“Sometimes, you meet someone who changes your life forever. And sometimes, that’s a bad thing.”
Bad Influence (1990). The yuppie nightmare that’s new for the nineties.
Long before Rob Lowe settled into the reliable rhythm of TV comedies and steady paychecks, the 80’s heartthrob took a turn as charismatic GQ sociopath Alex. While the move was meant to help push his career back into the spotlight after his infamous ’88 scandal, it only helped to reinforce his sleazy bad-boy image. This sent him on a slow crawl through relative obscurity for most of the ’90s – But we can thank Wayne’s World (and Mike Myers) for softening those edges.
And along came a Spader. By the late ’80s, James had cornered the market on playing narcissistic d-bags, so, naturally, you’d expect him to play Alex. But no – Spader flipped the script and stepped into Michael’s buttoned-up, tightly wound hush puppies. Watching him unravel on a yuppie hell ride with Lowe feels like the ultimate raspberry against typecasting. And it’s awesome. Think Single White Female meets American Psycho and Fight Club with a toxic bromance twist? Maybe?
Bad Influence didn’t exactly blow up the box office, but it found its audience in the dark recesses of video store bottom shelves. Curtis Hanson and David Koepp’s sleek, neon-noire Trevor Jones-coated psychodrama is a perfect late-’80s time capsule filled with greed, sleaze, and the kind of nightlife that makes you wonder how anyone survived the decade.
It’s a cautionary tale that looks good on the shelf with Pacific Heights or Unlawful Entry.