Reel News

Deceit, Lies and Promiscuity

by Courtney S. Pirro

Sex sells. Don't believe that one? Well, then explain why a film that deals with teenagers having sex like rabbits, and betting on if someone can deflower the innocent virgin sells. Cruel Intentions just so happens to be that film and it raked in millions of dollars in its opening weekend. Making it one of the top three films at that time.

This film is the fourth screen adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' "Les liasons Dangereuses" and seems to have strayed from the original. While director Roger Kumole did an excellent job of putting the film into a nice 90's version, he seems not to have grasped the concept of the original. He inserts numerous sexual undertones that are more noticeable than subtle. One scene is a lesbian tongue-kissing scene between one of the main characters, Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and another girl, Cecil (Selma Blair) in the middle of Central Park. This could have been left out completely, but it seems to grab the male audience and help box office sales.

To sum up the story is simple. Two spoiled, rich step-siblings, Kathryn Merteuil (Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (played by Ryan Phillipe) are living in Upper Manhattan. Between the sexual feud the two have going on, comes a bet to deflower the innocent Annette (Reese Witherspoon) and to take down the naïve 15 year old Cecile (Blair), who stole Kathryn's love. It doesn't end there; the wager is if Sebastian conquers Annette, he gets Kathryn, the object of his obsession. If Kathryn wins, she gets his expensive and classic Jaguar. However, as Sebastian tries to deflower Annette, he begins to fall in love with her, changing the course of the bet.

Overall, the only thing impressive about the film is the costumes. However, the film is well done for a remake and seems to have hit the target audience of teenagers and young adults. Gellar and Phillipe have great chemistry on screen and provide the audience with believable performances. While Witherspoon and Phillipe were engaged during the shooting of this film, their emotions for each other were not as realistic until the scenes later on in the film. Notable performances worth mentioning were by Christine Baranski as the mother of the naïve Blair and Swoosie Kurtz as Sebastian's therapist. Both had moments that really gripped the attention of the audience.

This film does have its moments and will sustain the attention of the younger audience. For the older crowd, it will appear to be a film of sex-filled romps in the park. With a brilliant younger cast and freshly written script, it does have the potential for pure entertainment with no meaning behind it. Overall, check it out for an evening of pure endulgement; but leave the kids at home.

Rated R: Adult Content, Brief Nudity, Adult Language, Drug use, Sexuality