Rating: 

The Info

Directed by: Roger Kumble
Written by: Roger Kumble
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair, Louise Fletcher, Swoosie Kurtz, Christine Baranski
Produced by: Neal H. Moritz

The Nutshell

A remake of Dangerous Liaisons, the film is about a rich young man whose step-sister dares him to sexually conquer a prim and proper young woman as part of a bet.

The Review

    Cruel Intentions, a remake of Dangerous Liaisons, has Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar trying to fill the shoes of John Malkovich and Glenn Close. They don't succeed. Where Liaisons was a dark pleasure, Intentions is a bore. Thanks to an uninspired story and a failed attempt by Phillippe to capture Malkovich's emotionless chill, this film is empty fluff.

    The story of two spoiled rich kids, Intentions starts off with a scene intended to show us that Sebastian (Phillippe) is a sexual bad boy. Through some nude photos of his therapist's daughter on the internet, he ruins one girl's life while setting his sights on his next victim. We are next introduced to Kathryn, Sebastian's step-sister (Gellar). She is his equal in deviancy, and they enjoy watching each other mess with people's lives. Kathryn's current project is to turn the utterly stupid Cecile (Blair) into a sexual beast, ruining her reputation and that of current love interest, an ex of Kathryn's who ticked her off.

    The main story here involves a bet. Kathryn bets Sebastian that he cannot seduce Annette (Witherspoon), the new dean's daughter, who has written a magazine article about why she is going to abstain from sexual relations until marriage. If he fails, Kathryn gets his priceless Jaguar convertible, and if he succeeds, his prize... is Kathryn. Turns out that Sebastian has wanted his step-sister for years, and, if he can win the bet, he can not only have his way with her, but can "put it anywhere he wants", as Kathryn so tastefully puts it.

    Sebastian pursues Annette with his usual gusto, though Phillippe plays him with little to no emotion, so we don't really care. Phillippe's attempt to imitate Malkovich's acting style is obvious and insulting. Annette is virtuous and wholesome, but Reese Witherspoon doesn't put much energy into her role. Sarah Michelle Gellar manages to be sultry and slutty as Kathryn, yet the important side of her character, the deviancy and malice, are underplayed. In the supporting role of Cecile, Selma Blair is obnoxious and annoying. Cecile is stupid, ignorant and naive. Past films have had pricelessly dumb supporting characters, like Floyd (Brad Pitt) in True Romance, yet Cecile just gets on your nerves.

    The fact that the film is primarily about sex, yet has no provocative or energetic love scenes, takes away any chance for this film to be considered a sexual thriller. The last 20 minutes attempt to shock with a couple of surprise plot twists, yet none manage to make the ending interesting. Someone gets burned in the end, someone walks away happy, and someone walks away devastated, but as the final credits roll, nobody cares. This film is devoid of any redeeming qualities and is a waste of your time and money.

Copyright - Tim Chandler

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