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This modern-day teen update ofLes Liaisons Dangereusessuffered at the hands of both 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, this intermittently successful sudser plays 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's 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
Good I GET SO SEXUALLY EXCITED WHEN I SEE THAT KISS! I START DRINKING GET COMPLETELY STONED
Back When Witherspoon Was A Promising Actress Despite turning into an unintentional (?) comedy in its last 20 minutes, "Cruel Intentions" is worth watching. It is one more entry in a long line of films based on the Choderlos De Laclos novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses", this one is a modern teen update of the story with rich Manhatten teenagers playing roles originally calling for jaded French aristocrats.
It has been said that while teenagers once went to the movies to see adults making love, adults now go to the movies to see teenagers making love. This is not precisely the case with "Cruel Intentions", which is more like teenagers seeing adults playing teenagers making love. This is particularly glaring in the case of Selma Blair who was cast as the youngest character, Cecile. Talk about "13 Going On 30"! Blair actually looks older than Jennifer Garner and may have served as Garner's inspiration. Unfortunately the viewer is asked to accept this horrible miscasting, which leaves everyone embarrassed for Blair and hopeful after each scene that you have seen the last of her character.
Buffy is in this and while she is a "little long in the tooth" for her character, it is not quite as glaring. It was a fun role for her, similar to Rose McGowan's character in "Jawbreaker", although more sterile. They seem to have borrowed "Jawbreaker's" ending as well (probably just a coincidence), although they don't do it as well because Buffy isn't any competition for McGowan in the talent and sexy departments. It was a mistake to end things differently than the earlier "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" films although the ending's unintentional humor provides a welcome relief.
The main story is the reason I can recommend "Cruel Intentions". A down-to-earth Reese Witherspoon plays the new girl (and thankfully looks about the right age) in town. She has written a nationally published essay entitled "Why I Choose to Wait." Sebastian (played by her real life husband Ryan Phillippe) has a bet that he can put an end to her waiting. They have very good chemistry and all their scenes work very well.
The reasonable response to Witherspoon's recent movie roles is to dismiss her as the worst actress of her generation. But if you check out her performances here and in "Election" you will find that she was once a promising talent.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.sexy This movie gives a sexy, sensual twist to the sterotypical "teen flick." It communicates a new idea of sexuality amongst present-day teenagers, rather than the "bang her and leave her" mentality that is most commonly portrayed. I think the cast was very well chosen, and the dynamics of the cast were amazing. There weren't too many "no means" or "B list" actors, but on the other hand there weren't too many "A listers," which would have thrown the focus off the plot. The music used in the movie was perfect because it accentuated the tone of the movie.
