I have to be honest; the main thing that attracted me to Cruel Intentions was Sarah Michelle Gellar and a few friends recommending it. Amy wanted to see it cause of Ryan Philippe, so we got it off the shelf, made our way home and put it into the video not expecting much………………
The story is ... Read review
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 seduced in the past, Sebastian has set his sights on the ultimate challenge - the beautiful, virginal, headmasters' daughter Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon - Legally Blonde, Vanity Fair).Kathryn sees the perfect opportunity for a wager. If Sebastian fails to lure Annette into his bed, he will have to surrender his priceless vintage Jaguar; if he succeeds, he will win the most tempting prize of all - Kathryn.Sparks fly in this wickedly sexy tale of seduction as Kathryn and Sebastian play a dangerous game of sex and betrayal...
From the Producer of the original Cruel Intentions and I Know What You Did Last Summer, ... more
comes a brand new story about three unscrupulous college students willing to use and abuse each other in their vicious games of gossip, deceit and betrayal.Patrick (Kerr Smith - TV's Dawson's Creek), Cassie (Kristina Anapau - Cursed) and Jason (Nathan J. Wetherington - TV's The It Factor) take malicious pleasure in ruining the lives of fellow classmates through a series of sexual wagers. Bored with such easy prey, Jason and Patrick agree to one final bet, a winner-takes-all game of seduction and revenge where Cassie becomes the grand prize and the loser is forced to experience a whole new level of pleasure ...and pain.
Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar - I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, TV's ... more
Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe - I Know What You Did Last Summer, Studio 54) are two gorgeous, filthy rich, manipulative stepsiblings from Manhattan's upper east side. Bored of the girls he has so easily seduced in the past, Sebastian has set his sights on the ultimate challenge - the beautiful, virginal, headmasters' daughter Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon - Pleasantville, The Man in the Moon). Kathryn sees the perfect opportunity for a wager. If Sebastian fails to lure Annette into his bed, he will have to surrender his priceless vintage Jaguar; if he succeeds, he will win the most tempting prize of all - Kathryn. Sparks fly in this wickedly sexy tale of seduction as Kathryn and Sebastian play a dangerous game of sex and betrayal...Also available is the sequel Cruel Intentions 2.
Sarah Michelle Gellar (TV's Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Ryan Phillippe (Crash) sizzle as ... more
a pair of unscrupulous siblings in a deliciously sexy tale of seduction, revenge and conquest.After cleverly seducing and ruining the reputation of an unsuspecting classmate (Selma Blair, Hellboy), the sparks fly when Kathryn (Gellar) poses the ultimate challenge to her insatiable stepbrother Sebastian (Phillippe): deflower the headmaster's beautiful, virgin daughter Annette (Reese Witherspoon, Walk The Line). If he fails, Kathryn gets his most prized possession, but if he succeeds, Sebastian gets to possess and bed Kathryn. The stakes are high, but for Sebastian, the payoff is feverishly irresistible...
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-nominatedDangerous Liaisons). In fact,Cruel Intentionsplays like high comedy for its first two-thirds, as its two evil heroes, rich stepsiblings Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe), blithely ruin lives and reputations with hearts as black as coal.Kathryn wants revenge on a boyfriend who dumped her, so she befriends his new intended, the gawky Cecile (Selma Blair), and gets Sebastian to deflower the innocent virgin. The meat of the game, though, lies in Sebastian's seduction of good girl Annette (a down-to-earth Reese Witherspoon), who has written a nationally published essay entitled "Why I Choose to Wait." If he fails, Kathryn gets his precious vintage convertible; if he wins, he gets Kathryn--in the sack.When the movie sticks to the merry ruination of Kathryn and Sebastian's pawns, it's highly enjoyable: Gellar in particular is a two-faced manipulator extraordinaire, and Phillippe, usually a black hole, manages some fun as a hipster Eurotrash stud. Most pleasantly surprising of all is Witherspoon, who puts a remarkably self-assured spin on a character usually considered vulnerable and tortured (see Michelle Pfeiffer inDangerous Liaisons). Unfortunately, writer-director Roger Kumble undermines everything he's built up with a false ending that's true to neither the reconceived characters nor the original story--revenge is a dish best served cold, not cooked up with unnecessary plot twists. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Production Year: 1981 - Drama - Director: Franco Zeffirelli - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don Murray, Richard Kiley, Penelope Milford, Beatrice Straight
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
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
Advantages: Fantastically Seductive Performance From Sarah, Good Script Disadvantages: Bad Ending
...thing that attracted me to Cruel Intentions was Sarah Michelle Gellar and a few friends recommending it. Amy wanted to see it cause of Ryan Philippe, so we got it off the shelf, made our way home and put it into the video not expecting much………………
The story is based around Kathryn Merteuil and step brother Sebastian Valmont, two enormously rich and attractive socialites, who like nothing better than to mess with other peoples lives, ... ...
The acting in Cruel Intentions is sometimes remarkable, sometimes above average.
I am very glad to say that Sarah Michelle Gellar comes out of the proceedings best. She perfectly captures the seduction role. She is brilliant as both her friendly and bitchy alter egos. She is easily relatable. I think that when you are brought up with the power to get whatever you want, you expect that through your whole life. She is super sexy, ... more
I have to be honest; the main thing that attracted me to Cruel Intentions was Sarah Michelle Gellar and a few friends recommending it. Amy wanted to see it cause of Ryan Philippe, so we got it off the shelf, made our way home and put it into the video not expecting much………………
The story is based around Kathryn Merteuil and step brother Sebastian Valmont, two enormously rich and attractive socialites, who like nothing better than to mess with other peoples lives, using whatever means possible……
Kathryn, in front of adults seems to be the perfect example, she is student body president at their lavish boarding school Manchester Prep, has saved her virginity until marriage, is never in trouble and against drugs, bullying, swearing and just about everything else wrong. But out of the disapproving glares, she is a super seductive cow, who is not only happy with making her way through all of New York’s men but also is determined to snort her way through tons of coke. She is irresistible to men and her step brother wants a piece of her to………….
That man is Sebastian, a young rebel, who uses sex as a competition and his conquests as scum. The only woman that he wants but can’t have is the irresistible Kathryn, who dangles her sexy body all over him. He is sophisticated, intelligent and rich also he has a hot car. Which Kathryn wants………..
As Sebastian gloats about his conquest, An article in a glossy magazine attracts his attention, it is about Annette Hargrove a beautiful blonde, who has vowed to not have sex until marriage, no matter now big the temptation…………
Sebastian is convinced that he could bed this saint, Kathryn however is not so sure and the two ring leaders make a wager. If he does not get into Annette’s arms, within two weeks, she will get his hot vintage car. If he does succeed in his task, then he will get the ultimate prize, her……………..
Annette just happens to be staying at Sebastian’s aunts. And she is as angelic as she seems, completely blanking all his sexual advances………..
But after time will Sebastian’s feelings for her become deeper? Will Kathryn, get her car? Will Sebastian get his prize? Watch and see!
The acting in Cruel Intentions is sometimes remarkable, sometimes above average.
I am very glad to say that Sarah Michelle Gellar comes out of the proceedings best. She perfectly captures the seduction role. She is brilliant as both her friendly and bitchy alter egos. She is easily relatable. I think that when you are brought up with the power to get whatever you want, you expect that through your whole life. She is super sexy, but also manages to bring a human quality, to what could be a very unrealistic character. She is devastatingly sexy, wonderfully bitchy, fantastically beautiful, and undoubtedly irresistible. A brilliant performance a highlight of her career.
Selma Blair is sometimes a wonderfully light and fluffy actress, and she doesn’t disappoint as the naive and trusting Cecile, who Kathryn befriends to get an old abusive boyfriend in a lot of trouble. Selma, understands the character awkward persona and inexperience. It is funny to see how she reacts towards Kathryn and Sebastian. At first Kathryn is beautifully behaved, but gradually reveals her true colours. Selma is brilliant in this role, she is quirky and funny.
Reese Witherspoon isn’t really given much to do, but with the material that she does have, she is brilliant. I love Reese; she is luminous and instantly likeable. In this role she is angelic, but can also stand up for herself against nasty people. Her chemistry with the rather wooden Ryan is noticeable and she plays her slightly uninteresting role with flair and style. A very well cast member of the project.
Joshua Jackson is fairly amusing as the overly camp, acquaintance of Sebastian’s. He is a vital weapon in his role against Annette, as someone has been emailing her warning about his saucy antics. He is comfortable in the role and funny.
I left Ryan Philippe until last because he puts in the worst performance of the film. Not that it’s his worst ever performance. He isn’t capable of being not wooden. The only times were he is anything other than bad, is his scenes with the fantastic Sarah, and they only consist of looking good and flirting outrageously. As Sebastian he is fairly well suited, he has the whole cocky thing going for him. I suppose it’s not an awful performance, but it isn’t brilliant, everybody else out perform his noticeably.
The characters themselves really vary from quality I will attempt to go into the mind of them and tell you what I think they are going through (I enjoy doing this)
Kathryn is I think inside hurting; she has had to deal with having a maybe bad childhood as her mother is labelled a gold digging whore. People often use their appearance to cover up feelings of inadequacy, and I think that this is her problem, (this is explored in the greatly inferior sequel.) I think she is well developed and an interesting character, who could have been explored more, in the movie.
Sebastian is an unoriginal character who’s cocky, sophisticated and intelligent. I don’t think at the beginning of the movie he has any emotions at all, but as the movie progresses he becomes a more human character, who doesn’t know weither to be fuel by sex as before or love.
The script is full of sexual innuendos which are sometimes fairly outrageous. I don’t think that this should alienate older people as; they are done with class and are fairly crucial in portraying the different characters personalities.
As for the scripts quality, Roger Kumble is in touch with the teens, he writes a very enjoyable script that although containing many faults is at times touching, outrageous and sexy. It has good pace, the dialogue is easy to relate to as the characters are actually saying things that people of their age range would say. I think he hits on something, which is that if we all look inside ourselves we have a bit of all of the characters, according to some people I am like Sebastian (which is pure lies) When you hear about them you may think no way, but watch it and you will see. The script allows the actors to do their jobs well, and it slightly lifts the bars for many other ‘teen flicks’
Roger Kumble also directs this sexy look into the world of the young socialites. The movie is eye catching, well paced and simple. He gives the performers time to do their jobs and gets good performances.
I do have to say one more thing; the ending is really not very good. It comes out of nowhere and at the times makes for a fulfilling and emotional end, on second looks though, you realize that it doesn’t ring true to the characters. Kathryn does something way out of character and after the initial big shock; it kind of gets rid of all the wicked sexy high jinx.
I enjoyed watching this interesting and sexy look into the lives of these puppet masters, who think they have the right to ruin other people’s lives for their own enjoyment. It is mainly well acted, the direction is fluid and the production values are good. The ending is the only disappointing bit.
The prices I have seen vary from 5.99 from Tesco’s website to 11.00 at Amazon.
Advantages: witty, excellent performances, well executed Disadvantages: fails to rise above its 'teen movie' lable
Cruel Intentions, a teen comedy/drama with both a fiesty and serious side, which boasts an increbible cast of hollywood twenty somethings.
The stellar cast include Ryan Phillippe (The Way of the Gun, Gosford Park), Sarah Michelle Gellar (TV's Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Scooby Doo), Reese Witherspoon (Sweet Home Alabama, Legally Blond), Selma Blair (A Guy Thing, The Sweetest Thing) and Joshua Jackson (TV's Dawson's Creek).
The story is as follows; ... ...up now...
BOTTOM LINE
Cruel Intentions is a funny, slightly moving, entertainly look on a select group of people destoying eachother's lives, with back stabbing, black mail and whatever else hormone driven teens do these days to each other. An overall splendid film with minor flaws. Not really recommended for adults however. I don't think its their kind of film and by no means is it anything extremely special that could warrant Oscar recognition.
...
DarkMark 09.03.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cruel Intentions
Advantages: Decent teen movie with an interesting ending Disadvantages: There's just a few really, see op.
...-------------------------------------------
WHAT IS CRUEL INTENTIONS?
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Cruel Intentions is a modern remake of Dangerous Liaisons (the 1988 film which apparently was one of the best films of the decade). Cruel Intentions is actually the fourth adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons since it was initially published in 1782, having not been around in 1782 I really can’t go off the original version (sorry!). ... ...--------------------------------------------
WHO’S IN CRUEL INTENTIONS?
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Sebastian aka Ryan Phillippe (isn’t he just gorgeous?)
Kathryn aka Sarah Michelle Geller aka Buffy
Annette aka Reese Witherspoon
Cecile aka Selma Blair
Blaine aka Joshua Jackson aka Pacey (Dawson’s Creek)
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WHAT’S CRUEL INTENTIONS ABOUT?
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...
Sarah_Louise 03.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cruel Intentions
Advantages: How good the actors are and how class they make this movie to be.And how no special effects are needed to make this movie how good it is. Disadvantages: wasnt long enough lol
The best movie that i have seen in a while has to be "cruel intentions". It is full of everything that i could ever want in a movie. I was watching it last night for the millionth time lol and i got all intreged in to it again like i did the first time that i seen this movie. It is a movie that could never get old that you always want to watch it again and again. Well i could any ways lol. The first time that i seen it advertised I just thought oh ... ...go and see. It looked daring, exciting, sly and romantic all rolled in to one movie. So me and my mates went to see it at the cinema and we were all excited one of the reasons was yes ill admit it the georgeous ryan phillipe lol. But that wasnt the only reason why i wanted to see it. I think that a movie thats kind of intreging kind of attracts u too it and also that it is a kind of sluty and mysterious movie you just think that its a must see thing. ...
crazygeordie 28.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cruel Intentions
Advantages: Great acting and characters Disadvantages: it had to end
Cruel Intentions, 97 mins approx, UK Rating 15
This 1999 movie set out to bring Les Dangerous Liaisons into the modern day; stepsiblings Katherine and Sebastian take sibling rivalry to another level as they make a bet on whether Sebastian can steal the virginity of their new headmasters daughter Annette Hargrove. If he fails Katherine will get to keep his jaguar and if he succeeds he wins the one thing that he can't have, her. On his way to accomplishing ... ...Director:
The director of Cruel Intentions is Roger Kumble in 2000 he also went on to direct Cruel Intentions 2 and worked as a writer on Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin & There's something about Mary. Cast:
Sarah Michelle Geller plays Katherine Merteuil, Katharine is a rich bitch, she is used to getting everything her way and people obeying her commands. Society sees her as some kind of martyr and she has been put up on a pedal stool. She believes that ...
LIZKEMPO 06.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cruel Intentions
Sassy wised-up modern reworkings of classics can work bigtime - witness Alicia Silverstone in Clueless, a film that made me think there might be something in Jane Austen's Emma. Dangerous Liaisons and to a lesser extent Valmont showed that a film adaptation (it had already hit pay dirt on the stage with Christopher Hampton's version) of Choderlos de Laclos' novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses could work on the screen. Enter stage left director Roger Kumble ... ...accompanied by a trio of poster-friendly actors - Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon - ready to update Laclos' book. Nice idea but what we get is a distasteful mess.
The film fails because it cannot distinguish between eroticism and titillation, coaxes performances from its leads that are more Carry On Snogging than Kama Sutra and along the way exhibits such a blue-rinse notion of sexuality that it becomes an exercise in ...
oedipus 26.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Cruel Intentions
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Advantages: Hot Sarah Michelle Geller Disadvantages: The ending was a bit of a let down
CruelIntentions had won me over from the start with "Every Me, Every You" by Placebo as the opening track. We meet Sebastian Valmont a young man who is extremely wealthy and arrogant. He seduces women for fun and then discards them as a sort of game and even uses seduction as a weapon as we see when we meet him first he's leaving the office of an angry psychiatrist who has been over charging.
His step-sister, Kathryn, is not dissimilar. When we first meet her she is in a meeting with a mother of a girl who is just entering the school Kathryn is head-girl of. They are all clearly of New York's upper class of the Upper-East. Kathryn agrees to take on the girl Cecile but despite the innocent performance Kathryn puts up for the mother her true intentions aren't so honourable. Kathryn's ex-boyfriend dumped her for Cecile and Kathryn ...
Advantages: it was watchable in a funny sort of way Disadvantages: The quality of acting didn't compare to the original, Repeated quotes from the first film
As "CruelIntentions" is one of my favourite movies, on hearing about the second one I immediateley thought I must see this movie, although I did wonder how a sequel could be made after such a dramatic ending in the original film. I later found that the film was a prequel and so thought it would be interesting to see.
*The Characters*
Sebastian Valmont (Robin Dunne) - Sebastian has moved to New York to live with his father and his stepmother after being thrown out of another private school. Sebastian wants to forget his past and start afresh after falling in love with the head master's daughter Danielle but can Sebastian overcome his wicked ways after meeting his manipulative stepsister Kathryn who has dug deep to find out about his true past.
Kathryn Merteuil (Amy Adams) - Kathryn is a rich, manipulative tart who likes to ...
Advantages: nice film Disadvantages: not as good as first one
I was sorting out all my DVDs that I have not yet watched yesterday, and vowed to watch them all before Christmas. So I started on the right track by watching one last night, this was CruelIntentions 2.
THE PLOT
This film is set before the first CruelIntentions. A young guy called Sebastian, who is played by Robin Dunne has to go and live with his father, stepmother and step sister Kathryn, who is played by Amy Adams. When he arrives he realizes that his stepmother is loaded and he is going to be living in her mansion and on top of that Kathryn and her stepmother are very stuck up and snobby.
Sebastian has to start a new school with Kathryn, where all the students are rich and snobby, but Sebastian manages to fall for the only plain Jane in the school, who just happens to be the headmaster's daughter. But for those of you ...
Drama - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Ian McShane, Dudley Sutton, Phyllis Logan, Chris Jury, Malcolm Tierney
Drama - Director: Massimiliano Zanin, Walter Martyn Cabell, Nello Pepe, Silvia Rossi - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Victoria Di Stefano, Mario Lorenz, Erika Savastani, Silvia Rossi
![Cruel Intentions [DVD] [1999]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78551185.jpg "Cruel Intentions [DVD] [1999]")
