Goodbye Lover (1998)

Sandra (Patricia Arquette) has an affair with her husband’s (Don Johnson) brother, Jake (Dermot Mulroney). When Sandra discovers Jake is sleeping with Peggy (Mary-Louise Parker), she attempts to kill them both.

With its endless array of twists and double-crosses, Goodbye Lover’s complex, unpredictable, noir plot quenches erotic thriller fans. For the first time, the ‘yuppies in peril’ sub-genre (Unlawful Entry, Malice) is commixed with comedy. The best example of Goodbye Lover’s dark humour comes from the brilliant Patricia Arquette.

Juxtaposing her bloody, devious psychopathy, at any opportunity, Sandra likes to chirpily sing along to a Mary Poppins cassette. Goodbye Lover is highly underrated, unrecognised as a deliciously sly, swerving tale of deceit, grabs at inheritance and faked affections. It was directed by Roland Joffé, who debuted with his celebrated war film: The Killing Fields (1984).