Written by Choderlos de Laclos and Roger Kumble
Directed by Roger Kumble

Updating the French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses for a modern audience, Cruel Intentions also does its best to capitalize on what was then the current favorites of teens in the late 1990s.  Ryan Phillipe and Sarah Michelle Gellar are Sebastian and Kathryn, two stepsiblings who spend most of their days acting rich and spoiled.  Sebastian has been seeing a therapist for a bit of a sex addiction.  He turns the tables on the therapist with her daughter.  For Sebastian, life is there to trifle with people as everything else he gets at the snap of his fingers.

When Sebastian decides to challenge himself by seducing Annette (portrayed by Reese Witherspoon), the very conservative and well-behaved daughter of the new headmaster at the school, Kathryn makes a bet with him.  If he can successfully deflower Annette, Kathryn herself will sleep with him.  Otherwise, she gets his 1956 Jaguar.

Annette is a bit of a challenge to what Sebastian normally is confronted with, having written articles for teen magazines about why she will “wait”.  She’s the poster child for abstinence education.

The film surrounds this quest, with a few other diversions along the way.  Kathryn wants revenge on a boyfriend who dumped her, and sets out to befriend and then screw with the object of his affection, Cecile (portrayed by Selma Blair).  Sebastian seduces her as well during the course of the film.  All the while, Sebastian and Kathryn tease each other.

Cruel Intentions really makes the world of the rich and famous seem less desirable, which I don’t find to be a bad thing.  I often get into discussions with my teens and other parents about the examples set by some of the rich celebrities out there, and Cruel Intentions goes a long way to making the same point I often do: having all the money in the world won’t make you happy; your life can still be empty and shallow.

That’s the life here being led by Sebastian and Kathryn.  They seem to have no sense of family and their parents are noticeably absent.  Sure, they have provided for their every material need, kept a rather fancy roof over their heads, and put food on the table in front of them that most of the rest of us couldn’t pronounce.  Their lives seem to indulge every possible craving they could have, and yet they are really quite sad and empty.

What is completely predictable is that Sebastian actually falls for Annette.  He thinks about not seducing her, but in the end does so.  His intentions are honorable for the first time.  Not once, but twice Kathryn manages to manipulate the situation so that Sebastian and Annette are kept apart, and she doesn’t seem to give a second thought to the actual consequences of her manipulations.

I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the stars during this time, so I was actually surprised at the quality of the acting in Cruel Intentions.  Ryan Phillipe portrays Sebastian as having no moral compass or boundaries.  There’s nothing off limits and the casual way with which Phillipe regards what’s left behind after he’s dropped his latest bombshell works better than if he were more animated.  He really gives Sebastian the essence of the bored playboy and even makes a predictable transformation interesting.

Sarah Michelle Geller is the ultimate cut-throat, however.  There’s nothing she won’t do to “win” and there are no boundaries she won’t cross.  In a way, she’s a better actor than her stepbrother as many people already know what Sebastian is like and what to expect from him at the beginning of the film.  The same can’t be said of Kathryn, who seems to keep her true self hidden until it’s revealed at the end.  Then, and only then, does the true effect of what she’s been doing seem to matter to Kathryn, and even then, it’s only because the consequences are happening to her.

The supporting cast is fine with Blair and Witherspoon doing their best to compliment the two strong, dominating central characters.  The few adults seen in the film get played quite well by the manipulative Kathryn and are pretty gullible.

There are many scenes of sex and drugs in Cruel Intentions, so although your teen and tween might clamor to see the film, I recommend caution.  it’s rated R and deservedly so.  Normally I would say only to allow an older teen to see it, but there’s a good chance you’ll likely run up against the DVD being shown in other homes where parents just take it for granted that it’s a teen flick.    This is something you might want to watch with your child and discuss what’s happening.  I do think the film does a good job as driving the point home in the end about how our actions have consequences we might not intend, as well as not playing around with people’s lives as if they are toys.

There is plenty of special features on this DVD for those who enjoy this aspect of DVD releases.  Not only is there commentary by the director, but a couple of featurettes and music videos as well as deleted scenes.  It’s worth checking these out even if you don’t want to sit through the film with the director’s commentary going.

Cruel Intentions does a terrific job transforming the novel it’s based on to the modern world.  I enjoyed it much more than I initially thought I would, largely because of the fantastic acting.  It’s definitely much better than I would have expected from these names, and if you haven’t seen it you might want to check it out.  I’d try to use this as a way to create dialogue with my child as well, instead of having them ending up watching it on their own.


SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Commentary with Writer/Director Roger Kumbal,
• Making Of Featurette
• Creative Intentions Finding a Visual Style
• Music Videos: Every You, Every Me by Placebo; Coming Up From Behind by Marcy Playground
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Actor & Filmmaker Biographies