By far one of the best of the 99' crop of teen films this excellent version of Les Liasions Dangereuses is a clever, beautifully filmed story of love and redemption. Real life husband and wife Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon play their roles with aplomb and the transplantation of the films setting from 18th century France to modern day New York is inspired. The jealousy, ambivalence towards others and downright hatred of the upper class characters remains and is put to good effect in what turns out to be a surprisingly moving film, thankfully free of the base jokes of it's contemporary teen movies.
Phillippe clearly enjoys his role as the caddish Valmont and he plays a very good is he/isn't he sincere style in which you're never really sure if he's truly falling in love with Witherspoon's Annette or just toying with her. On the whole, though it is well thought out the coincidental nature of the film ruins the reality somewhat. The idea that everything could fall so impeccably into place at the beginning stretches credibility to breaking point, though it never descends into scripting farce.
What you have to realise is that it is not a successor to Dangerous Liasions and should not be compared to it. It merely takes the basic idea of two manipulative people and twists it wonderfully to suit it's new surroundings. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Phillippe are great as the cunning siblings, Witherspoon is a delight as the not-so-naive object of their attention and Selma Blair, though often annoying, fits in well as the humourous and docile Cecile. |
