Latex Movie Review: Widows ( 2002 )

Part of a series of movie reviews for those interested in latex and other fetish fashions. A review of the movie itself followed by a review of the fetish scene.

Widows is an American adaption of the critically acclaimed British television series, the U.S. version being a one shot miniseries. As in it's British counterpart it is the story of a group of women who are all widowed when their husbands are killed. In the superior British version the husbands are killed pulling off an armed heist and the widows after finding the plans for the heist decide to pull it off themselves. In the American version the husbands are killed prior to stealing a painting, the van they are in being blown up. The widows ( Mercedes Ruehl, Brooke Shields, Rosie Perez and N'Bushe Wright who plays the girlfriend of one of the men killed ) decide the only way to uncover who had their husbands killed would be for them to pull off the heist of the painting themselves. That pretty much sums up the mini-series without giving away it's twists. Although written by the same woman who wrote the original U.K. series it has been incredibly dumbed down for the American broadcast with your typical flat television slapstick. Only mildly entertaining, and I would suggest that you watch the British original instead if not for the latex scene.

THE SCENE
Where you will find it depends on which version you are watching, as there is at least two different edits of this movie. The current DVD release which is shorter than the original miniseries has the scene around 5hrs 40min, but it may be different if you were to watch a version taped off the original television broadcast. If this shows up in syndication there may be third edit. But it would be in the concluding two hours close to the end, and was in the last episode of the miniseries. The girls have been training for weeks on the heist and realize the only way into the vault where the painting is being held is down through an air vent. Only N'Bushe is small enough to fit so the widows build a huge metal contraption that simulates the actual height of the vent that N'Bushe has to squeeze through. After training in the contraption they decide the only way for N'Bushe to fit is if her clothing is skin tight and oiled down, in other words a tight latex outfit.

We open on the roof where the camera pans over to N'Bushe crouched down over the vent. She is wearing what looks like a cross between a catsuit and a leotard made out of black latex. As she is unscrewing the bolt to the vent she complains that she is freezing. Brooke and Rosie are downstairs breaking into the museum in order to help N'Bushe from the outside of the vault. The scene cuts back to Mercedes rubbing oil all over N'Bushe's outfit, followed by her squeezing into the vent with a rope tied to her. About halfway down she hits a point where she can't pull herself through and begins crying that she is stuck. For a few moments she is wedged really good and it looks like she will become a permanent part of the building when she finally is able to pull herself free. While Mercedes continues to lower N'Bushe down Brooke and Rosie reach the vault where they have a view from the outside through it's bars. They watch as N'Bushe is lowered from the vent in the ceiling, inching closer to the painting and the knocking it off it's pedestal and out of reach. With time running out N'Bushe is able to swing over and grab the corner of the painting, eventually cutting it out of it's frame. She is then pulled back up through the vent and onto the roof. After this she covers up so you do not get to see the outfit again.

The skin tight outfit does not appear to be the same one as pictured on the DVD box ( which looks like spandex ) but is not too different. It is extremely tight and well worth putting up with the rest of the movie. ( that is, unless you choose to skip right to the scene and forgo watching the rest of the movie. ) Having N'Bushe comment on how cold wearing nothing but latex on a rooftop is a nice touch, as is showing her being oiled up. It is especially pleasing when she is momentarily stuck and begins to panic. It would have been nice to see her wearing the outfit in some other scene that was better lit and did not mostly confine her to an air vent, but we will take what we can get here. N'Bushe looks hot.