The Rich Man’s Wife

Written and directed by Amy Holden Jones, The Rich Man’s Wife follows title character Josie Potenza (Halle Berry) as she finds herself embroiled in a dangerous scheme involving her older, wealthy husband (Christopher McDonald’s Tony) and a sketchy figure named Cole (Peter Greene). Filmmaker Jones delivers a slow-moving thriller that’s generally watchable enough (if entirely forgettable), and there’s little doubt that the picture benefits heavily from its strong performances – with Berry’s decent work as the central character amplified by sterling supporting turns from McDonald and Greene. And while there are a few decent twists sprinkled throughout, The Rich Man’s Wife suffers from a somewhat mechanical and by-the-number execution that diminishes its effectiveness – with the movie’s excessively deliberate pace compounding and highlighting its more overtly familiar attributes. By the time the unexpected (and rather baffling) finale rolls around, The Rich Man’s Wife has confirmed its place as a perfectly middle-of-the-road endeavor that could (and should) have been better.

** out of ****