Obsessed (2009 Film)

Obsessed (2009 Film)

Obsessed is a 2009 American thriller film directed by Steve Shill. The Screen Gems production stars Idris Elba, Beyoncé Knowles and Ali Larter. Obsessed tells the story of Lisa, an office temp played by Larter, who falls in love with her boss, Derek Charles (Elba), and attempts to seduce him. Derek's wife, Sharon (Knowles), learns of Lisa's obsessive behavior, and suspects an affair.

Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper conceived the basic idea of Obsessed, which was then developed by writer David Loughery, allocated a production budget of US$20 million, and filmed in the summer of 2008. Obsessed was filmed on a set inspired by the work of directors Roman Polanski and Alfred Hitchcock, and its score was written by James Dooley. Lisa and Sharon were dressed in contrasting styles to reinforce their conflicting characters. Obsessed opened in US theaters on April 24, 2009, and UK theaters on May 29, 2009.

Film critics generally gave Obsessed negative reviews. Many were disappointed in the absence of an explanation for Lisa's obsession with Derek. Others noted that the potential theme of interracial conflict between the Charles family (black) and Lisa (white) was untouched. The storyline of Obsessed has been compared with that of Fatal Attraction (1987), although film critics disliked the fact that Derek did not yield to Lisa's seduction. The fight scene finale between Sharon and Lisa, however, was commended by reviewers, and won the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight at the 2010 awards ceremony.

Obsessed spent its first week atop the US box office, and has grossed $73,830,340 from theaters, internationally. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment first released the film for home viewing on August 4, 2009 via DVD and Blu-ray in the US, and it was later made available in other countries. In the US, Obsessed has sold 1,259,163 home media copies, worth $20,938,103 of consumer spending, bringing its total gross revenue to $94,768,443.