Touchstone and Beyond: A History of Disney’s “Deceived”

Goldie Hawn is well known for her comedic talent, but can she play a dramatic role well? This week we look back at Hawn and John Heard in 1991’s Deceived. Is this a classic film to check out, or another pebble at the base of the Disney film mountain?

The Plot

Adrienne is waiting for her blind date to show up when she notices a man staring at her from across the restaurant. Learning that he isn’t her intended date, Adrienne leaves having been stood up. Later that week, she meets the man from the restaurant, Jack, and they fall in love.

Years later the two are married and have a young child named Mary. Everything seems to be going well for Jack and Adrienne. That is until Jack has issues at work with the death of a colleague, and the couple argue one night about whether Jack is having an affair. The evening ends in tragedy when Jack dies in a car crash. Widowed, Adrienne starts to learn the truth about her husband’s past. The more she picks away at the thread of Jack’s life, Adrienne learns that her husband had a lot of skeletons in the closet.

The further she goes diving into her husband’s affairs, the more dangerous it gets. Fearing for her life and the life of Mary, Adrienne soon learns that the sins of the past from her husband will have real consequences for her.

The Good

Goldie Hawn is great. She plays Adrienne with a savvy strength that as the mystery unravels, the audience will easily believe everything she does is possible. Hawn doesn’t need to be funny because Adrienne is a serious role that allows Hawn to bring a depth to the character that makes Adrienne likable and not stereotypically silly.

John Heard was a brilliant actor. He could make the most of any part, from small supporting bit, to leading man. Heard rarely got the leading role, and that is a shame. His Jack Saunders is a masterful character of duality and deception. Heard plays the part so well and brings so much of his grace and charm to the role, that it’s easy for the viewer to believe everything his character says. John Heard’s talent makes this standard role an exceptional piece of work from a brilliantly talented man.

The Bad and the Ugly

I really enjoyed the film. My one issue with the film is Jack Saunders has another family in the movie. Was that necessary? The deception is complicated and difficult to make work on the screen, but it comes off flawlessly. The fact that Jack has another family seems unnecessary. There is enough intrigue without this mysterious other family. When did Jack have time for this other family?

Beyond the Film Facts

  • The film was originally titled The Mrs.
  • The title was changed to Deceived to amp up the thriller aspect of the story.
  • Between 1990-1992, there were 10 major releases from studios with the story line of a husband-and-wife characters that involved some form of deception.
  • Goldie Hawn’s mother Laura plays Evelyn’s mother.
  • This is also Laura Hawn’s final film performance.
  • Beatrice Straight who plays Adrienne’s mother and Kate Reid who plays Rosalie would also make their final film performance in Deceived.
  • When the movie was released, the film opened in third place with just over $4 million dollars in revenue. It trailed The Fisher King (1) and Necessary Roughness (2).
  • During its second week at the box office, Deceived stayed in third place posting a better than average improvement on the first week’s release.

The Streamy Award

{The following four categories are based on a Film Reel scale.

1 Reel-Watch on your Smartphone, 2 Reels-Tablet Time, 3 Reels-Travel Entertainment, 4 Reels-Big Screen Event}

Deceived was a box office failure at the time of its release. In a crowded market with numerous films of the same theme, the film never had a chance. However, with streaming services, now is the chance to check out some incredible movies lost in the film reels of time. Deceived is one of those movies to see.

For being a clever tale with incredible performances, Deceived gets a 3 Reels rating. Deceived is the perfect film to kill time when on a long trip.

Cast and Crew

  • Goldie Hawn as Adrienne Saunders
  • John Heard as Jack Saunders
  • Ashley Peldon as Mary Saunders

Directed by Damian Harris

Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Silver Screen Partners IV

Release Date: September 27, 1991

Budget: $30 million

Box Office Gross

Domestic: $28,738,096

Coming Soon

Next week a look at the Danny DeVito and Gregory Hines comedy Renaissance Man.

Bill Gowsell
Bill Gowsell has loved all things Disney since his first family trip to Walt Disney World in 1984. Since he began writing for Laughing Place in 2014, Bill has specialized in covering the Rick Riordan literary universe, a retrospective of the Touchstone Pictures movie library, and a variety of other Disney related topics. When he is not spending time with his family, Bill can be found at the bottom of a lake . . . scuba diving