I may not always be right, but I always remember when others are wrong.
I may not always be right, but I always remember when others are wrong.
Member since:03.11.2001
Reviews:69
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Enter Sebastian. A very handsome young man who’s father is very rich and away for the summer. This leaves him with the time to run around the city as your own personal playground in his classic Jaguar. With the reputation as a bit of a ladies man you are starting to get bored with the same old faces, same easily caught woman, there is just no challenge with them anymore.
Next we have Catherine. An intelligent young lady who has a lot of responsibility in the school they both attend and has built an impeccable reputation with both the staff and parents of her fellow students. She has a very well hidden vindictive and manipulative side which only her step brother Sebastian is aware of and gives herself hours of pleasure in orchestrating the downfall and general misery she can inflict.
Then along comes Annette. Daughter of the new principle, she is a beautiful and wholesome young lady who prides herself in her self written manifesto proclaiming that she intends to keep her virginity intact until the night of her wedding day.
New to the school is Cecile. Very socially inept and slightly dim, her mother seeks the help of Catherine to help her daughter fit into her new school and to rise up the social ladder. However, unknown to her mother is her afro-american boyfriend Ronald who also just happened to have dumped Catherine to go out with Cecile.
What
unfolds, is Catherine plans and ‘cruel intensions’ come into play as she places a bet with her step brother that if he manages to bed Annette, she will offer herself to him with the promise “that you can put it anywhere” and if not, she gets his prized car. Meanwhile, she puts in place a plan to ruin the vulnerable Cecile’s reputation before she even starts the first term in her new school….
Set in Manhatten, this updated version of Dangerous Liaisons looks at how the children of the upper classes look to amuse themselves. While showing us the exquisite opulence they enjoy it, at the same time it shows us what boredom and no real purpose in life can lead to for the adolescents who find themselves in this rather envious position.
The story is engaging and right from the offset the twisted web of deceit woven by Catherine and Sebastian is played out to you to give you the exact idea of what kind of film you are about to see. The script itself is full of one liners, sexual innuendo and sarcasm. For me, the story moved on quite quickly although I did feel that while it tried to maintain two distinct storylines, only one of them was successful in holding my attention fully (Sebastian & Annette) while the other, basically faded into the background as the film progressed.
The acting from the mostly young cast was, for the most part, very good. Gellar was highly successful in her Jeckle & Hyde portrayal of Catherine perfectly contrasting her most well known part as the goody goody Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In playing Sebastian, Phillipe conveyed the sleazy side of the character very well and was admiral in showing us how the character started to struggle with his feelings and choices in life. Witherspoon again was very effective in conveying how a person with her beliefs has to deal with the sometimes adverse reaction they get when championing the choice of abstinence however I was rather disappointed with Blair’s portrayal of Cecile, as for me the character was less believable as she went over the top on a couple of occasions.
Directed by Roger Kimble, who’s other notable film (apart from the disastrous sequal to this) is The Sweetest Thing, was very effective in showcasing this type of life and the grandeur of the accommodation and designer clothes that these young adults have access to. Coupled with the fact it was Kimble who wrote the screenplay, the direction was very effective in keeping the story moving. His use of the size of Catherine and Sebastian’s apartment, and the many shadows people can overhear things, added greatly to creating the suspicious actions they were committing.
The soundtrack of the movie was excellent. Using very up to the minute tracks from both sides of the Atlantic, they very much managed to capture the moment they were playing over perfectly and added so much to the understanding and effect the viewer received. Non better in my opinion, that the final scene where the Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony slowly starts and then takes over as the movie ends. Other notable artists are Blur, Skunk Anansie, Faithless, Fat Boy Slim, Placebo and the Counting Crows.
Finally, the DVD itself contains the standard extras you come to expect these days. There is the directors commentary and cinematic trailer. Also included are a selection of the aforementioned tracks of the soundtrack as well as a behind the scenes featurette. Finally there is a deleted scene section, which while interesting, I have to say I fully agreed with them not being in the film but to explain more about that I would have to spoil some of the plot for you!
So, to conclude, I will happily give this film five stars as I can sit and watch it over and over again. With its certificate of 15 being justified in my view, it is more likely to appeal to people of that age and well into their late 20’s. Above that, I am not quite sure what you will make of this film, but then its not really aimed at that market.
Enjoy folks!
drew
(p.s – my only spoiler for the film is for the ladies and guys like me, look out for Sebastian getting out of the swimming pool……a rather nice sight awaits you!)
Cast List (imdb.com) Sarah Michelle Gellar .... Kathryn Merteuil Ryan Phillippe .... Sebastian Valmont Reese Witherspoon .... Annette Hargrove Selma Blair .... Cecile Caldwell Louise Fletcher .... Helen Rosemond Joshua Jackson .... Blaine Tuttle Eric Mabius .... Greg McConnell Sean Patrick Thomas .... Ronald Clifford Swoosie Kurtz .... Dr. Regina Greenbaum Christine Baranski .... Bunny Caldwell
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
This modern-day teen update ofLes Liaisons Dangereusessuffered at the hands of both ... more
critics and moviegoers thanks to its sumptuous ad campaign, which hyped the film as an arch, highly sexual, faux-serious drama (not unlike the successful, Oscar-nominat...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
This modern-day teen update ofLes Liaisons Dangereusessuffered at the hands of both ... more
critics and moviegoers thanks to its sumptuous ad campaign, which hyped the film as an arch, highly sexual, faux-serious drama (not unlike the successful, Oscar-nominat...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar - Scooby Doo, The Grudge) and Sebastian Valmont ... more
(Ryan Phillippe - Gosford Park) are two gorgeous, filthy rich, manipulative stepsiblings from Manhattan's upper east side.Bored of the girls he has so easily seduce...
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Dec 23rd, 2004
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