Venus (2006)

Powerful

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Some actors prove us that they can act. Some actors make us know that they can act. But The Late/Great Peter O'Toole shows us how its really done in 'Venus'. The Honorary Oscar-Winner & 8-Time Oscar-Nominee, O'Toole is an acting masterclass in 'Venus', a wonderful film that proudly rests of his shoulders to do it all. Its a performance that didn't Win the Oscar for Best Actor, and believe me, that's surprising in so many ways.'Venus' Synopsis: Life for a pair of veteran actors gets turned upside down after they meet a brash teenager. 'Venus' could've easily passed as a creepy story of an old-man eyeing a brash teenager. BUT, its actually a mature & affecting film about desires & companionship. Sure, O'Toole's Maurice is an old man & the girl Jessie, played Jodie Whittaker, is decades younger than him. And yet they develop a bond, that is a testament of human desires. 'Venus' doesn't make Maurice look like a dirty old man who'd you call a monster just because he still feels attracted to a much younger women, nor does it make Jessie look like a pervert, who invests most of her time with an older man, with quiet sensuality. This is a story of people forming a bond & how the desires live on, even after you're termed 'old' or 'too young'. And 'Venus' portrays it with class & genuine feeling. This isn't a cheap film, but in fact, a human film about human emotions.Hanif Kureishi's Screenplay is affecting & exceedingly funny at times. The Writing has depth, from start to end. Roger Michell's Direction is excellent. He's handled this complex story, with pure brilliance. Cinematography is perfect. Editing is nicely done. Art & Costume Design add hugely to the narrative.And at the center of 'Venus' is The MIGHTY Peter O'Toole. Watching The Thespian here is a pleasure beyond words. O'Toole delivers a masterpiece of a performance, that ranks amongst the finest I've ever seen. Its a portrayal driven in subtlety & is anchored by heart. O 'Toole makes his character look human, rather than monstrous & that's the genius of his superior portrayal. From start to finish, O'Toole puts up an acting masterclass.And lending O'Toole superb support are Jodie Whittaker, Leslie Phillips, Vanessa Redgrave & The Late/Great Richard Griffiths. On the whole, 'Venus' reminds us the Giant that Peter O'Toole was. Watch it & be rewarded.

Maurice Russell (Peter O'Toole) is a respected actor in his twilight in London. His playboy days are over but he's still a bit of a dirty old man. His friend Ian is getting a girl to help out. Ian's niece is sending her daughter Jessie (Jodie Whittaker) from the country. She's messy and no help at all. She expects to be a model while eating nothing but junk food. Ian is frustrated and Maurice is entranced.There is only one Peter O'Toole and he gives us one great final curtain call. He shows the world that he still has it. He is the only one who can play a dirty old man and do it with playfulness. It's also done with a bit of edge. It's fun. It's poignant. There is no other like him. He is joined by great screen veterans and newcomer Whittaker.

Cinema has had a number of stains and gems regarding the taboo of old-meets-young in sexual relationships. Unfortunately, Peter O'Toole's quirkily misplaced majestic performance seems to have been wasted on this skid mark, devoid of any genuine justification for the risqué exploits of a perverted old man desperate to swap fluids with his twenty-year-old crush. Now, this following romance movie attribute is accepted, and expected: when boy meets girl, there is initial disdain from at least one party, resulting in a rough start to the inevitable love story, reinforcing the old convention, "The more they hate each other, the more likely they'll fall in love by the end of the movie." Here you'll find the most unbelievable and ridiculous presentation of this story element that reinforces nothing of value.Famed dramatic actor Maurice Russell, in the twilight of his seventies, meets his friend's grandniece and new nurse, Jessie. He is immediately smitten by her, and just as soon brings out the alcohol in hopes she will submit. The rest of the film is plagued with sequences of lowbrow ribaldry, with some occasional heartfelt moments on the side that are overpowered by the former, if only just.After several borderline hilarious establishing scenes showing old British men with filthy mouths exchanging medications like junkies and discussing obituaries as if in a Monty Python sketch, the film takes a turn for the painfully awkward.With Venus, this awkwardness simply does not stop. Maurice charms Jessie with the gentlemanly charisma only O'Toole can convey; Jessie is treated like a princess; the princess is then groped; she retreats, tells Maurice she never wants to see him again, and he rustles out the ideal gravelling laugh of an old pervert. Repeat. Again. And again, only more rude.The intermittent scenes of Maurice with his friends, visits with his estranged old flame, and solitary moments with his thoughts seem to have heart, but we don't feel the beat. Stanley Kubrick handled this taboo sub-genre perfectly with Lolita, not exploiting a single element, and capturing our sympathy for an older man who discovers his lust and love may be confused. Venus takes the opposite route, exploiting the taboo to the point where Jessie is a character we love to hate, and Maurice turns out to be nothing more than a shameless, horny old man.All things considered, there are only two things that nearly saved it for me. One is, of course, Peter O'Toole's performance, which beautifies his character with a surprising occasional elegance. The other is an important plot element that sadly confuses the film: Maurice, after prostate surgery, is impotent. Does this mean that his licentious erotic tendencies are the result of true love? Probably not. This was, perhaps, a simple plot device inserted only for the purpose of gaining understanding for his character, and some consideration that he is more that just a horny geezer.There are many who hail this film as a near-perfect romantic comedy, as touching as it is funny, etc. This pablum is unjustified because any substance or underlying meaning to this "love story" can only be described as ludicrous. How could it not? This certainty speaks for itself, namely when Jessie touches herself and allows Maurice to smell her fluids, yet tries to slap him when he tries to lick her fingers. I am not making this up. If this does not disturb or confuse you, by all means, enjoy the movie.I hate to describe a Peter O'Toole film as trash, but I have to say Venus is a horribly miscalculated and vain excuse for a seldom-attempted type of love story. As I anticipated, it is worthy of a single viewing only for him, proving that he is among the greatest actors of his generation, and the last hope for modern theatres to be graced with silver screens once again. That being said, I just wish this film hadn't been given the same inventive value of a watered-down dime novel dragged through a muddy gutter. Putting it delicately.

Seldom have a finished watching a movie with such a feeling of sadness mingled with joy. This film really connects with its subject matter in a way few films do. Superlative acting, a great script, and a touching story. Peter O'Toole acts better with just his voice then most actors can with the entire screen to work with. Jodie Whittaker was incredible in this her first big part, captivating the screen with both her youth and beauty, as well as her fragile and vulnerable ego. All in all, this was one of the finest and bravest films I have viewed in a very long time.The story, filmed in parts of London that I have never seen on screen, was wonderfully filmed. The cast of veteran actors including Leslie Phillips, Richard Griffiths and Vanessa Redgrave, work together like the natural lifelong friends. It is the chemistry between O'Toole and Whittaker, however, that really sets this film apart. The veteran and the young fledgling really light up the screen with such a tenderness and hunger, both wanting what they other has to offer, and giving what they can to see that happen. Treat yourself to this movie, you won't be disappointed.