Venus
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Movie Reviews of Venus
Movie Review: oh so hot
Summary: 5 Stars
Film that really is a stately style of epic proportions! P.Toole is Maurice, a man who wants to get it up and soon falls into a little festive arrangement with a young lady. This film has some comedy to it so you will be laughing with the band, and cheering old Maurice on as he tries to tie one on one final time!!Movie Review: Brilliant!
Summary: 5 Stars
A brilliant film. So very funny. So very human. Beautifully filmed and acted. Enter this world and spend time with these characters. They will inspire laughter, connection and passion.Movie Review: Peter O'Toole said he was "still in the game" and he was not lying
Summary: 4 Stars
I keep wanting to think that Peter O'Toole won as Oscar for "Lawrence of Arabia)," but I know that he did not. When O'Toole was earning Oscar nominations for playing Henry II in "Becket" and "The Lion in Winter" there must have been an idea that sooner or later he was going to win an Academy Award. But after he was nominated for the seventh time in 1982 for "My Favorite Year" O'Toole tied Richard Burton for the dubious record of having the most Oscar nominations for Best Actor with at a win (Deborah Kerr holds the Best Actress record with six nominations and no wins). O'Toole was given an honorary Oscar in 2003, although he had written a letter to the academy saying he was "still in the game" and wanted more time to "win the lovely bugger outright." Any thoughts that O'Toole was engaging in wishful thinking were erased when his performance in "Venus" earned him his eighth nomination. Of course, O'Toole did not have the same sort of happy ending that Henry Fonda did with "On Golden Pond," since Forest Whitaker won for "The Last King of Scotland," but he certainly proved that in his 70s he still has "game."
In Roger Michell's 2006 film, O'Toole plays Maurice, an aging actor who is still respected, at least by those who remember him. That would not include Jessie (Jodie Whittaker), the 20-year-old daughter of the niece of Maurice's friend Ian (Leslie Phillips), another old school actor. Jessie would like to get into modeling and Maurice arranges for her to be nude model for an art class. But it turns out that part of Maurice's reasons for getting her this particular gig is that he would very much like to see Jessie naked. After an operation of his prostate Maurice is impotent, but he still has an appreciation for the female form. As he tells Jessie at one point, the most beautiful thing a man will ever see is the body of a woman. She wonders what would be the most beautiful thing a woman ever gets to see, and Maurice's answer rings true, but is clearly beyond her ken.
This film is the story of two people who fall in love, and while we have seen May-December relationships played out before they rarely treat physical contact and nudity in this way. Screenwriter Hanif Kureishi, best known for 1985's My Beautiful Laundrette, focuses not on the sex, or absence thereof, but more on the ironic transformation from a young man who was adored by many a young girl, into an old man who has found one last young girl to adore as his personal "Venus." Part of it is that Jessie stands in stark contrast to Maurice's old friends and his ex-wife His Maurice banters with fellow thespian Ian (a terrific Leslie Phillips) and visits his ex-wife Valerie (Vanessa Redgrave). After decades of banter, even of the enjoyable kind between Maurice and Ian, there is much to be said for getting to look, even if getting to touch earns you a sharp elbow in a tender spot.
But in "Venus" everything comes back to O'Toole's performance, which offers a wide range of emotional shadings. Maurice is not only enamored with the crude Jessie, he is raging against the ravages of time, humiliated by his physical failings, and trying to keep together the last shreds of his dignity. In her film debut, Whittaker responds in kind, her youth and inexperience limiting the range of her reactions. In the final act of the film she finally gives Maurice a look at her naked breasts, but in that context it is not the exhibition that matters but the change in her voice, which speaks much more to the nature of their relationship. I have to say that I found O'Toole's performance to be more compelling and certainly more memorable than the one that won the Oscar earlier this year, but you know full well that a movie that grossed $3.3 million dollars (most of it in the wake of O'Toole's nomination) was never going to be seen by enough voters to win. The nomination itself seems like a miracle, that is, unless you have seen the film. Then it is no surprise at all.
Movie Review: a tour de force for O'Toole, and a living homage to a great actor
Summary: 4 Stars
Simply put, Peter O'Toole is easily on the short-list of The Most Stpuendous Actors Of All Time. I started out this movie thinking that this was a living Lifetime Achievement Award for the man who has stunned myself and the world with his work in Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter, The Stunt Man and The Ruling Class, and has also been a shining light in such low-grade movies as Creator and My Favorite Year, but has proven to the world that, like other great actors who do have the mettle to at least lick his boots (Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall), he is a working actor and has not sealed himself into a silver tower to lord over us from above.
And indeed, this movie does seem to be a living homage to a man who has given us the world, but whom we have treated so poorly in his old age. I would hope that the full picture of the character here may be inspired by O'Toole, but not totally imitative of him.
O'Toole plays Maurice, an aged actor who has an easier time getting parts as dying (or dead) grandfathers than the kind of work in his heyday (can anyone say High Spirits?), but still he thinks he has a way with women, which becomes immediately apparent when he fellow aged thespian, Ian, has his niece's daughter, Jessie (played by Jodie Whittaker), come to live with to supposedly take care of him. Turns out that Jessie is more of the object of her mother's scorn and has been sent out of her house than much of a nurse to Ian. But she is instantly the center of Maurice's fancy.
This movie well addresses the problems and just plain creepiness of Maurice's attention over Jessie, but clearly there is something both can gain from this relationship. Maurice, though spirited, is surrounded by reminders of his eminent death, and though Jessie is young enough to be his grandaughter, she has a painful past that could be poulticed at least a little bit by the attentions of a lustful but at least caring older man.
Their relationship, of course, has difficulties. Maurice regularly visits his estranged wife, Valerie (played wonderfully by Vanessa Redgrave, though certainly an underutilized part), a wife he has cheated on numerously, and Jessie is a bit of an opportunist (and a heavy drinker). In essence, this is a film about two damaged people who might be able to heal themselves with each other. O'Toole carries this film with his energy, talent and palpable regret and strains to deal with his aged body, but the story of Jessie is also quite a drive through this film. She is strong but scared, a girl who seems to have things under control but just as easily a wreck. And as the movie continues, it becomes quite clear that O'Toole infuses something of himself into this role, as images of his past reinforce.
This movie should serve as a staunch reminder that great actors may fade, but that we still owe them tribute, and that they may wait in the wings and are always ready to come out and remind us that they are, indeed, great. Director Roger Michell presents an intriguing story that is both difficult and sweet, and though it may take some predictable moves towards the end, takes on the process of identity to show us how everyone has a struggle, no matter how new or experienced they may be with the game.
Movie Review: Peter O'Toole's Swan Song
Summary: 4 Stars
What more can be said about Peter O'Toole's career? Not a lot. The legendary actor has appeared in many great roles and many great films. Yes, even a number of flops, but every great director and actor has had their share. Every single one, even Hitchcock, my hero. But when he is `on', O'Toole is simply unmatched by anyone in his generation. Richard Burton was earlier, Ian McKellan and Anthony Hopkins would come later.
From the mid 60s, when he made an incredible debut in "Lawrence of Arabia" through "What's New Pussycat?", "The Lion In Winter" and up to "My Favorite Year", O'Toole has shown he is equally comfortable in drama, epic, comedy and historical drama. He can play it fast, loose and carefree or he can evoke historical figures with all of the thespian powers he employs, holding his own with Katharine Hepburn, Alec Guiness, Richard Burton and many more.
A few years ago, O'Toole received an honorary Oscar, perhaps the Academy's way of hedging their bets and acknowledging his remarkable career. They may have been a bit hasty. The actor's latest film "Venus" is bound to earn O'Toole a nomination for Best Actor.
O'Toole plays Maurice, an aging actor who now takes bit parts in soap operas, usually as a dying Uncle or Grandfather, to keep a little income coming in. He supports his ex-wife (Vanessa Redgrave) who is ill and still lives in their old, ramshackle, badly in need of repairs home and carries a torch for her husband. One day, his friend, Ian (Leslie Phillips), an aging actor who also carries a torch for Maurice, announces his niece will be coming to live with him, to help with his care and daily life. On Maurice's next visit, he meets the young lady, Jessie (Jodie Whittaker) and becomes entranced with her looks, her coarse manner, and her unvarnished view of the world. He also learns Ian can't stand her and feels invaded. Maurice happily sets about coming up with ways to get her out of the house, so he can enjoy her company.
"Venus" is a fun film to watch because we get to see O'Toole do what he does best. The role isn't a stretch; clearly written to provide a showcase for his abilities, Maurice could easily be O'Toole if the actor were less well-known and had made some bad career choices. O'Toole plays an elderly actor who once played some memorable roles but now spends more time enjoying a good drink. Sounds like a stretch, doesn't it?
Even though his body has aged and he may be a little slower, O'Toole commands our attention from the moment he first appears on screen. This is Maurice's story; his life, his loves, his friends. In telling the story of a short period of his life, we get a capsule of his entire life, we extrapolate the events we witness and fill in the rest of his life.
It is a bravura performance and a fitting crown for his remarkable career.
Writer Hanif Kureishi ("My Beautiful Launderette") and director Roger Michell ("Notting Hill") have done a good job of crafting a showcase for O'Toole's skill. Once the story gets going, they simply get out of the way, which is a good thing. The story is simple, uncomplicated and flows along pleasantly. If anything, this uncomplicated nature makes the film resemble a BBC presentation. It seems a little small, a little low budget, as though they were hedging their bets. In case the film didn't turn out as well, they could always just show it on the BBC and BBC America and recoup some of their investment. But because it did work, the project earned a theatrical release.
"Venus" presents an example of one of our best actors showing us why he has earned a lifetime of acclaim. It is a film worthy of your time and attention. Peter O'Toole demands your time and attention.