Venus (2006)

Flawless!

One of the dearest, wittiest, most beautiful films of all time. Peter O'Toole is a master, Leslie Phillips is a "find." I adored it. I wondered if I would like it because so many critics were put off by the "dirty old man" theme, but that is really insulting to elderly people. O'Toole likes the tough young girl, expelled from and shamed by her family. He awakens her to her beauty and worth; she keeps him alive. Each has a self-centered agenda, which is exactly as it should be, and keeps this exquisite film from being maudlin. Loved it to the max and recommend it to one and all. July 4, 2008

Fresh perspective on the tragedy of growing old - but the depiction of women is troubling

"Venus" explores the strange relationship between an aging actor (Peter O'Toole) and a "lost" young lady, newly arrived in London. They both "need" each other in their own way. The story is both an unsettling male fantasy and a fresh meditation on the tragedy of growing old. O'Toole is brilliant as the old man - but one can't help feeling somewhat troubled by the rather degrading depiction of the young lady in this film. May 4, 2008

Venus-Peter O'Toole as a Dirty Old Man Out of Control

I think I can be brief with this review as I don't wish to spend too much time or emotion over it. The story is a pathetic romp through the mud and I can't believe that O'Toole would permit himself to portray a dirty old man in heat.

Those of you who are long time fans of O'Toole would probably do well to avoid this film as I have been an admirer of his work for my entire life and felt badly for him after viewing it.

Those Amazon reviewers awarding 3 stars or less to this movie agree with me and I don't give a dam what Hollywood said about this film.
May 2, 2008

The tantalizing feminine alluring!

Venus is an emblematic movie that deals with the human condition of a respectable actor, beloved and loved by many women in the past who lives on the verge of the forgetfulness, isolated and imprisoned between his memories (Like Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard) ; nevertheless Maurice is still an avid observer of the human condition and from time to time makes secondary roles.

The arrival of a provincial and alluring young woman, who comes for the first time in her life to London, niece of his best friend, will arouse for both of them new horizons of unsuspected consequences, she is the unreachable muse for him but he has the spelling magic of the word; once more the wisdom and experience face with the missing energies of an unbridled youth that is aware it has all the time of the world for acting and mistaking, on the other side of the street, Maurice is well conscious the time is a no removable resource and enjoys every single moment of his existence, due a painful prostrate cancer may annihilate him in any moment.

However, the approach of the film is far to be tragic; on the contrary, it's a celebration of life a song for these splendid and irreversible moments that must be lived with Dionysian intensity, no matter what the rest of the world think.

Peter O`Toole gives an astonishing and vivid performance as the dying actor; and Roger Mitchell shows us his skills and superb god taste behind the camera, who works out as a peeping tom; needless to say as an extension of Maurice's personality.

There are flashes of the last film of Don Luis Bunuel "That obscure object of desire" , but the film will preserve itself as a cult movie for the future viewers.
March 24, 2008

The Twilight of the Mod

When the Academy Awards wanted to give Peter O'Toole an honorary Oscar, he initially refused, saying that he still felt he was quite in the running for a Best Actor and didn't want to ruin his chances with any "lifetime achievement" awards.

I wonder if the makers of "Venus" were listening. It certainly looks that way: the role of Maurice appears tailored for O'Toole in every scene...and it worked. O'Toole received another Oscar nomination for Best Actor (he lost to Forrest Whitaker).

I remember reading in Richard Burton's biography that both he and O'Toole shared the same record: most Academy Award nominations without ever winning. 7 or 8, I believe. So now O'Toole has 8 or 9, nearly 25 years after Burton's death.

It's a great role for a great actor...but I don't know if it's a great movie for everyone. Some of it worked, some of it might offend or annoy people. (I've noticed some reviews take O'Toole's age and lecherous advances to task. I have to admit that some of the scenes made me uncomfortable: the sight of a very elderly man trying to bribe kisses and gropes from a very young girl, for one! If you didn't keep in mind that this was Peter O'Toole, Lawrence of Arabia, the 60's swinger from "What's New, Pussycat?", you might think he was just another very dirty old man).

The movie does succeed in the weird desires and awkward moments of an old man enchanted by a young girl. She's hardly deserving at first (which was interesting) and I felt bad for the old dude when he realizes he's just being used while a young punk boyfriend loiters outside smoking cigarettes on the sidewalk. But who do you root for? It's real...but the hope of happy ending is impossible.

If you enjoy great acting, you'll like this movie. If you're looking for a whimsical romance...you might be challenged.

Most of it worked for me because of Peter O'Toole.

(Why do films insist on showcasing foul-mouthed old people? The only ancient potty mouths I've seen are in movies, not real life. Hearing Katherine Hepburn mutter the F-bomb in Warren Beatty's remake of "An Affair to Remember" or Peter O'Toole exchange the same word over and over with another old man in "Venus" is hardly groundbreaking or all that entertaining, to be honest. If I want a cussing geezer, I'll just watch Ruth Gordon in Clint Eastwood's monkey movie, "Every Which Way but Loose." That's about the level of that gag).
February 25, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...