Dangerous Liasons

I haven't seen a new film in a while so I thought I would treat you my humble blog readers to a review of one of my personal favorite films "Dangerous Liaisons"staring Glenn Close, John Malcovitch, Michelle Phifer and Uma Thruman. This sumptuous film centers on two scheming aristocrats ( Close and Malcovitch) who spend their days gleefully destroying the lives of a dim teenager (Thurman) and virtuous beauty( Phifer). Think of it as a 17th century Gossip Girl. The story and humour of the film is gleefully mean spirited and certain situations (such as the rape of Thurman's character by Malcovitch) are extremely unsettling. However at the end of the story the evil do receive their just deserts. The movie seems to be able to both condemn the actions of Close and Malcovitch while at the same time clearly enjoying their antics similar to an episode of 'My Super Sweet Sixteen" only far more eloquence and about a thousand times more fun. The performances in the film are uniformly excellent from Close's cold Marquise de Metuil who manages to be simultaneously frigid and sexy, to John Malcovitch's slimy but viciously seductive Valmont. the supporting cast is excellent as well particularly Uma Thurman as a ridiculously naive but completely amoral young girl. The costumes are magnificent as is the scenery. It is one of the few movies I have ever turned on on demand films and watched all the way through without leaving my chair.
PS: If the plot sound familiar it is. The book "Dangerous Liaisons" was the basis for the teen movie "Cruel Intentions" which also captures the mean spirited perversion of the original book. I recommend both films preferably in a double feature.