Movies / Movie Reviews

Venus

By Al Kratina
March 12, 2007 - 12:24

Venus

2006, UK

Starring: Peter O’Toole, Jodie Whittaker, Leslie Phillips, Vanessa Redgrave

Directed by: Roger Michell

Written by: Hanif Kureishi

Produced by: Kevin Loader

Genres: Comedy, Drama

Release Date: December 21, 2006

MPAA Rating: Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief nudity.

Distributor: Filmfour, Miramax Films

Running Time: 95 minutes

Peter O'Toole was one of the finest actors of his generation. I say 'was' because the man clearly died some years ago. However, his talents were so great that scientists and magicians were able to scrape together a collection of teeth, hair, and skin, bind them together in enchanted twine made from the sinews of night owls and one-eyed cats, and bring him back to life for one last tour-de-force performance. And yet the fact that O'Toole has gone from handsome leading man to toothy grin and wildly lolling eyes is not the most shocking thing about Venus.

 
Venus is the story of an aging but still mentally acute actor who develops a strange, symbiotic relationship with the skanky young relative of a friend. O'Toole is magnificent as Maurice, a Lothario still intent on the pursuit of beauty despite being impotent and cadaverous. The object of his affections, Jodie Whittaker, has just the right mix of arrogance and mild homeliness to make either a believable angry youth or a popular webcam girl. At first blush, Venus appears to be one of those Space Cowboys/ About Schmidt hybrids that seem to get the geriatric set all riled up and feisty come awards season. But instead, it's a remarkably creepy character study, in which both main characters turn a symbiotic relationship into a mutually parasitic one, and the first blush becomes a second, much redder and embarassed one. Whittaker's character, Jessie use Maurice for money and gifts, and he uses her for sex, or rather, a pale imitation of sex he once had, sniffing her neck and kissing her wrists in what for all intents and purposes appears to be reverse necrophilia.

Essentially, what I'm trying to say is that the film is very uncomfortable. But nevertheless, it's excellent. Never for a moment do you not believe, understand, or respond to what you're seeing, due to the strength of Hanif Kureishi’s script and the naturalistic performances. Roger Michell’s subtle, unobtrusive direction is immersive without being invisible, coming off as more carefully crafted than most comedies. Though the ending is a touch trite and predictable, the sense of inevitability that surrounds the film for its duration adds realism to the cliché. But what's most unexpected to the film is the edge present in this bittersweet comedy, one that’s sharp despite the age of most of the performers. Curmudgeonly, profane, yet still debonair and charming, O'Toole's Maurice is as memorable a character as you'll find in a recent film, despite the fact that he's a lecherous creep. There are a few scenes that stray into something you might see in a trailer for Grumpier Old Men, but for the most part the film is strong, soldiering on bravely beyond cliché, melodrama and, in O'Toole's case, death.

Rating: 8 on 10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12