Cheri
Set in the heaving bosom of pre-First World War Paris, Stephen Frears' handsome costume romp draws obvious comparisons with the Oscar-winning Dangerous Liaisons.
Set in the heaving bosom of pre-First World War Paris, Stephen Frears' handsome costume romp draws obvious comparisons with the Oscar-winning Dangerous Liaisons.
The British director reunites with screenwriter Christopher Hampton, who adapts the novels by Colette with the lightest of touches.
Passion and betrayal abound, sprinkled with some deliciously tart one-liners that suggest an early 20th century woman's greatest weapons were her cleavage and wit.
Frothy as Frears' film may be, Cheri lacks a deeper emotional undercurrent to carry the characters and us over the many obstacles that litter the course of true love.
Retired courtesan Lea de Lonval (Michelle Pfeiffer) was once the glittering jewel of the Belle Epoque and still commands the admiring glances of gentlemen across the French capital.
She is tempted back into the fold by her jealous and far less beautiful rival Charlotte Peloux (Kathy Bates), who needs Lea to oversee the 'development' of her 19-year-old son Cheri (Rupert Friend) until he is fit for marriage.
Despite her reservations, Lea eventually agrees to her rival's proposal out of her affection for Cheri.
'I only want to see young people happy,' coos the retired courtesan.
'You always were disgustingly sentimental,' replies Peloux sourly.
Unexpectedly, Lea and Cheri find themselves falling head over heels in love and they embark on a passionate affair, which becomes the talk of the not-so-polite social circles frequented by Peloux and her bitchy coterie, including Mme Aldonza (Nichola McAuliffe) and the Baronne (Betty Bourne).
The couple's happiness is cut short when Peloux cruelly announces the boy's imminent marriage to rosy-cheeked society virgin Edmee (Felicity Jones).
For the sake of Cheri, as much as her own reputation, Lea must relinquish her lover and she heads out of the city to self-imposed seclusion under the pretence of a rendezvous with a secret lover.
Blessed with a luminous performance from Michelle Pfeiffer who really doesn't look her 51 years, Cheri is an effervescent jaunt, through beautifully adorned boudoirs, which makes us giggle but never swoon.
Pfeiffer is delightful as an elegant creature constantly at odds with Peloux.
'That woman always makes me feel so grubby.
I can't help it, I go down to her level!' she laments after their latest altercation.
Bates relishes her larger-than-life role as the faded harlot, whose every word glistens with malice.
'Don't you think now the skin is less firm it holds perfume so much better?' she asks Cheri, referring to their advancing years.
Friend is the weak link, petulant and simpering - far from the vigorous, passionate suitor who could turn the head of a woman of vast experience like Cheri.
She needs a man, not a boy.
Release Date: Friday 8 May 2009
Certificate: 15
Runtime: 92mins
