Cruel Intentions Review
by Jamey Hughton (bhughton AT sk DOT sympatico DOT ca)August 19th, 1999
CRUEL INTENTIONS
***1/2 (out of five stars)
A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe,
Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair
Director-Roger Kumble
Rated 14A
Released February 1999
Sony
Reviewed August 1999
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As a remake of the French play Les Liasons Dangereuses, Cruel Intentions is a re-decorated and distinctly teen-orientated update that introduces younger viewers to a familiar story. The lead roles, inhabited by Glenn Close and John Malkovich in 1988’s Dangerous Liasons, have been taken over by good-looking representatives of the Gen-X acting crowd. And despite the fact that Cruel Intentions may appear as a hackneyed and laughably pretentious piece of work, it only exists to be good, trashy fun. And that it is.
Judging by the amount of sarcasm displayed by one character, this film could easily be labeled a dark comedy. It has shades of romance, but the overall vibe a viewer would get from watching this is not necessarily a pleasant one. This film is about revenge, deceit, and making people miserable. Most of the treachery is committed by Katherine (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a prep school president and (*ahem*) bitch extraordinare. Katherine and her step-brother Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) have this sick game they play, in which they bet on which new and unexpecting virgin they can seduce. But things get too easy for Sebastian. He gets bored with the job rather quickly.
And so, he attempts to raise his standards. His new subject is a pretty rich girl named Annette (Reese Witherspoon), who has vowed to remain a virgin until she first experiences genuine love. Sebastian has high optimism that he can sucker her in, and with a hot bet proposed that puts his car against something even more desirable, he just can’t afford to lose. But on a second inspection, Annette turns out to be more strong-willed than Sebastian anticipated. While trying desperately to win her over, he begins to actually fall in love with the girl. His once fool-proof plan has back-fired on him.
The first hour of Cruel Intentions is pure, devilish fun. Well-deserving people are stabbed in the back, and we revel in all the mockery. It also introduces a new, naive student named Cecile (Selma Blair), whom director Roger Kumble uses for much of the comic relief. In one of the film’s more enlightening scenes, Katherine shows Cecile what it feels like to “get to first base”. She then becomes an object of Sebastian’s desire, but with all her incessant whining and her immature attitude, she just annoys him to death.
There is quite a bit of sexual content in this film, but most of it is implied in very detailed conversations. Little is shown on-screen. In the two lead roles, Phillippe and Gellar perform past our expectations, each displaying a whimsical sense of self-confidence and sarcastic bite. Gellar does such an impressive job with the malicious Katherine that I began wishing she’d get hit by a semi, or some other large moving vehicle that would kill her instantly. Reese Witherspoon shows us how her undisputed charm can lighten up a movie even of this dark caliber.
Sooner or later, Cruel Intentions becomes drowned out in seriousness, but the transition is well-staged. Phillippe and Witherspoon have believable chemistry, mostly based on his frustration, and the romance is harsh but believable. But, I did enjoy the first half with greater viewing pleasure, because it was dastardly good fun. Bearing some resemblance to Wild Things, Cruel Intentions has some obvious trashy elements that are swept under the carpet in favor of plotting. Director Kumble has successfully revised an old story to fit the demanding standards of the 90’s, but he has maintained the basic plot structure in doing so. This film is cheap and offensive, but if it happens to catch you in the right mood, you should indulge in this mindless garbage.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
MOVIE VIEWS by Jamey Hughton: http://Welcome.to/MovieViews
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