the real find in Sam Taylor-Johnson's better-than-it-has-to-be adaptation of the risibly written and ludicrously popular softcore novel is Dakota Johnson
the dialogue, based on E.L. James' best-selling book, is laughable, the pacing is sluggish and the performances are one-note. Perhaps worst of all, chemistry is nil
Fifty Shades of Grey is a sex-positive but hopelessly soft-core erotic drama that fails to be even a fraction as titillating as the E.L. James books that inspired it. And yet, that's exactly why it works
credit goes to director Sam Taylor-Johnson and her screenwriter, Kelly Marcel, who've stripped the first book of its biggest flaws, while still honoring its essence