Julianne Moore plays a doctor who hires a call girl to test her husband’s faithfulness. That setup sounds like a thriller. It isn’t one.
Chloe is a drama about a wife’s jealousy and a stranger’s desire, dressed up in the clothes of a mystery. Amanda Seyfried plays Chloe, the hired woman, and Liam Neeson plays the husband. The film’s tagline asks how far a wife would go to find the truth. The answer is farther than the film knows what to do with.
Trailer, via StudiocanalUK.
Catherine’s Plan
Catherine, played by Julianne Moore, watches her husband kiss a student in a photograph. She hires Chloe to meet him and report back. Chloe does more than report. She tells Catherine about their encounters in detail, and Catherine grows aroused by the stories.
The film builds toward a reveal about who really loves whom, and then it stops building. The ending is quiet, almost passive, after spending an hour and a half building tension.
The Call Girl’s Role
Seyfried carries most of the film’s energy. Her Chloe is magnetic, confident, and a little dangerous. She seduces both the husband and the wife, and the film treats her as a threat even as it leans on her to drive the story forward.
Neeson’s David is a college professor, and he never feels like the center of his own story. Moore’s Catherine is the engine, but the film doesn’t give her anywhere to put that energy.
Where It Goes Wrong
The film’s problem is pacing. It spends too long circling the same set of questions — who is faithful, who is not — without adding new ones. The middle section, where Chloe and Catherine meet repeatedly and exchange increasingly detailed accounts, repeats itself.
The climax, when Chloe kisses Catherine, is meant to be a turning point. It isn’t.
What Works
The performances hold the film together. Julianne Moore plays Catherine as a woman whose jealousy is as physical as it is emotional, and Seyfried matches her intensity. The supporting cast, including Max Thieriot as their son and R.H. Thomson as a minor figure, fill out the world without distracting from the central triangle.
| Character | Role | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Catherine | Wife and gynecologist | Dominant force of the film |
| Chloe | Call girl | Carries most of the energy |
| David | Husband and professor | Underwritten |
The film is not terrible. It is merely thin.
Final Word
Chloe tries to be a tense, grown-up thriller about love and betrayal. It fails to deliver on the tension and settles for a quiet, unresolved ending. The performances are strong, but the script can’t support them.
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