#285: The Hand that Rocks the Cradle
Release Date: January 10th, 1992
Format: Streaming (YouTube)
Written by: Amanda Silver
Directed by: Curtis Hanson
3.5 Stars
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is one of those late ‘80s/early ‘90s suburban psychopath-on-the-loose exploitation movies that were all the rage at the time (Cape Fear, Unlawful Entry, The Good Son, Single White Female, and many more).
It’s a fantastic flick, a real crowd-pleaser.
You know those times when you’re with a group of friends and you all want to watch a movie, but you can’t get on the same page with what to watch? The Hand that Rocks the Cradle should be your answer. Just put that on and be prepared for some collective laughs, gasps, and a whole lot of slack-jawed disbelief.
The story, from writer Amanda Silver in her screenwriting debut (she’s since gone on to become a hired gun, writing for huge tentpole productions such as the re-booted Planet of the Apes movies, the re-booted Chris Pratt-era Jurassic Park flicks, and collaborating with James Cameron on his Avatar sequels), concerns a vengeful widow, Peyton (Rebecca De Mornay), out for revenge.
The movie opens with her husband, an obstetrician, sexually assaulting one of his patients, Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra), in his downtown Seattle office during a routine examination (wink wink nod to Bartell Drugs, a Seattle institution that just recently closed its last pharmacy in 2025). Supported by her loving husband, Michael (Matt McCoy), to report the assault and protect potential future victims, Claire’s accusation garners attention from the local media and the doctor ends up committing suicide as the authorities build their case.
The movie then jumps ahead six months, and we see the Bartels living an idyllic upper-middle class life in suburban Seattle. Claire is a loving mother to her infant son and young daughter, but she also loves to garden and dreams of one day building a greenhouse in their backyard, if only she can find some help with the kids. How fortuitous is it when she runs into Peyton in the neighborhood one day, who mentions that she’s a nanny looking for work? Seemingly kind and thoughtful, Claire introduces Peyton to her husband that evening and quickly the young family have a new, live-in nanny.
What the Bartels don’t know is that Peyton is the craziest bitch in the Pacific Northwest.
I don’t want to get too much into the specifics of the juicy plot, because it’s a whole lot of fun the less you know.
Director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, Wonderboys, 8 Mile) gets some great performances. De Mornay is excellent as the icy blonde villainess with a borderline personality disorder, and Sciorra’s performance works well in contrast, as the wholesome, but overmatched mother. A young Julianne Moore also appears in a supporting role, as Claire’s best friend. Moore is radiant on screen, and the movie would have been better served to give her character more to do. Ernie Hudson also appears in a supporting role, playing an intellectually-challenged handyman with a heart of gold. The role might be a little problematic by today’s standards, but Hudson gives the film some real heart in the midst of the fun schlock.
All and all, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is a pulpy good time.
