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Review #385 of 365
Movie Review of Venus (2006) [R] 95 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $11.75
Where Viewed: Landmark Chez Artiste, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 1 February 2007
Time: 4:45 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
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Directed by: Roger Michell (Enduring Love)
Written by: Hanif Kureishi (The Mother)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Peter O'Toole (One Night with the King) • Leslie Phillips (Churchill: The Hollywood Years) • Jodie Whittaker ("The Afternoon Play") • Vanessa Redgrave ("Nip/Tuck") • Richard Griffiths (The History Boys)
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Venus, one of the last holdouts from the Oscar®-worthy 2006 releases to finally reach a wider audience, thanks again to Landmark Theatres who serve as the bedrock in bringing the I&Is (international and independent films) to more of the masses even without Oscar® buzz, presents a worthy challenge when it comes to preparing a critique. Artistically, the film is captivating in many ways. Director Roger Michell knew exactly what he was doing from start to finish. The tantalizing script from Hanif Kureishi delivers the central characters with the same sort of natural ease. Everything about the film is letter-perfect. Ironically, perhaps, this is one of the things that induces feelings of being ill-at-ease when watching it. It's so perfect it cannot be real or something's about to fall off, who knows. The story centers on Maurice (Peter O'Toole), an antique but still quite famous actor who, in his day, was known for his devilishly handsome good looks—sounds a lot like the real Peter O'Toole—and his cadre of surviving friends, Ian (Leslie Phillips) and Donald (Richard Griffiths). Their lives have become mostly routine with doctors visits and lingering coffee shop stays to discuss the obituaries and the good old days. Maurice visits, upon occasion, his former wife, Valerie (Vanessa Redgrave) who still tolerates the father of their children despite years of resentment for his abandonment of their family and marriage. Life has become mostly a ritual of perpetual redundancy for Maurice who obviously longs for yesteryear. His passion and lust for women, however, has never wavered or diminished as his years wore on. Hence, when Ian's great niece is thrust upon him as a house guest by his sister's daughter who feels it 'will be easier for her to find work in London than the countryside', the rebellious young woman instantly becomes the bane of Ian's existence and the boon of Maurice's. A feisty, stubborn, free spirit, Jessie (Jodie Whittaker) barrels head strong into a friendship with Maurice who buys her nice things and takes her nice places. He presumes their relationship to be a bit more mutually engaging than does she.
The Toilet of Venus Buy From Art.com (The painting that gives the film its title.)
He finds her a job modeling nude for art classes, and takes her to see Diego Velasquez's Venus (hence the title and her subsequent nick name throughout the film) in an art museum to convince her that the profession is a noble one. Events and circumstances eventually bond the two into a sort of dependency that carries Maurice on to his end and teaches Jessie / Venus a thing or two about what she has a right to expect in a relationship. Of course, having caused so much pain in the lives of his loved ones, Maurice is equally qualified to illustrate what happens when one does not treat the ones he or she loves with the respect they richly deserve.
"…Peter O'Toole delivers an outstanding performance--not one of the top five of 2006—[in] a sterile almost contrived…story"
There is no question that USA cultural biases laden the film with a high 'creepiness' factor when it comes to the apparent 50+ year age difference between Venus and Maurice. While she is a legal, consenting adult, his designs on her seem, at time, lecherous. She responds, also, at times in a crude and provocative way sometimes leading him on and sometimes smacking him down. Their rapport never develops into one that could be described as truly sweet or loving, however. Eventually, there is, perhaps, mutual respect and slight adoration from her. Despite well-developed and well-layered characters, both are fairly unlikable people. Aside, in fact, from Valerie, most of the characters in the story are difficult to like. So, even with brilliant dialogue and the typical British penchant for steeping stories in history and Shakespeare elevating even the nuances to lessons in lore, and equivalently dedicated performances from the legendary likes of Mr. O'Toole and Ms Redgrave and relative newcomer Ms Whittaker, as a whole, the film doesn't quite set well. No doubt, Peter O'Toole delivers an outstanding performance. With all due respect, it's not one of the top five of 2006. Not because he doesn't play the character well, but because the character is not that difficult for him to play. In the end, there is a sterile almost contrived feel to the story as if a tiny nugget of a good idea was allowed to roll randomly down a snowy hillside gaining size and momentum without regard for purpose, shape, or result. The curious evidence of this is the feeling one has by the end of the story, that of emptiness. Halfway through, sort of, I guess I stopped really caring what happened to Maurice. I never much cared for the cad in the first place, and he didn't do too much to change my mind.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Venus (2006)
Cast Members
Peter O'Toole
• Leslie Phillips • Jodie WhittakerCathryn Bradshaw
• Vanessa Redgrave • Richard GriffithsDirector
Roger Michell
Writer
Hanif Kureishi
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Venus (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
In directing Venus, from Hanif Kureishi's tantalizing script, Director Roger Michell knew exactly what he was doing. Everything about the film is letter-perfect ironically inducing uneasy feelings when watching it. Centering on Maurice (Peter O'Toole), an antique actor who, in his day, was known for his devilishly handsome good looks, whose life is turned upside down with complications upon entry of his friend's rebellious young grandniece, a feisty free spirit, named Jessie (Jodie Whittaker). USA cultural biases laden the film, therefore, with a high 'creepiness' factor when it comes to the apparent 50+ year age difference between them. Despite well-developed, well-layered characters, both are fairly unlikable people. Even with brilliant dialogue and the typical British penchant for elevating nuances to lessons in lore, and equivalently dedicated performances from the legendary O'Toole and Vanessa Redgrave and relative newcomer Ms Whittaker, as a whole, the film doesn't quite set well.
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