Disclosure (1994)

Sexual harassment is the subject of DISCLOSURE, a broadly played
thriller that may do more to goose the career of the director than to
educate the masses on the subject matter.

Meet Tom Sanders (Michael Douglas), a stable family man at the Seattle
computer firm Digicom.  He loves his wife, he loves his job, and he's
expecting a promotion before the big company merger.  What he gets,
instead, is a new boss who's an old girlfriend (Demi Moore).  The
situation quickly comes to a head following an after-hours tete-a-tete.
Tom refuses her advance, she files for harassment, and thus begins the
plot.

What sounds like a neat twist on a stereotypical situation really isn't;
writer Paul Attansio (of QUIZ SHOW fame) has simply swapped genders.
Big deal.  Like the book, the film has bigger fish to fry.  DISCLOSURE
is more than just a story of sexual harassment and that's all I'll
reveal here.

For sheer people-pleasing power, rank DISCLOSURE alongside Crichton's
other novel-to-film, JURASSIC PARK.  The script is smart, the direction
is tidy, and the cast knows their roles by heart.  Michael Douglas makes
a solid, sturdy hero, while Demi Moore is surprisingly effective as the
hissable villain.  Her calm dismissal of Douglas made at least one
patron in *my* row talk back to the screen.

There are many many more reasons to like this film, but my favorite has
to be the way DISCLOSURE depicts a high-tech computer firm.  Come on,
Dennis Miller as a developer?!?  They get some stuff right, but watch
out for those VR sequences!  Did somebody say LAWNMOWER MAN?  (Rated
"R"/ 125 min.)

NOTE:  Gripes to the management of Durham's Wynnsong 10, who delayed the
film by fifteen minutes to help seat stragglers.  The film was also out
of focus when started and the management didn't correct the error for at
least five minutes.  Sigh.

BOTTOM LINE:  Broadly played thriller that excites more than it
educates.  It'll make millions.

Grade: B+

Copyright 1994 by Michael J. Legeros