In July 1999, a truly unsettling movie arrived in theaters. Though promoted as a sensual thriller featuring a glamorous couple, Eyes Wide Shut turned out to be far more than just provocative. Its strange and disturbing atmosphere resonated with millions, and it pushed the boundaries of what audiences expected from cinema by delving into the darker aspects of human behavior. This critically acclaimed film by Stanley Kubrick is now available to watch for free on Tubi.
Starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman – two of Hollywood’s biggest stars at the peak of their careers – Eyes Wide Shut presented a daunting challenge with its dark and complex story. The film earned $162 million despite (or perhaps because of) its controversial and explicit sexual content. While it’s a gripping erotic thriller, Eyes Wide Shut is mostly remembered for its impact behind the scenes: it’s believed to have contributed to the director’s untimely death and the breakdown of the stars’ marriage, and it shocked the film industry with its boldness.
Sex Gets Very, Very Weird in ‘Eyes Wide Shut’
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman play Bill and Alice Harford, a seemingly perfect New York City couple whose relationship is actually built on secrets. Alice confesses to having romantic fantasies about someone else, and Bill struggles to understand his own feelings about it. Driven by this revelation, Bill considers abandoning his conventional life and exploring a world where desire and pleasure have no boundaries. Here’s the official description of the film:
When Dr. Bill Hartford learns his wife, Alice, has been fantasizing about another man, he finds himself consumed by a desire for a similar experience. He ventures into a secretive sexual group, hoping to explore these feelings, but soon realizes he’s gotten involved in something far more complex than he anticipated.
Though Eyes Wide Shut fits into the erotic thriller category, it’s genuinely frightening, similar to a psychological horror film. The thought of a perfect Hollywood marriage falling apart is disturbing enough, but Kubrick pushes this further by subjecting Cruise’s character to a brutal, disorienting experience. This leads him to a deeply unsettling world where explicit sex is just one of many disturbing things people might do to satisfy their most hidden and dangerous impulses. In Eyes Wide Shut, sex becomes unsettling and frightening.
Explaining the Controversy of ‘Eyes Wide Shut’
When Eyes Wide Shut came out, it was remarkably explicit for a mainstream Hollywood film, especially given its famous stars. The film contained scenes that genuinely worried studio executives, and director Stanley Kubrick refused to compromise his vision. One scene, featuring an orgy, was so provocative that Warner Bros. digitally altered it. Tragically, Kubrick died shortly after showing the film to the studio, and Warner Bros. then made further edits to secure an R rating without his approval. While these changes made the film more accessible, the digital additions couldn’t fully mask the original content.
Despite its controversial themes, critics generally received the film well. However, with a 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it remains one of Stanley Kubrick’s least critically acclaimed movies. In a 25-year retrospective for RogerEbert.com, Peter Sobczynski described Eyes Wide Shut as a unique and thought-provoking look at marriage and sexual jealousy, unlike anything else Kubrick created. He also noted that the film appeared just before Hollywood became focused on sequels, remakes, and adaptations, using big-budget elements for a mature, character-driven story.
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You can now stream Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut, on Tubi for free. It features a thrilling performance by Tom Cruise and a story even more intense than his Mission: Impossible movies. Just be prepared for a few ads along the way – they might give you a chance to catch your breath from the film’s provocative content!
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2026-02-04 17:27