What critics saw as dated, I saw as timeless. Though it technically takes place in 1990s New York, the film keeps one boot planted firmly in the fin de siècle world of Arthur Schnitzler’s novella. The opening credits are set to a waltz; the gentleman who hits on Nicole Kidman’s character in the following scene is an elegant Hungarian; the film’s iconic centerpiece, a masked ritual that turns into an orgy, seems like the sort of affair that might have titillated Gustav Klimt. And then there’s Tom Cruise’s character, the amazingly naïve Dr. Bill Harford. Early on, when his wife suggests that his patients are horny for him, he assures her that women “don’t think like that” — as if he would know better than her. She falls to her knees laughing, then reveals that she was once so taken with a hot sailor that she fantasized about giving up their marriage (and even their daughter) for a single night with the guy.

Coherence (0.6) – The final Coherence score stands corrected against the Repercussion score to 0.6 (1 x 3/5). Rewatchability (3) – It’s an intriguing film that makes you want to watch it multiple times to better understand the nuances. How do we know that Alice’s infidelity never happened in the physical world? We can’t, not really. We have to take her word for it, and taking her word for it is a comforting thing to do.Time Travel Mechanics (2) – It’s nothing too elaborate. We are told that there is some machine that handles time travel but aren’t shown anything about it.

Base Coherence (4) – Barring the issue of the unexplained “delayed” disappearing of messages from Taki’s phone, a b Koresky, Michael (Spring 2006). "Wake Up Call". ReverseShot.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2011 . Retrieved December 15, 2011. Base Coherence (5) –The single timeline is kept in pristine condition by ensuring that all the events that happen are predestined—even small ones like a trashcan falling from above. Repercussion (2) – Since the time frame is 70 years, there is little scope for events to have cascading effects. Base Coherence (5) – Despite how incongruent the events appear, the movie wraps it all up perfectly within one tight and consistent timeline.Gentleman, Amelia (April 24, 1999). "Erotic thriller Hollywood couple sue over sex claims". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017 . Retrieved December 17, 2016.