| Two Manhattan
prep-school brats star in this latest
teen screen dramatization –
featuring, of course, someone from the WB
or Fox. Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Simply
Irresistible) is hell-bent for
revenge after losing her beau to the
perky young Cecile (Selma Blair) and her
step-brother Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe, Playing
by Heart) just wants to nail every
skirt he can. The siblings will go to any
means necessary both to accomplish their
goals and to outdo each other. The hit a
new low when Kathryn bets Sebastian that
he can’t bed a young virgin (Reese
Witherspoon, Pleasantville). Sound
familiar? Good, because it’s just an
update of the 18th century
French novel by Choderlos de Laclos that
you may know better as Dangerous
Liaisons. This is the fourth film
adaptation of "Les Liaisons
Dangereuses" and the second to be
set in modern time. Though some of the
characters bear the same name as Stephen
Frear’s 1988 Oscar-winner,
writer/director Roger Kumble has tweaked
his cast to seem a bit more believable in
1999 - or possibly to meet rigorous
Affirmative-Action regulations…two
are gay and one is black.
Intentions
is surprisingly entertaining until the
last reel, when it really craps out. But,
up until then, it is deliciously naughty
and a little reminiscent of 1998’s Wild
Things. Phillippe, who was so
amazingly bland in 54, is nothing
short of fantastic in the role
popularized by John Malkovich. Blair (the
Uma Thurman part) is a big scene-stealer.
Gellar (Glenn Close) is sufficiently
wicked, but a bit hammy as the evil
Kathryn and Witherspoon (Pfeiffer) is
underused. And look for a cameo by
Swoozie Kurtz, who also appeared in the
1998 film.
1:39 –
for mild violence, strong adult language
and trouser-tightening adult situations
|
