MovieChat Forums > Fatal Attraction (1987) Discussion > Why did Alex pick DAN to obsess on?

Why did Alex pick DAN to obsess on?

posted 8 years ago by pinecone9
4 replies | jump to latest

I don't see why she became obsessed with him. Living in a big city with tons and tons of good-looking men to pick from, I just don't see why she latched onto him in particular. He was attractive, but so are other men too. And after he said a couple of things to her that were nasty and insensitive, you'd think she'd want to just move on. I know she was insane, but still. Was she drawn to men who treated her badly? Was she angry at men she saw as "spoiled rotten" and it made her mad thinking he had an easy life and she thought he was over-privileged, and therefore wanted to make his life hard?

[–] In_The_Year_8837 8 years ago

It could be something subconsious like the way Dan looked or his personality reminded Alex of someone she was close to at some point. Or, if she's being more calculated from the start, she knew he was vulnerable because he was married with a kid, and had a good job and money. He had a great deal to lose by getting caught.

She may have had serious rejection issues in regard to men walking out of her life. That appeared to have triggered a change in her personality and behavior that first weekend.

I don't think I understand what Alex was expecting of Dan. Did she expect him to just up and leave his wife, and move in with her because they had a fling? Or did she somehow think his wife would tolerate him having another woman on the side?

I guess as a crazy character she's driven by her emotions, not rational thought.

[–] highpriestess32 8 years ago

I think in this case it was just pure lust initially. She said just the day after meeting him at the book signing party "we were attracted to each other at the party, that was obvious". Over dinner that late afternoon (following the meeting), they established a rapport and flirted a lot. She laughed at his lawyer stories and I think the fact he was married made her feel empowered in that she had the power to bewitch him and tempt him away with ease.

That power diminished when he returned to his apartment in the early hours - so she enticed him away a second time. She clearly thought herself in love with Dan and so packed a lot into the Sunday in a bid to show him what he could have with her. However, again he went to leave after they "made love" and that displeased her and made her feel used (however unjustified given how she demanded discretion prior to their initial sexual encounter).

"These days you have to boil someone before you can sleep with them"

[–] liscarkat (18429) 4 years ago

They met, they hit it off, they had chemistry, she got carried away. It just happened.

[–] Patman111196 (1775) 4 years ago

That's kind of how I felt. I think she just wanted to have a good time at first and probably didn't expect to fall in love with him from the very beginning. He did make some mistakes that fueled her obsession, but she's insecure with BPD and that first night was probably more than enough for her to become attached to him.