An intelligent, attractive woman who – after being dumped by a carefree Casanova – mutates into a stalker and will do anything to ruin his life: Does this plot sound familiar? Then you must have seen the classic thriller “A Fateful Affair” with Glenn Close and Michael Douglas. Director and screenwriter David Chirchirillo (“Cheap Thrills”) seems to have done the same. With “Bad Match” he presents us with his own version of this premise – enriched with the contemporary element of online dating…
“bad match“ runs today, March 15, 2023 from midnight on Tele 5. There is a repeat on the night of March 16 to 17 at 1:50 am. If these broadcasts are too late for you, the thriller can also be streamed for free in the broadcaster’s media library until April 15, 2023.
If you discover this article after the expiration of the above dates or prefer to see the film in the English original, you can of course purchase the FSK 16 title on Blu-ray or DVD. Or you can stream it for a fee from providers like Amazon Prime Video.
“Bad Match” on Tele 5: That’s the story
Harris (Jack Cutmore-Scott) thrives in his high-paying job as a creative at a hip marketing agency. However, the young man puts even more time and energy into searching his favorite dating app for new female acquaintances. With success, because almost every evening he meets a different lady.
However, these encounters never turn into anything more than a hot one-night stand. Because the convinced bachelor not only has a pronounced fear of commitment, he also shuns any form of responsibility. But his easy life changes abruptly when one day he meets the beautiful Riley (Lili Simmons) through the app.
Because unlike his other conquests, the highly intelligent but mentally unstable student doesn’t just fade into the background. Riley is obsessed with Harris, believes he’s found the man for life in him, and doesn’t give up when he tells her he’s not interested in a committed relationship. It doesn’t take long for Riley to turn his carefree everyday life into a real nightmare…
“Bad Match” is not an official remake
“Bad Match” is certainly not a great masterpiece. In the refreshingly short, at times nicely meaty film that comes with one or the other successful twist, it is wonderful to relax on the couch after a hard day’s work.
Plus, “Banshee” and “Bone Tomahawk” star Lili Simmons clearly had a lot of fun playing the psychopath who mutated from the nice girl-next-door to the wild rage as the runtime progressed. Her scene partner Jack Cutmore-Scott (“Deception – magic of crime”) even manages to arouse something like sympathy for his Harris, who initially comes across as a terribly superficial and sexist hipster. Also featured are Chase Williamson (Camera Obscura), Brandon Scott (Dead To Me) and Noureen DeWulf from Charlie Sheen’s sitcom Anger Management.
Incidentally, despite all the similarities, “Bad Match” is not an official remake of the erotic thriller “A Fateful Affair” by “9 1/2 Weeks” and “Lolita” director Adrian Lyne. However, it is more than obvious that the 1987 thriller must have been an important source of inspiration for David Chirchirillo’s work, which was created almost exactly 30 years later. A circumstance that was also mentioned in almost all reviews of the American cinema release, which were mostly positive.
If you were interested after (or instead of) Bad Match, which won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress (Glenn Close), Best Supporting Actress (Anne Archer), and Oscars-nominated “Best Editing” “Original”, you can currently do this at no extra cost as part of a Paramount+ streaming subscription. That certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea, because the psychological thriller also received a solid four out of five stars in our official FILMSTARTS review.
*