Segundas Intenções

This came out at the movies when I was 14 and let me tell you, it was the hottest thing to ever be shown at the movies in our lifetime! You could either sneak in or wait for the VHS. What a time. Watching it 23 years later I feel it really holds up. The precursor to Gossip Girl and the like, this really set a tone and I'm all for it.

I find it incredibly peculiar how the same novel (Choderlos de Laclos' "Les liaisons dangereuses", but that won't be on the test) can spawn two separate interpretations that are absolutely nothing alike. "Dangerous Liaisons" was a very stylish, classy, hyper-professional and (maybe as a result) also somewhat slow costume drama, while "Cruel Intentions" shamelessly takes the sleazy road and ends up being really entertaining. It's primarily aimed at teens and piles up Hollywood clichés like it's a contest or something, but despite those hurdles it manages to strike exactly the right dark tone. Sarah Michelle Gellar is really good in the Glenn Close role, technically she only gives her villain one dimension but it's a dimension you love to hate. She has acid running through her veins, in fact the whole movie seems a lot more harsh and direct than "Dangerous Liaisons" was. Do I actually prefer this high schooler remake over the original "Dangerous Liaisons"? Well, secretly yes, but to avoid being burned on a pyre I'll just say they're both excellent movies in their own right. "Cruel Intentions" is just a great watch though.

For exactly two-thirds of its 97 minute running time, "Cruel Intentions" scores as a nasty-minded, wryly satiric and even mildly courageous teen update of "Dangerous Liaisons." But, like so many movies with one eye cocked towards the boxoffice, "Cruel Intentions" loses its nerve and settles ultimately for comfortable, safe and hopelessly dull conventionality. Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar portray a wicked pair of step siblings who operate together to prey sexually upon unsuspecting victims, manipulating others to achieve their goals of personal conquest and revenge. It's refreshing to encounter protagonists who make no excuses for their amorality and instead allow themselves to be completely guided by their own self-serving impulses, totally unmindful of the consequences to others. Their schemes are acted out with a callous gleefulness and self-absorbed relish that raises the film to a level of surprisingly sophisticated satire and audacity. But, when Sebastian encounters his ultimate challenge - a midwestern virgin played by Reese Witherspoon, who has publicly declared in a magazine her decision to wait for true love before offering herself to a man - he falls under her charms and suddenly transforms from coldhearted predator to mushheaded romantic. This is the major problem with the film. Sebastian is valid and interesting as a character as long as he stays within the realm of sly manipulator and acerbic scoundrel. When he is called upon to function as a dashing romantic figure, he loses both credibility and uniqueness - and the film itself goes into a freefall tailspin. For, as Sebastian undergoes his sudden conversion, all the sharply satiric wit simply drains out of the film. We're ultimately left with little more than unconvincing melodrama, inappropriately tragic overtures and a silly evildoers-do-not-prosper resolution. What a pity to see yet another in a long line of movies that start out with bright promise, but which finally end up renaging on their initial courageousness, leaving the audience in perpetual frustration.

In this film wealthy prep school student Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) bets her stepbrother Sebastian (Ryan Phillipe) that he can't deflower the virginal Annette (Reese Witherspoon) before the school year begins. If he fails to accomplish this task, Kathryn gets his Jaguar Roadster; if he succeeds, he gets an evening of pleasure with Kathryn.

I just finished watching Cruel Intentions and what a pleasant surprise this film turned out to be. I guess the best way to describe it is as a sexy and seductive thriller. The film is very clever and bold but above all, extremely engaging and entertaining. Dealing with this kind of subject...making this kind of film...it's definitely not easy. Usually these kind of films come off somewhat "fake" and lame; corny, whatever you want to call it. Thankfully, Cruel Intentions went the other way, probably thanks to the witty and sharp dialogue and a very good direction.

Ryan Phillippe delivered a terrific performance and so did Reese Witherspoon. I was actually a bit disappointed with Sarah Michelle Gellar, her acting was not very convincing at times to say the least but honestly, the story is so engaging that I was able to overlook that flaw. Another aspect that really took me by surprise was the musical score. Cruel Intentions has one of the best soundtracks I have ever seen in films. There's some great well known songs like Skunk Anansie's "secretly" and Placebo's "every me and every you", but there's also some fast paced instrumental tracks throughout the film that really compliment the scenes. Overall, a great watch and so much more then a teen film.

7.5/10

I'm writing on this movie because there is probably no bigger afficionado on this subject than myself. I've seen this movie thousands of times and must say that it is exquisite. The portrayal of Valmont by Ryan Phillippe is magnificent, and its intriguing to know that the object of his affection, Annette (Reese Witherspoon), is his real life wife. Sarah Michelle Gellar does easily the best acting of her career, not that that says too much. The story is one that has been done many times over (Dangerous Liaisons, Valmont), however, this was an excellent adaptation to this age group and these current times. The fact that the 20 somethings are portraying 17 year old kids is unnoticeable because of the great acting and the portrayal of the story. Phillippe is easily the highlight of the film with his slick portrayal of Valmont. His disregard for others feelings and emotions is ruthless. The piece is without comparison of the trend of terrible teen movies made in the late 90's-early 00-01. This is the only one that takes a serious storyline and portrays it with enough maturity to appeal not only to teens but older audiences as well. The one problem I do have with the movie is the way that Sebastian turns from so evil and wicked to this love sick kid at the end of the film. When you see the deleted scenes on the DVD, you see the original cut of the climatic scene between Valmont and Merteuil. In this scene rather than walk out in near tears, Valmont slaps Kathryn and demands her end of the bet, before he is finally denied and then leaves. This would be a much better scene than the one used. It goes along with the entire idea of the character and when he turns to a sap you feel like Sebastian is turning to a sappy wimp. The film is still an excellent piece and should be regarded as an admirable adaptation of the novel "Les Liasons Dangereuse".