Body Heat (1981)

1 commented-on entry since 18 Nov '24, 06:09

★★★★☆

Starring: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson

Question: Matty introduces her friend as Mary Ann, but in the year book, the friend is actually Matty Tyler, and she is actually Mary Ann. Were both girls in on the scam? (00:31:22)

Answer: I noticed the problem of the introduction, also. It seemed like a major plot hole to me. There wasn't any material in the movie to support blackmail, etc by the real Matty. I hadn't thought of her possibly being in on the scam. If not, why wouldn't the real Matty have immediately blanched when hearing herself be introduced with the wrong name? So far, I agree with the OP's suggestion.

The real Maddy was at the house when Ned arrived. Presumably, she had already discovered what "Fake Maddy" was up to. It looked like Fake Maddy (Turner) gave the real Maddy a check, presumably a payoff to keep quiet. The real Maddy may or may not have known exactly what Fake Maddy was planning, but went along with being introduced as "Mary Ann." Also, the movie deliberately leaves details vague because it is a big plot twist at the end when Ned, and the audience, learns that Fake Maddy is really Mary Ann.

raywest ★

Answer: It appears that the real Matty Tyler was not initially in on the plan. It's confusing, and there're many plot holes, but it seems the fake "Matty" (Kathleen Turner) intended for the real Matty to eventually discover that her identity was being used (by Turner). The real Matty was then apparently blackmailing fake Matty to keep quiet. It appears that fake Matty intended to lure and then murder the real Matty, framing Ned Racine for her murder, as well as Edmund's. The real Matty's body was identified as being Edmond's wife through her dental records. Fake Matty probably intended for Ned to be killed in the explosion.

raywest ★

I'm confused about the "dental records." Nowadays, dead bodies are identified through DNA, but in 1981 they used "dental records." Was there some national database where you could identify somebody that way? And wouldn't it then have told them the "dead woman" lived in Illinois or some place and wasn't, in fact, the wife of a sleazy rich guy in Florida?

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Mistakes

Factual error: When Lowenstein meets Racine on the pier he proceeds to commit a series of appalling breaches of legal regulations, if not the law itself. He tells Racine - a man he acknowledges as a suspect in the murder case he is discussing - about the progress the investigating police are making, the nature and direction of their enquiries, the names of people they are questioning, and the vital importance of a missing piece of evidence. There is nothing in Lowenstein's character that would suggest that he is so unbelievably stupid to do something like this! He would be fired for divulging such sensitive information, and he is handing Racine a Get Out Of Jail Free Card - if the judge didn't dismiss the charges against him, he'd be obliged to declare a mistrial.

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Quotes

Ned: I need someone to take care of me, someone to rub my tired muscles, smooth out my sheets.
Matty: Get married.
Ned: I just need it for tonight.

More quotes from Body Heat

Trivia

Trivia: Teddy Lewis tells Ned that "Matty" had him show her how to rig up a explosive with a delay to a door. So in theory Matty could have opened the door and escaped unscathed.

More trivia for Body Heat

Questions

Question: If Ned couldn't open the boathouse door and got blown up at the end - how did Kathleen Turner do it and survive the explosion?

Answer: Matty had Teddy tell her how to rig the bomb with a timer. She activated the bomb, escaped in a boat on the water, leaving Ned holding the bag. But, with a good lawyer, he would have easily beat the case. Unfortunately, he confesses to his cop friend, Oscar, in the jailhouse (which might be inadmissible).

Answer: It wasn't revealed, but since she was the one who orchestrated the plot, there was likely an inside escape hatch for her to get out of the boat house before it exploded.

raywest ★

Answer: Timer.

If you look at the yearbook, you will see Mary Ann Simpson was a competitive swimmer for 2 years.

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