Domestic Disturbance
Domestic Disturbance ★★ 2001 (PG-13)
Lame entry in the “evil stepparent” genre features Travolta as Frank, a hard-working boat builder who shares custody of his son Danny (O'Leary) with ex-wife Susan (Polo). Danny starts acting out by getting in trouble and lying after Susan gets involved with suave local businessman Rick (Vaughn). Although Danny is clued into Rick's dark side from the start, it takes the appearance of Ray (Bus-cemi), a sleazy hood from Rick's shady past, to awaken Frank's suspicion. When Danny hides in Rick's van and witnesses Ray's murder, nobody believes him except his dad. The stage is set for the “good dad” versus “bad dad” showdown, which is handled as clumsily and unbelievably as possible. Most of the performances seem listless, with the exception of Vaughn as the oily villain and O'Leary as the terrorized kid. 89m/C VHS, DVD . US John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Teri Polo, Matt O'Leary, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Susan Floyd, Steve Buscemi, Angelica Torn; D: Harold Becker; W: Lewis Colick; C: Michael Seresin; M: Mark Mancina.