DVD
REVIEW: CHERI
10/18/09
OVERVIEW: An ill-fated love affair scandalizes glittering Belle
Époque France in Chéri, coming to DVD on October 20, 2009 from Miramax Films and Buena
Vista Home Entertainment. Directed by two-time Oscar® nominee Stephen Frears (Best
Director, The Queen, 2006; Best Director, The Grifters, 1990), Chéri is a sensual and
provocative celebration of the meeting of love and lust in the sumptuously realized demimonde
of turn-of-the-20th century Paris.
SYNOPSIS: In the glittering, decadent world of Paris at the dawn of the 20th century, Lea (Michelle Pfeiffer),
a legendary courtesan, agrees to undertake the romantic education of Chéri (Rupert Friend),
the 19-year-old son of a former rival (Kathy Bates). Thirty years older than her student and the
former lover of some of France’s most wealthy and powerful men, the last thing Lea expects is
that she will fall in love with the boy—or he with her. The surprising romance consumes them
both and plunges them into struggles over sex, money, age and status—as a boy who refuses
to grow up collides with a woman who realizes she cannot stay young forever.
FILM REVIEW: Lea de
Lonval: I'm probably making a fool of myself... but then again, why not? Life is short!
Love has that affect on people. It turns them into fools. I personally don’t mind being that kind of fool if it’s because of love. But for Lea de
Lonval, a professional courtesan at the point of retirement, love does not exist in her dictionary. Her profession has trained her to be able to detach and remain independent and strong. Not bad for a woman around the turn of the century. One of the more appealing aspects of this film is its setting, turn of the century Paris. The scenery was impeccable, the costumes were magnificent, the hairdos were timely, and the sets and props were very appropriate. This movie takes you to another place and time, no doubt. The cast is not too shabby either with Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates and Rupert Friend as your primary characters. Aging is inevitable and this movie explores that fact and how it relates to relationships. Aging is also creeping up on Michelle but she still remains beautiful and very sexy. She was perfectly cast for this role. Kathy at first seemed a little out of place for this story, but with her talent she blends in well after a while and you forget the awkwardness. Rupert was quite the young Frenchman and quite self centered and spoiled. He played the title role very well. Overall, the performances for these three started out a little slow and weak but they quickly picked up as the movie progressed.
Sex and more sex is one of the themes of this picture as you would imagine given the characters and storyline. The problem is that Lea breaks the cardinal rule as love somehow seeps into her latest adventure and now she’s in unfamiliar territory. As a result, other problems emerge which present other themes of the movie: aging and relationships, forbidden, undesired, and unreciprocated relationships. Oh Edmee (Felicity Jones), that poor, poor girl, the victim of an arranged marriage to a reluctant spouse. Each of the characters will draw some form of sympathy from the viewer for each of them has their own set of issues. Part of the liveliness of the characters is the film’s sharp script. There is sarcasm, lies, tantrums, hypocrisy, you name it. Put it all together and it adds to the entertainment value of the movie. Similar to the performances, the script starts out a little slow but picks up speed as time goes on. The story itself seems pretty modern for a 100 year old setting but that also adds to the entertainment value. But don’t let that fool you because it’s still a chick flick with a common plot with slight twists. The cinematography is nicely done with every detail covered. In summary, the movie is a decent escape but you won’t leave the theater in awe; partly because of the abruptness of the ending. If you see the movie, you’ll know what I mean. Director Stephen Frears has been directing for decades and has quite a collection under his belt. It should not have surprised me that he directed one of my favorites, Dangerous Liaisons (which also happened to have starred Michelle Pfeiffer). He hasn’t lost his touch as far as making a quality period piece.
Film
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
DVD: Chéri
is
presented in a widescreen format with a 2.35:1 aspect ration,
preserving its original theatrical released format. The picture is complemented with an
English 5.1 Dolby digital sound, with English. French and
Spanish subtitles.
In terms of special features
the DVD doesn't include anything to get exited. It includes some
deleted scenes and a decent making of featurette.
VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.35:1) [16:9 Transfer]
AUDIO:
English
5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles - English
Spanish and French
SPECIAL
FEATURES:
The Making of Chéri
Deleted Scenes
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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