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Cruel Intentions (film) 1999 Drama, R, 1 hr 30 min, Color Director: Roger Kumble Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Joshua Jackson, Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle, Gellar, Selma Blair Studio: Sony WWW.MovieFinder.Com review: Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe are two bratty rich kids who wage high stakes on a diabolical wager of sexual conquest with two virginal pawns. Groovy, hip, beautiful teen flicks currently rule the cinematic planet, but taking a dishy multileveled classic and Reader's Digesting it for high schoolers is trickier than chasing them around with a hook. Especially when it's a story like Dangerous Liaisons, a tale of betrayal, sexual deviancy, lost innocence and ruthless manipulation set amidst the 16th century French upper class. In this incarnation, the game playing is in the hands of malevolent, uppercrust NYC teens with a killer wardrobe straight from Barneys. Stripped of its psychological subtext, the film's sexual innuendo and ribald posturing seem even darker, but the script maintains a bleak sense of humor that ultimately puts all this double-dealing over. The kids are played skillfully by Witherspoon (the good girl), Gellar (the bad girl), and Phillippe (the cad), and one can be especially glad that they are not really teens, and that this cruel tale is only a movie. |
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