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 (whose pedigree includes that little-lamented gem National Lampoon's Senior Trip) 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 prurience. Twenty-something actors depict teenagers adopting the cynicism ofthirty-somethings - at best it feels like Bugsy Malone(Alan Parker's kids as gangster musical) at worst it is embarrassing.
There are lashings of style, trouble is when you lash things around it goes everywhere and, Jackson Pollock aside, its not that praiseworthy or intelligible. 'Lets stick her in a wide-brimmed hat in this scene, that suggests sophistication' the director thought, not thinking that it might also require some input from Ms Gellar to round out the suggestion. And so it goes on, battering the audience with the trappings and surroundings of class (actually here its simply reduced to 'expense', the scheming couple coming across as gauche, spoilt nouveau riche kids).
Just to cement our understanding that these kids are up for it in the prodigious bonking stakes we have an undercurrent of homophobia and the business with the black cello teacher does little to ward off charges that this is exploitative casting. Stridently hetero rich WASPs at play.
And the coup de grace. Forget the original ending and replace it with a highly moralistic conclusion that undoes anything that might have been achieved earlier. In brief, voyeuristic, onanistic film-making that demeans the public and all involved in its making. Avoid.
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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
Wow! A truly great opinion utilising a very cogent argument throughout. Excellent piece of writing. Steve.
darrenloud 26.08.2001 21:17
I can understand your point of view, however, I don't think you've been particularly fair on your description. I found that this film had quite an interesting story, in comparision to some of the crap the American's are churning out now! Although, It's your view and I respect that ;-) Cheers...........Darren
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
crazygeordie 28.06.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Cruel Intentions
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
jenni_a 29.04.2003 (29.04.2003)
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Review of CruelIntentions 2 (DVD)
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