Deceived

Directed by Damian Harris, Deceived follows Goldie Hawn’s Adrienne Saunders as she’s forced to reevaluate her seemingly happy marriage to John Heard’s Jack after certain secrets from his past are exposed. It’s an intriguing premise that’s employed to watchable yet predominantly forgettable effect by Harris, as the filmmaker, armed with Mary Agnes Donoghue and Derek Saunders’ screenplay, delivers a sluggish endeavor that does, for the most part, progress at a distressingly deliberate pace – with the viewer’s subsequent (and ongoing) efforts at wholeheartedly embracing the material falling relatively flat. It’s clear, then, that Deceived‘s mild success is due predominantly to a smattering of engaging sequences and the leads’ stirring work, with, in terms of the latter, Hawn’s strong performance matched (and then some) by Heard’s predictably commanding turn as Adrienne’s increasingly suspicious husband. The larger-than-life (and undeniably ludicrous) final stretch ensures that the picture does, at the very least, conclude on a decidedly entertaining note, which ultimately cements its place as a just-decent-enough thriller that probably should’ve topped out at 90 minutes.

**1/2 out of ****