Ginny M

What a disappointment. I thought I'd watch this and stick with it because of all the hype, and because of Julianne Moore and Kevin Bacon. But it is an unrealistic mess. No character rings true to life, and the women who are supposed to be "sirens" show no chemistry with those they are supposed to be attracting. The suggestions of dark behavior all fizzle out in the end. And the ending? I never saw such a ridiculous resolution of a story. Kevin Bacon's character is so inconsistent. He is a kind of "rebel" of sorts, and gets along with the Devon character, but then he professes in the end to be in love with the Simone character? Give me a break. Don't waste your time.

I have given this 3 stars only because I think it is interesting to see the cultural variations across the LIB international versions, all of which I have watched. The Arabic culture depicted here is both interesting and frightening. The show reeks of the chauvinistic attitudes of the men and the culture. One man comments that his partner will have to cover herself completely once they are married; another man splits up with his partner because she wants to continue her profession of dancing; none of them will get married until the woman's "guardian" (i.e., her father) gives his consent. The women are bound up in and are complicit in this nightmare as well. One woman believes that her so-called "beauty" allows her to demand anything from a man, including that he pamper her to death. There are arguments about double standards for the men and women -- a man can walk around with his shirt off, but a woman can't dance fully clothed? a man can ogle a woman's behind, but a woman can't smile and talk to another man? I feel sad for the women who are caught in the midst of this cultural straight-jacketing. Re: the other international versions: I loved seeing the Swedish participants' down to earth ways; I have found the Brazilians' zest for life and love inspiring; and the Japanese participants' cautiously guarded feelings and expressions of emotion are interesting to observe. I appreciate the window into such cultural differences that the LIB franchise affords.