December 7, 2001

Hey, Stranger

"The Business of Strangers"

Take one snotty, beautiful, rich assistant working for a big company. But what she really wants to do is “write.” (Sound familiar?) Cast Julia Stiles.

Take one tough, ambitious, middle-aged manager whose whole life is the corporation she works for. (Ever worked for anyone like that?) Cast Stockard Channing.

Toss in a druggy headhunter (who may or may not be a rapist), and leave the whole crew stranded in an airport hotel in middle America. What happens next is recounted in the movie The Business of Strangers, which opens today. Hats off to Williamsburg’s Patrick Stettner, who gets our vote for Best Directorial Debut in Recent Memory.

Channing has pulled off the performance of a lifetime. Stiles - yet again - proves she has better taste in movies than her peers. The two engage in a tense game of cat-and-mouse. Just when you think you know what’s happening, the plot twists. You think you know whom to root for, then you change your mind.

The movie is Thelma and Louise meets All About Eve meets After Hours. (Can you hear the studio pitch?)

It may also be This Is Your Life, but never mind that.

The Business of Strangers opens today at the Angelika and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas. Order tickets online from Moviefone.com.