“THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY“: Well. I have exactly no objective distance on this movie. I understand that this movie is not important. I understand that the ways in which it reminds me of The Secret History are the least important ways it could remind me of that fantastic philosophical pulp thriller. I understand that watching this movie quite possibly made me stupider.

Ohhhhh, this was so satisfying!

It’s a tense, compelling thriller with much obsession, stolen identity, and sexual tension. That’s all you get–there’s no deep underlying meaning–but wow, this movie absolutely delivers on its promise. Even Matt Damon is exciting! Plus there are many fun scenes of bad Americans in Italy. This is french fries, not filet mignon, but there’s really nothing wrong with that a’tall. Definitely worth your movie dollar. Especially if your emotional triggers are located in the same places as mine–I swear this movie was made specifically for me.