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{{short description|2001 film by Patrick Stettner}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Business of Strangers
| image          = Business of strangers ver2.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Patrick Stettner]]
| producer       = Robert H. Nathan
| writer         = Patrick Stettner
| starring       = [[Stockard Channing]]<br>[[Julia Stiles]]<br>[[Fred Weller]]
| music          = [[Alex Lasarenko]]
| cinematography = Teodoro Maniaci
| editing        = Keiko Deguchi
| distributor    = [[IFC Films]]
| released       = {{Film date|2001|01|19|[[Sundance Film Festival|Sundance]]|2001|12|21|United States}} 
| runtime        = 84 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = 
}}
'''''The Business of Strangers''''' is a 2001 American drama film that tells the story of an eventful night shared between a middle-aged businesswoman and her young assistant. The independent film was written and directed by [[Patrick Stettner]]. It stars [[Stockard Channing]] and [[Julia Stiles]].

==Plot==
Julie Styron is a middle-aged business woman flying out of town to attend an important meeting. When her CEO contacts her and asks her to meet him for dinner afterward, she worries that her job may be in danger and engages the help of a headhunter named Nick Harris to look for a new position. Her mood worsens when her new assistant Paula Murphy is 45 minutes late to the meeting, which as a result goes badly. After its end, Julie fires Paula and they part ways.<ref name=metacritic>{{cite web|title=The Business of Strangers|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-business-of-strangers|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=31 January 2021}}</ref><ref>Multiple sources:
*{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=The Business Of Strangers|date=December 14, 2001|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-business-of-strangers-2001|website=rogerebert.com|access-date=20 October 2013}}
*{{cite web|title=The Business of Strangers |website=Amazon |url=https://www.amazon.com/The-Business-Strangers-Stockard-Channing/dp/B00006D2PY|access-date=31 January 2021}}
*{{cite web|title=Business of Strangers|url=http://www.themoviespoiler.com/Spoilers/businessofstrangers.html|website=themoviespoiler.com|access-date=20 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020112175437/http://www.themoviespoiler.com/Spoilers/businessofstrangers.html |archive-date=January 12, 2002 |url-status=dead}}
*{{cite news|last=Holden|first=Stephen|title=FILM REVIEW; When Business and Pleasure Don't Mix|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/07/movies/film-review-when-business-and-pleasure-don-t-mix.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=7 December 2001 }}</ref>

Later that evening Julie is unexpectedly promoted to CEO of the company. After both their flights home are delayed, Julie and Paula meet up by chance in a hotel bar. Julie apologizes for losing her temper earlier and buys Paula a drink. As they talk, Julie, who gave up having a family for her career, begins to question whether she made the right choice. The two of them visit the gym and the pool before returning to the bar.

Nick joins them, explaining that his flight was also canceled. Paula rushes off to the bathroom and is followed by Julie, who wants to know what was wrong. Later, Paula informs her that Nick [[rape]]d a friend of hers in [[Boston]]. Julie is shocked but eventually convinced, and suggests they get revenge. Paula tells her to just forget about it.

The two retire to Julie's room, and when Nick knocks on the door later on, Paula invites him in and then drugs him. In order to keep him from realizing what they've done, the two women take him down into a restricted area of the hotel which is being renovated. Julie runs upstairs to get Nick's briefcase, and returns to find Paula stripping him. Paula explains that this way when he wakes up he will hesitate to ask anyone what happened.

Paula photographs them all with her Polaroid camera. Paula finds a magic marker and they write words on Nick's chest and back like "pig" and "rapist". They are nearly discovered by a security guard, but he leaves without seeing them. Paula eventually confesses to Julie that it was she who was raped, not her friend &mdash; which Julie had already guessed. They return to Julie's room and sleep.

The next morning, Julie finds the word "loser" written in marker on her own stomach, and a few Polaroids on the bed of Paula sitting next to her own sleeping form. At the airport she meets up with Nick again. He reveals that he had never been to Boston, proving Paula's rape story to be an elaborate lie.

== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
*[[Stockard Channing]] as Julie Styron
*[[Julia Stiles]] as Paula Murphy
*[[Fred Weller]] as Nick Harris
*[[Mary Testa]] as receptionist
*[[Jack Hallett]] as Mr. Fostwick
*[[Marcus Giamatti]] as Robert}}

==Reception==
The film received positive reviews from critics. 
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|81|7.3|95|''The Business of Strangers'' showcases a complex, compelling performance by Channing. Her interactions and clashes with Stiles make for riveting viewing.|access-date=10 October 2024|ref=y}} On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 30 reviews.<ref name=metacritic/>

Writing for the [[BBC]], Neil Smith compared the film favorably to ''[[In the Company of Men]]'', praising the "insightful script, [...] sleek cinematography, and [...] acerbic one-liners" along with "the inspired pairing of [[Stockard Channing|Channing]] and [[Julia Stiles|Stiles]] [which] creates real dramatic fireworks".<ref>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Neil|title=The Business of Strangers (2002)|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/04/11/the_business_of_strangers_2002_review.shtml|website=[[BBC]]|date= 28 April 2002}}</ref>

Conversely, in the ''[[Portland Mercury]]'', Katia Dunn wrote that while the screenplay is good, "[[Julia Stiles|Julia]]'s flatness leaks into every part of the movie" and that her "inability to act" single-handedly dooms the film as unlike her two other movies that year, ''[[O (2001 film)|O]]'' and ''[[Save the Last Dance]]'', "there are no dance or sex scenes for Julia to fall back on", concluding that the film "should be a lesson about what happens when bad actors try to do arty movies: Disaster" and that "Julia Stiles should stick to what she does best: Nothing".<ref>{{cite news|last=Dunn|first=Katia|title=Damn, Girl! - Style: Julia Ain't Got None|url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/movies-and-tv/2001/12/13/26056/damn-girl|work=[[Portland Mercury]]|date= 13 December 2001}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0270259|The Business of Strangers}}
* {{Mojo title|businessofstrangers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Business Of Strangers, The}}
[[Category:2001 films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:2001 independent films]]
[[Category:Films about businesspeople]]
[[Category:Films about rape in the United States]]
[[Category:Films set in hotels]]
[[Category:Films shot in New York City]]
[[Category:Films shot in New Jersey]]
[[Category:2001 drama films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:Films about psychopaths and sociopaths]]
[[Category:Films about female psychopaths and sociopaths]]