lolita and is mentally unbalanced. She develops a crush on the writer, taunts him, acts seductively, sabotages his work, alters a story that he wrote and wins some acclaim. When he rejects her advances, she accuses him of sexual attack. He spends a lot of his time trying to clear his name.
The film opens as drama and ends with melodrama.
It was popular in its time – something of a cult following for this kind of film. Cary Elwes, British, has had a long career in the United States (especially in Saw). Alicia Silverstone was soon to appear in Clueless and to have a strong career as well.
1. A thriller? Drama?
2. The city, the homes, the woods? Realistic setting? The musical score?
3. The title, the focus on Darian and her behaviour? Nick’s response?
4. Nick, his character, driving, the search? Darian and the hit? Her parents, the guesthouse, Amy, Michael, the job?
5. Nick and his work, writing, researching? Darian and her improving his story, the reward? Darian and her attack, erasing Nick’s work? Amy and her spying, the photo? Credible behaviour?
6. Darian, her character, provocative, her age? The visit, photo, the lighthouse kiss, the piano? The phone calls, Amy, the closet and the book, her lies? Her talking, sunbaking, Cheyenne? Amy and the antagonism, the scene with the wasps? Darian and her erasing Nick’s work, the ninety-eight calls? How credible this kind of Lolita behaviour? Her being obtuse? The horses, creating the scene, the assault, her lies? The build-up to the final attack? The asylum and her letters? The new crush? The blend of realism and melodrama in her character and behaviour?
7. Nick and his type, his work, his response to Darian, encouragement? The kiss, his backing away? The talk, the closet? The father and the carousel? His relationship with Amy, Darian spying? His avoiding Darian, the erasing of his work and rewriting? The scenes with Darian, the arrest, his anger, Cheyenne and the finale?
8. Amy, her work, photography, her friendship, with Darian, the relationship with Nick, the wasps?
9. Darian’s parents, their work, absent, the carousel? The anger? The ending?
10. Michael, his style, bail issues?
11. Cheyenne, friendship, the victim, the end?
12. The formula for this kind of sexual harassment, the reverse with the teenage girl harassing the adult male? The successful variations on the theme?
