FATAL ATTRACTION Act 1
The Setup - Audience shown Dan Gallagher's (Douglas) perfect family life. He has a loving wife, a beautiful young child and a solid career as a lawyer. This opening section is about 10 minutes long.
The next section can be described as Plot Point 1, or the Distruption of the equalibrium.He soon risks it all when his wife visits her parents, and he sleeps with the "femme fatale" Alex (Glenn Close). When Dan tries to break it off with Alex, she cuts her wrists in a desperate attempt to save their relationship. At this point both the audience and Douglas' character realise Alex is serious about their relationship, and possibly insanely obsessed with Dan. This section is approximately 30 minutes long.
Act 2
Alex attempts to get back together with Dan, and goes as far to threaten telling his wife of their recent affair.
Helpless
On several occasions Dan attempts to resolve his conflict with Alex. During act 2, he stops taking Alex's calls at his office, moves to the suburbs, and seeks legal advice. However the ever resilient Alex befriends his wife, claims she is pregnant with his child, and discovers the location of the Gallaghers' new home.
Plot Point 2 / Second Distruption
Alex's insane obsession reaches a climax as she threatens to tell Dan's wife of the affair, and goes as far as to boil his child's pet rabbit whilst the family are out of town. Dan finally realises how serious a threat Alex is not only to his family stability but also their health.
Act 3 / Resolution
Dan does the 'right thing' and tells his wife of his fling with the now insane Alex. Although bitter towards her husband, she soon forgives him and the two join forces to fend off Alex. Alex kidnaps their child, but returns her unscathed, leading to Beth threatining Alex that she will kill her if she comes near her family.
There is a final confrontation between Alex and the Gallaghers, commencing on Dan's home turf (his home), where Alex attempts to stab both Beth and Dan. Working together, the couple drown the psychotic Alex in their bathtub. Just as they think it's all over, Alex resurfaces and attempts to kill Dan. However, Beth draws a gun and shoots her love rival dead, resulting in equilibrium being reached once again.
During the film there are several refrences to the famous opera Madame Butterfly. It is interesting to see the parallels between the two plots - the two lead females being abandoned and used by their lovers. In the alternative ending to Fatal Attraction, Alex actually commits suicide, the same ending that occurs in the opera. The Japanese release of the film featured this ending, as the similarities between the film and the opera were most apparent here, where Madame Butterfly is at times set.
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