Rhetorical Analysis of the Film Chloe, Essay Example

There are many assumptions, generalizations and stereotypes depicted in the movie Chloe. One assumption is that Julianne Moore assumes her husband David is cheating on her. She uses a generalization that all men will cheat if they are given the opportunity and hires Chloe, a high class call girl to seduce her husband. Julianne Moore is a respected doctor but this does not stop her from wanting to find out if her husband is cheating. Her husband has a typical stereo-type job as a musician whom most people may find may lend suspicion towards a cheating heart. When Catherine finds that text message on her husband’s phone from a female musical student this heightens her suspicion that her husband is definitely cheating on her. She assumes without having any hard evidence but is determined to get to the bottom of the situation. As she sets up the meetings with Chloe the high class call girl and she reports back to her weekly the story begins to take a twist into a very out of control situation. This assumption of his possible cheating ways is all brought on by the fact that he missed his flight for a surprise birthday party planned for him. Chloe plays the part as a stereotyped call girl who pulls out no stops when she plays the role to seduce Catherine’s husband David. David is also a college professor which adds to the mystery that he could be having an affair with a student. Why did he miss the flight for his surprise birthday party? Why does he spend late nights at work? Catherine sees one of David’s college students at his side when he says his flight will be late so is she really assuming he is having an affair or is it true? Was he simply helping out a student in need? These questions eventually lead this doctor, wife and mother to nearly lose her mind and spiral her whole family out of control as the movie progresses? Is David the typical stereotype professor that will have an affair with his students while his hard working wife and mother take care of the family? All these questions unfold as the movie progresses.

David eventually apologizes to Catherine telling her he did not know there was a surprise party in store for him and leaves the home early again even without his regular morning coffee? Is this strange or just a coincidence?  Catherine begins to have a sort of strained relationship with her teenage son Michael who insists on bringing his girlfriend over whilst they wear just their underwear around the home. She certainly does not approve of this but he son Michael tells her David knows about the relationship and approves of it. Catherine keeps remembering the text message from the young college student that read “Thanks for last night” which was the night that David missed his flight to the surprise birthday party.

David and Catherine go out to dinner the next night but Catherine is not very happy because David commences to flirt with the waitress right in front of her. The lady that she is, she excuses herself to the restroom and begins to cry. Chloe is in the bathroom and asks her if she needs some assistance with anything. Chloe rants how all men are assholes and Catherine agrees. They part. The next day they see each other on the street and Catherine approaches her with a job assuming she will take it. Chloe tells her she does not normally do female client jobs. She agreed to do the job and met David at a coffee shop. The next day Chloe asked David to kiss her and he did. Catherine was very upset but still sent Chloe on another mission with David. Chloe reported on another encounter that she actually seduced David and they had set. Catherine was mortified but she realized her suspicions were no longer allegations and assumptions, they had come to life.

Chloe wants a lesbian relationship with Catherine and kisses her. She even sends her flowers. Catherine is not interested and ends the professional relationship. Her husband David asks her after coming back from seeing Chloe if she is having an affair and she tells him she was thinking the same of him. He never answers though.

Chloe gets revengeful and it is then that Catherine realizes that Chloe and David never had an affair. Chloe was only trying to get close to Catherine. This is where assumption and stereotype play a large part in the movie. Catherine let her suspicions run and eventually ruin her family and life with David. Chloe goes to Catherine’s home quite angry and resentful and an accident occurs where she falls through the window to her death. Catherine apologizes to David for assuming he was being unfaithful to her. Catherine keeps Chloe’s hairpin in her hair for the guilt she felt for her death as she wears it to her son Michael’s graduation.

The beauty of the story is to take information with much agility for what it is on face value but never assume what it is until you actually know for sure. The movie began with a generalization that David must be fooling around because he fit the stereotype of a professor and musician who had easy access to younger women. Then his wife saw the text message that stated “Thank you for last night.” While watching the movie we all thought David was guilty of adultery based on these stereotypes. It is easy for a woman to generalize situations of such of her husband when there is a lack of trust and communication in the marriage. A person’s mind can wander and we can believe anything without validation. She never once went to her husband with these suspicions or attempted to check these suspicions out on her own. Instead he hired a professional call girl to seduce her husband hoping he would fall fate to the seductions to comply and condone her suspicions and generalizations that she felt would certainly be condoned. Instead what happened were her allegations, generalizations and thought patterns were tainted and she did not go about resolving or validating them in a positive and organized manner. She actually added to the chaotic drama she consciously wanted to believe. As a result she got involved with a less than desirable woman and was brought into a night-mare of a scheme which was not to the betterment for her relationship with her husband nor her child.

This movie is an example of how stereotypes are not always valid, how generalizations can come to bite you and how assumptions are not always what they appear prima facie. One should keep an open mind with situations of this nature in order to keep them in true and common perspective. Of course this was Hollywood so there had to be a lot of drama added to the story. People and situations cannot always be generalized even if your mind and certain written documents seem to point that way. A thorough researched investigation by a professional who is capable performing such actions is the best person to help you if you are ever in this situation. We should never let our mind run away with suspicions without justifiable and valid proof from a reputable source. We can drive ourselves batty in the process if we attempt otherwise.

References

Chloe Movie Summary Retrieved October 31, 2010 from, http://www.moviesummary.net/chloe/

Chloe Synopsis Retrieved October 31, 2010 from, http://www.fandango.com/chloe_v483668/summary

Chloe The Movie (2009)