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CRUEL INTENTIONS

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 1 out of 5

Because of: sexual themes and content

Rated:

There have been numerous depictions of the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a cruel depiction of man's innate desire to bring itself to ruination through sexuality. If the book's only redeeming virtue lies in its ability to shock audiences into the realization that such trials only bring about misery, that is the one redeeming virtue of the film, and even that is lost in context.

Spoiled, bored, and downright conniving, socialite step-siblings Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe) and Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) are on separate tracks to bringing ruination and humiliation to every unfortunate innocent to cross their path. Sebastian has grown tired of seducing "boring" upper-class girls and longs for a true triumph, found in the pages of Seventeen, along with an article entitled "Why I Intend to Wait." The daring young woman who puts virtue before passion is Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon), the virginal daughter of the new headmaster at the elite prep school that Sebastian and Kathryn attend. Kathryn has her own plans for Sebastian's summer off -- namely seducing socially-inept Cecile (Selma Blair), in order to humiliate Cecile's new boyfriend, and former lover of Kathryn.

That is far too easy, Sebastian argues, and declines in favor of pursuing Annette. Kathryn then proposes a wager. She doesn't believe her stepbrother's charms are enough to bed such an outspoken advocate of abstinence. So the bet is made: if Kathryn's assumptions are right and this blonde beauty manages to evade his advances, she wins the keys to his brand new car. If Sebastian wins the wager, Kathryn, being the one woman in the world he wants more than anything and knows he cannot have, will sleep with him. The result is a blend of sadistic games among wealthy teenagers in order to strip one another of their virtue that becomes complicated when Sebastian falls in love with Annette.

Sex. It's all they talk about. It's all they do. Anyone attempting to discern if this movie is worth their time should know what they're in for -- two hours of sexual escapades made all the more disturbing by their implications rather than their overt ness. We don't see oral shenanigans but we hear about them. There's moaning from behind closed doors ... and not just heterosexual relationships. Sebastian purposefully intrudes on a gay tryst in order to blackmail one of the participants. Under the pretense of "practicing on girl friends," Kathryn and Cecile trade saliva and tongues. Sebastian's backside is briefly seen in the pool area. There's so much sexual dialogue that nothing else can be salvaged. Cecile's attempts to be seductive are painfully humiliating. Annette finally does give in to Sebastian, and we witness their intimacy in a series of close-up, sweaty shots of their head and shoulders. Kathryn stimulates Sebastian while sitting on his lap (implied). I lost track of f-words, but there were three abuses of Jesus' name and numerous uses of b**ch, "fag," and other offensive slang.

Kathryn gives a sanctimonious speech about turning to God in her hour of need, but the ornate cross around her neck actually contains snuff. Sebastian accuses Annette of being a religious hick because of her determination to keep her virginity. None of the other adaptations left me with as unsettled a feeling as this one. Though there is no redeeming value in the story itself, most adaptations grant us at least the feeling that the figure of Kathryn mourns the loss of Valmont, that it was but a series of sexual games meant to cause pain out of jealousy. That is absent in this story. Kathryn gets what she deserves but we get the feeling that she mourns the loss of her reputation much more than the loss of Valmont. There's something evil about Cruel Intentions, if only for its glaring depiction of cavalier sex.