Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sex, drinking, language in ridiculous erotic thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Deep Water
What's the Story?
In DEEP WATER, Vic Van Allen (Ben Affleck) is a self-made millionaire who invented a computer chip that helps drones find their targets. He's married to the beautiful Melinda (Ana de Armas), who enjoys drinking and throwing herself at various other men. Vic coolly tells one of her conquests that he, Vic, murdered one of her previous boyfriends. At a party, Melinda flirts with pianist Charlie De Lisle (Jacob Elordi). It starts to rain, and everyone goes inside, but Charlie is found in the pool, drowned. It's not long before Melinda becomes interested in another man, an ex-boyfriend with whom she recently reconnected. Vic murders him in cold blood and ditches the body in a gorge. But this time, he may have been too sloppy.
Is It Any Good?
A cheesy erotic thriller from a veteran of the genre, based on a Patricia Highsmith novel, may sound like movie gold, but the end result is eye-rollingly ridiculous. Adrian Lyne, the octogenarian director of Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal, and Unfaithful, returns after a 20-year gap with Deep Water. It begins well, setting up a simmering tension between Affleck and de Armas, both of whom seem committed to their roles; Affleck is chillingly stoic, while de Armas is recklessly sensual. But things quickly fall apart as we realize that this couple seems to do nothing except go to parties every night with the same people.
Not to mention that, no matter how broken up Melinda may seem over the loss of her most recent conquest, she immediately starts pursuing a new one. There's no sense of time passing between events or of anything building; everything seems reset at the beginning of every sequence. This is marked by Affleck's magical movie beard, which remains exactly the same length in every scene. Moreover, attempts to build symbolism around Vic's collection of live snails (?) and his daughter's love of "Old McDonald Had a Farm" simply hit a wall, and Deep Water starts to feel shallower and shallower as it heads toward its gloomy, pathetic conclusion.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Deep Water's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How does the movie depict sex? What values are shown?
How are alcohol, smoking, and drugs portrayed? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why is that important?
If you've read it, how does the movie compare to Patricia Highsmith's book? How does it compare to other movie adaptations of her books?
What's appealing about the erotic thriller genre? What qualities go into a good one?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : March 18, 2022
- Cast : Ben Affleck , Ana de Armas , Tracy Letts
- Director : Adrian Lyne
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Hulu
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Book Characters
- Run time : 115 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual content, nudity, language and some violence
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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