JOHN SCHLESINGER

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB. 

USA, 1990.  Morgan Creek Entertainment Group.  Screenplay by Daniel Pyne.  Cinematography by Amir Mokri.  Produced by Scott Rudin, William Sackheim.  Music by Hans Zimmer.  Production Design by Neil Spisak.  Costume Design by Bridget Kelly, Ann Roth.  Film Editing by Steven Ramirez, Mark Warner.

Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine finally get to purchase their dream home atop a gorgeous San Francisco hill, but with the expense of the house comes the need for a tenant.  Many apply but the most seemingly perfect candidate is Michael Keaton, who moves in immediately and turns out to be psychotic.  The script has a few more nifty tricks to it than most conventional Hollywood thrillers, especially centering around horror stories involving tenant/owner situations (I’m sure many people can relate to a lot of things that happen, and many people would love the end of this movie to happen to their renters). On the other hand, it’s not all that exceptional either, and while Keaton enjoys chewing up the scenery, Modine and Griffith never get to really show off their amiable personalities. The liveliest moments in the film come between Keaton and a fantastic but little seen Beverly D’Angelo in an unbilled role.