Cruel Intentions (1999)

 

Now we get to Cruel Intentions. This has got to be one of my all-time Guilty Pleasures, and it's one of those movies that I watched a dozen times as a kid. Don't worry, it was the television version. But beside the point, I feel like this movie is the inspiration for Gossip Girl. From the theme music to the prep school setting to the wealthy teenagers plotting schemes against each other, it's all there in the handbook. I was surprise to learn that Roger Ebert gave this a thumbs up back in the day as he would be the type of film critic that would look down his nose on films like this. He even praised the performance of Sarah Michelle Gellar and I agree, she is a knockout, but more on that later. I could tell that there were trying to make a more prestigious film with a little more edge to it, straying away from the teenage fluff at the time. What you got is sex, drugs, and incest...well, with the last part the characters in question are step-siblings but it still counts. I would say that it has a much stronger script compared to the last movie. It's not afraid to push the envelope and at least with the first half, it keeps you engaged. The black comedic aspect of the movie totally sells but for some, once the melodrama kicks in, it falls flat. But I didn't mind the melodrama because, you know, high school is melodramatic, so it does it for me.

Overall, this movie is a certified gem in my opinion. It's not perfect but it's perfect entertainment.

The source material is based on the French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses also known as Dangerous Liaisons. It's famously one of the earlier examples of a book genre called roman a clef, where a fictional novel is based on real events. In this case, the French aristocracy. So the story starts off like this: Former lovers turned friendly rivals, Isabelle De Merteuil and Sebastien De Valmont, spend their days by ruining others for their own amusement. Isabelle has her eye on the virginal Cecile De Volanges who is set to marry one of her former lovers. But the catch is, Cecile is deeply in love with her music tutor Chevalier Danceny. Isabelle use this to her advantage and weasels her way in between the two young lovers. Meanwhile, Sebastian plans to seduce Marie De Tourvel, a virtuous, married woman whose living with his aunt while her husband is away. Although he has eyes for Marie, he still wants to continue his sexual relationship with Isabelle. She makes an ultimatum: if he successfully seduces Marie, she'll go to bed with him. He even agrees to seduce and outright sexually assault Cecile, all because her mother said some disparaging comments about his character. Sebastian eventually seduces Marie, however, he suddenly catches feelings for her, which prompts him not to go through the affair with Isabelle. Being rejected by a lover again, Isabelle is pissed and plots her revenge against Sebastian...Lots of drama ensue. People die, people suffer. The End. This was a Soap Opera before that term even existed. 

  

There was a French film adaptation set in the jazzy 1950s but it later became a London stage play that crossed over to Broadway in the mid 1980s. Then came the idea for another film adaptation to be in the works. In 1988, Dangerous Liaisons was released. The cast was stacked! You had Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, and of course, Keanu Reeves. The film swept the Oscars with several nominations and three wins, making it the most successful and well-regarded of the many film adaptations. One year later, Valmont was released. This was a more light-hearted take on the story and just like the last film, this too is also stacked with a well-known cast. You have Colin Firth, Annette Benning, Meg Tilly, Fairuza Balk (best known for Return to Oz and The Craft), and Henry Thomas (best known as the kid from E.T.). Although it's a good film in it's own right, it's not as well-remembered as the 1988 version.

Then we fast-forward to ten years later. The Teen Classic Literary film boom is at a sky high. So why not adapt a 17-century French novel, that was considered shocking at the time, into a modern teen romance drama? The original title for this project was called Cruel Inventions but the filmmakers thought it sounded too much like a sci-fi film, and I agree, it's a corny title. Cruel Intentions has more of a ring to it.

Traditionally, the cast is filled with recognizable faces from the 90s and early 2000s. We also have a few veteran actresses like Louise Flecther, Christine Baranski, and even Swoozie Kurtz, who appeared in the 1988 film, makes a cameo. 

In contrast to the sunny, warm, happy-go-lucky feel of She's All That, Cruel Intentions is sleek and stylish, set in the cold, industrial New York City landscape. The characters are much more interesting and complex with plenty of baggage. So let's break them down one by one, shall we?

Here we have Sebastian played by the always attractive Ryan Phillipe. Okay, I would say one positive thing about this character. The filmmakers actually did a good job of making Sebastian a total asshole in the beginning. With Zack in She's All That, although a bit arrogant, is portrayed as too safe, a generic boy next door/everyman type. But Sebastian is definitely on top of the douchebag meter. Many have debated, who is the worse of the two? Sebastian or Kathryn. With Kathryn, it's petty high school bullshit. With Sebastian, it's absolutely criminal. Well, this is going to be a rough one. Let's go through the many crimes of Sebastian Valmont. 

Strike one: He tricks a teenage girl to pose for him, then publishes the pictures on the world wide web. This is straight up revenge porn. Not only is it illegal, it's unfathomably immoral. The girl (a small role by Tara Reid before her American Pie fame) just so happens to be the daughter of Sebastian's therapist (cameo by Swoozie Kurtz). I guess he has some personal vendetta against the therapist, so he goes after the daughter, to not only embarrass her but also expose the therapist as a phony. I'm guessing he just did this for fun.

Strike Two: He sexually coerces a teenage girl with the use of alcohol. Oh boy, this is a hard one. So we have Cecile, who's around 14 to 15 years old. I'm guessing she's the same age as the rest of the characters but comes off younger than she is...more on that later. Okay, let me describe the scene verbatim. 

So Cecile sneaks off after Kathryn peer pressures her to have sex with Sebastian. While at the apartment, Cecile drinks iced tea, not knowing that it's Long Island Iced Tea offered by Sebastian. Ugh, how fucking gross. Then once again, Sebastian pulls out his camera and takes pictures of Cecile, prompting her to take her clothes off. Cecile refuses but Sebastian, being the "charmer" that he is, coerces Cecile to have oral sex i.e. go down on her. This is straight up sexual assault. Adding to the problem, the scene is treated humorously with a cheerful 90s pop song accompanying it. Such a strange and uncomfortable scene

. 

Finally, strike three: the emotional manipulation of Annette. This is when things get a little tricky because the romance between Sebastian and Annette is the centerpiece of the film. At first, Annette is nothing more than a means to an end, a bet to impress his hot stepsister. 

But when Sebastian actually gets to know her, he catches feelings. Now this is probably on the script but the scene where Sebastian confesses her feelings to Annette rings hollow, especially after he just had sex and coldly discarded Cecile.

Don't get me wrong, the chemistry between Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon is there, it's just the love story surrounding their characters feels underdeveloped. Okay, so there's a scene where Sebastian asks Annette for a walk at Central Park. Maybe there could've been a moment where they gotten to know each other better. Maybe this could be a moment where Sebastian sees her as a person, not just some ditzy socialite he can take advantage of. Also a bit of improv from Phillipe and Witherspoon would've elevated their chemistry more.

And what if Sebastian didn't go through with seducing Cecile? What if Annette is the reason why he doesn't take her whole virginity? Maybe this plot point would've add more to his character development. 

So remember the scene where Kathryn supposedly lies to Ronald about Sebastian hitting her. In the movie, we don't exactly see the act but in the screenplay, he really does hit her. It happens when Kathryn coldly rejects him and Sebastian throws this violent hissy fit and slaps her across the face. This moment would've made him much worse. Not that he's any better in the final version but I'm glad it was cut out and it might've made his whole redemption arc even more unbelievable. 

When it comes to the literary and film counterpart, Sebastian in the novel is by far the most reprehensible because he's a grown man in his forties, fully aware of what he's doing. Whereas, Sebastian in this film version, can be looked at as a spoiled pompous teenager who's never been taught the values of morality. Despite his obvious imitation of John Malkovich, Ryan Phillipe did an okay job. However, I do think the role does suit him, considering his 90s heartthrob status. I don't know what it is with him playing assholes, but he sure is good at it. The romantic scenes he shares with Reese Witherspoon, which show his softer side, are the most effective. This was actually the same year that Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe would tie the knot. Now that's what I call art imitating life. Gotta love it.  Although I don't particularly care for this character, at least Ryan Phillipe made him somewhat bearable.

Next we have Annette Hargrove played by the immensely talented Reese Witherspoon. Annette is your typical mid-western girl next door whose wise beyond her years, has keen interest in family values, and a overall good role model. Unfortunately, there's not much to know about her character. She's just the unattainable good girl who has a sole attachment to Sebastian. Sure, Reese Witherspoon is great as always but Annette felt underdeveloped. I just didn't get that internal struggle her character was facing. In comparison to the 1988 film, you can feel that push and pull from Marie, stuck between being an honorable woman and her yearning for Sebastian. 

Maybe the film would show how Annette feels suffocated by her sheltered life and her constant need to break out of the confines of her conservative upbringing.  

Sebastian can be viewed as the key to unlock her hidden desires. There is mention that she has a boyfriend named Trevor but he's never seen. To clarify that Annette may have feelings for Sebastian, maybe she confesses to her friend Greg that she recently broke up with Trevor. And again, had they shown that scene in Central Park, this would've given us the chance to learn more about Annette; her goals, her fears, her wants, her needs, etc. There was an alternate ending in the script when Annette gets hold of Sebastian's journal where she uses it to blackmail Kathryn into submission. I'm glad they didn't go with this ending because it doesn't fit her character. She supposed to the moral compass of the film and she's the reason why Sebastian changes his ways. So it would come off as weird if she copied the same manipulative behavior he had in the first act of the film.

Besides the lack of development on Annette's part, Reese Witherspoon did a splendid job and the chemistry between her and Ryan Phillipe is spot-on. She actually gave Annette more depth than needed here and it shows why she became a powerhouse talent in the later years. 

Then there's Cecile Caldwell played by the criminally underrated Selma Blair. Most people would point out how problematic this character is, not only because she's played a woman in her mid-twenties but also strangely sexualized. I guess she supposed to be portrayed as younger? I’m thinking she’s at least 15 or 16 at the most, and, unlike the tragically naïve Cecile in the French novel, the filmmakers written her a complete ditz and is mostly deemed as the comic relief of the movie. It could be because the writers don't take teenage girls seriously but, on the other hand, you have the two female leads who exhibit some sort of level of maturity and intelligence, so it could be that Cecile might be mentally challenged. I'm not sure.

 

But the most disturbing aspect of her character is how she becomes a sex toy for both Sebastian and Kathryn. First, there's the scene where Kathryn teaches Cecile how to French kiss. This may come off as just to showcase two hot girls making out with each other but it's much more deeper than that. It's a power play and Kathryn uses this moment to prey on Cecile's sexual fragility. And when the kiss happens, that's when Kathryn catches Cecile in her web, throwing her into the arms a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing i.e. Sebastian. Now that I've discussed the aforementioned scene between her and Sebastian, you should know what the outcome is. Sebastian coldly discards her after their tryst and there's not much use of her as the film progresses. Again, I would've preferred if Sebastian didn't go through with taking Cecile's virginity and him, and also the film, would respect her as a character from then on. 

I will say that Selma Blair does a good job as a comic relief and at least she made the role memorable. This was actually one of her first major roles before branching out into films like Legally Blonde (which also starred Reese Witherspoon) and the Hellboy series. Besides the problematic writing of her character, Selma Blair did good on her first outing. 

Speaking of bisexuality, in the scene where Sebastian catches his gay accomplice, Blaine (played by Joshua Jackson during his Dawson's Creek fame), with his jock boyfriend Greg (played by Eric Mabius best known as Daniel Meade in Ugly Betty), Sebastian sort of toys with them sexually, hinting that he might want to have a threesome with them. Of course, the filmmakers left this on the cutting room floor, but it is interesting to know that Sebastian and Kathryn are open to exploring their sexual fluidity. Considering the film was made in the late 90s, a time when queer films were gradually gaining mainstream acceptance, this exploration could have provided additional subtext to a film that was already controversial.

Then we have Ronald Clifford, the object of Cecile's affection, played by the strapping Sean Patrick Thomas. Just to squeeze this in, before Ronald came into the picture, Cecile was supposedly dating Court, Kathryn's ex-boyfriend but somehow, he's never seen, heard, or mentioned again. Just like Annette, I wanted that push and pull from Cecile. Maybe there should be a scene where Cecile confides to Kathryn that she's starting to have feelings for Ronald and feels that her and Court aren't even compatible. This would enrage Kathryn even more because Court basically broke with her for nothing. 

Now on the topic of Ronald, he comes off as refined and mature than the other teenaged characters. I'm guessing he's a least in his early twenties (Patrick Thomas was 28 or 29 at the time) and possibly a college student that's majoring in music. Now here's where I give him a little backstory. He's a student at Julliard who does tutoring gigs to get by and comes across Bunny Caldwell to have him tutor her daughter Cecile who's dating Court at the moment. 

A romance is blooming and Cecile, out of the blue, breaks up with Court, which pisses Kathryn off and that's when she unveils Cecile and Ronald's love letter to Bunny. Bunny is furious and vehemently confronts Ronald. Although Bunny in this scene comes off as a typical Karen; ignorant, arrogant and deeply out of touch, I can't help but understand her anger. Here's a guy who, she thinks is very responsible and articulate, trust him with her underaged daughter and she finds out that he's attempting to seduce her. So yeah, her anger is justified when viewing this as an adult. 

But besides all that, Ronald is seen as one of the morally just characters in the film and although his love for Cecile is genuine, he gets easily seduced and roped in Kathryn's web which leads to Sebastian's accidental death. Sean Patrick Thomas did a decent job with what little he was given. I can feel the chemistry between him and Selma Blair but there wasn't enough scenes between them to make their romance believable. There's an obvious comparison to another Sean Patrick Thomas role which is Derek from Save The Last Dance. He too mentors a sheltered white girl i.e. dance and just like Cecile, she falls head over heels in love with him. Maybe its because Sean Patrick Thomas is so charismatic and again very strapping. 

Last but not least, its time to present the Queen of the Hour, ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you...

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kathryn Merteuil.

She really knocks the house down with this performance. Even Robert Ebert send his praises. How I would describe Kathryn is that she's a darker, edgier version of Sydney Rutledge from Swan's Crossing, though not with a few layers peeled underneath. 

In the beginning of the movie, Kathryn makes this speech that resonated with me. She goes on about how boys like Sebastian would get away with so much while she has to play pretend and keep up appearances. She has to conceal her sexuality while Sebastian, a male, displays it freely. Her literary counterpart, Isabelle, dealt with the same thing, showing how different it was for women in the 1700s, however, it's not so different for women in the 21st century either. 

That's why Kathryn despises girls like Annette and Cecile because they can conceal those hidden desires yet still obtain a wholesome appeal. Though when it comes to Kathryn, it's a rock and a hard place. 

I would also like to highlight another amazing scene from Mrs. Gellar. It happens when Sebastian just broke up with Annette. He goes to Kathryn and since he won the bet, Sebastian agrees to have sex with her. He tries to hold on to his pride but the tear stains in his eyes are clearly visible through his sunglasses. Kathryn isn't fooled one bit and lets him have it. Sarah Michelle Gellar absolutely kills this scene. After her verbal lashing, shattering Sebastian's ego into little pieces with no crumbs left in sight, there is a sense of regret on Kathryn's face, implying that she might've had feelings for him that was beyond sexual. But my biggest highlight of her acting prowess is the ending. Holy smokes, she is, no question without a doubt, phenomenal...but I'll save that for later. 

I've always found Sarah Michelle Gellar to be an exceptional actress. I've been checking out her early work in the daytime soap circuit and I mean, wow, she was extremely talented. She definitely deserved that Emmy for her work in All My Children. You can tell she was a star in the making. Not to mention her countless awards for Buffy and, of course, Cruel Intentions. I can tell that this role was made for her. I can most certainly see her as an Alexis Carrington type of character and I think they were taking that route in the pilot episode of the revival series but, yet again, I will get back to that later. 

Anywho, Sarah Michelle Gellar was the shining star of this movie and I hope one day she'll win a Golden Globe or even an Oscar. Yeah, she's that good.

The cinematography in this film is just chef's kiss. This shot here alone just shows how incredibly breathtaking the scenery is. 

Just by the way it's directed, you can tell the filmmakers went out of their way to make this a prestigious goldmine, coping the same grand aesthetics of the 1988 Oscar darling but with a style of it's own. 

When it comes to the French novel, it was pretty taboo back in it's day. But Cruel Intentions decided to step it up a notch by making the two main characters stepsiblings to add more tawdriness and scandal to the material. 

  

However, the true thesis of the film is the love triangle between Sebastian, Annette, and Kathryn. It's more than just your run-of-the-mill teen love triangle. It shows how Sebastian is caught between two worlds as he goes through his character development, particularly in how the film frames the two girls. Annette represents warmth, stability, honesty, and safety. Kathryn represent iciness, excitement, deception, and danger. If the film focused more on the chemistry between Reese and Ryan, it would show that Sebastian isn't afraid to be himself around Annette with public displays of affection, as shown in the airport scene. But when he has interactions with Kathryn, it's more discreet. Most of their scenes is shared inside her bedroom. Although it's opulent and decadent, it's also suffocating. Just like Kathryn, beyond the surface of it's perfect exterior, the bedroom is full of secrets and lies, like a beautiful cage that Kathryn is trapped in. Whenever she's around, Sebastian has to put up this facade to keep her preoccupied.

Once Sebastian turns his back on Kathryn, that is what ultimately leads to his doom. 

Now I just want to squeeze in this before we dive into the ending (which is the most memorable part of the film), I would like to talk about the amazing alternative rock soundtrack. I'm talkin' Placebo, Blur, Counting Crows, Skunk Anansie, freakin Aimee Mann! I'll say it once, and I'll say it again, these movies have some fire soundtracks but there's one song that holds a special place in my childhood and that song starts near the ending, which I will cover right...now.

It's the day of Sebastian's funeral and Kathryn walks around like she doesn't give a damn, snorting her coke and priming herself in the bathroom mirror. Then Annette walks in. This is actually the first time they've met each other on screen. Besides being aware of Kathryn's schemes, Annette plays it nice. Kathryn is all but amused by Annette's sentiments and prepares for her eulogy. 

As she makes her speech, Kathryn becomes irritated when a couple of students walk out of the funeral. Kathryn quickly follows them and...that's when she comes to the realization that all her nasty secrets have been revealed with copies of Sebastian's journal being passed around by Cecile.  

Just to mention, there was this little movie called Jawbreaker (cult classic by the way) that had a similar character named Courtney. While her downfall was satisfying, Kathryn's downfall is...devastating. Throughout the film, she has been arrogant, cold, manipulative, high-strung, and even outright petulant. But in this scene, she crumbles and Sarah Michelle Gellar just sells it here. Then as this all happens, Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve, one of my all-time favorite childhood songs by the way, play and this is the perfect closer for this film.

Thus, Annette drives off with Sebastian's car to the world unknown...It's great that Annette and Cecile gotten happy endings, in contrast to how tragic their fates were in the French novel. Those girls definitely deserve their just due. 

I just have to say...wow! What a fantastic finale. I would have to argue that it's probably the best endings out of the three movies so far. 

As you know, Cruel Intentions became extremely popular and was a box office hit. Organically, this would produce a couple of sequels and a television series. 

It was around late 1999 and early 2000 where a pilot movie was made for a show called Manchester Prep based on this movie. I guess it wasn't picked up by FOX because it was too raunchy for T.V. So the filmmakers decided to add in more spicy scenes to get an R rating and dump it in the rest of the direct-to-video bargain pile. It's supposed to be sequel but it's actually a prequel that centers around Sebastian and Kathryn's start of darkness. This would star future Oscar-nominated actress Amy Adams as Kathryn and actor Robin Dunne as Sebastian, who's known to be in knock-off direct-to-video sequels such as this. The filmmakers portray Sebastian as this goody-two-shoes, even though, at the beginning of the film, he frames a teacher for sexual harassment but I digress. It sort of hints that Kathryn is the one that influenced him into be a manipulative jerk but nope I still don't believe it. With Sebastian, its a nature vs. nurture type of thing and Sebastian is only victim of his circumstances, that's it and that's all. Now when it comes to Kathryn's excuse, its because she's trying to get her mother's approval, who also possesses Kathryn's icy demeanor. Yeah, I'm not buying it. I get they were trying to retcon a few things to make this into a television series, but Sebastian and Kathryn's backstory was told through a few lines of dialogue. Sebastian's dad was a raging alcoholic capitalist and Kathryn's mom was a gold-digging social climber. This obviously shows that Sebastian got his ruthless side from his dad and Kathryn's emotional detachment is due to her mother's way of using people for her own benefit. These elements could've been explored more had it went through as series but Sebastian and Kathryn's characterization is so paper thin. Sebastian is just some put-upon nice guy while Kathryn is a generic, one dimensional mean girl without any of the nuance. 

Besides the bad acting, low-budget production, and subpar script, let's just say that this one didn't hold up well and should be forgotten. 

Then there was a second sequel called Cruel Intentions 3 that focuses on Kathryn's cousin Cassidy who does her own manipulative machinations at a Santa Barbara College. Apart from the connection to Kathryn, it's an In Name Only sequel. Fun Fact! Keer Smith, who starred in Dawson Creek along Joshua Jackson who starred in 1999 film, is the male lead in this. However, I only see snippets of it but I don't really care to see the rest of it. 

However, the real kicker in this supposed franchise is the unaired pilot featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar reprising the role of Kathryn. It also stars Peter Gallagher, who played Sandy from The O.C. to add in some nostalgia bonus. I haven't seen the pilot in it's entirety but I have seen clips of it on a Youtube review. From what I've seen and read, it's a total shit show.  

So apparently, Annette was pregnant with Sebastian's child and moves back to her home state of Kansas. The child has grown into the ripe old age of 17, the same age as his father and goes by the name of Bash, which is short for Sebastian. Bash? You gotta be kidding me. After the accidental death of his stepfather, who's been having a gay affair by the way, Bash discovers Sebastian's journal, the journal she's been hiding for years now. He reads the journal, has a tense confrontation with his mom and decides to take off in the jaguar (that works in good condition for some reason) to New York to find his birthright, I guess? Then that's when we focus on Kathryn, a reformed drug addict who is now married with a stepchild. Soon, Bash gets all entangled in the lifestyle of the rich and famous while Annette tries to save her son from the same fate as his father's. Bada bing, bada boom, it plays out like your usual trashy prime time soap. But there is this really weird scene near the end of the pilot where Kathryn looks up old photos of Sebastian, including baby photos of Bash and fantasizes about getting it on with him. Let me mention, that this is technically her step nephew. If that's not gross and creepy, I don't know what is.  So yeah, I can see why they didn't pick this pilot up, it was just little too much for network television. It has bad acting, bad writing, awful, awful, dialogue. Let's just say that I'm glad it was left on the cutting room floor. Here's the Youtube review where I found this on:

Finally, we get to the recent adaptation: an amazon prime series simply titled Cruel Intentions. This time the setting is at a college in Washington D.C. with a little political intrigue thrown in. Personally, I really don't care for that. I think the appeal of the 1999 film was the spicy content, melodrama, and the sexual/romantic elements. I could care less about the going-ons in the white house. It mostly borrows elements from the 1999 film with a few references from the novel. When it comes to the characters, the names have changed but it's pretty clear who is who. Hell, they even bring back Sean Patrick Thomas who plays a character similar to Ronald.

This looks kind of bland to me. To be honest, when I first heard the news about this show, I rolled my eyes because there's so many of these reboots and remakes. It's exhausting. When I first seen trailer featuring the two leads, I was like yeah, no, this isn't working. I was particularly perplexed by the actor who played Sebastian (his name is Lucien in the series). Sure, they probably cast him because he shares the same boyish good looks and curly hair like Ryan Phillipe, but I just don't see the sex appeal of this guy. Not only does he have that stupid haircut, he also looks like somebody's annoying little brother. And here's where I get a little controversial...they should've cast somebody a bit older, at least around the 24/25 years range. It's a college setting after all.

The show only lasted one season so there's really no reason to watch it. 

I can't believe this small little 90s teen film became such a huge franchise. I mean I feel like the sequels and TV series were unnecessary but I can see why the first one became a highly remembered cult classic. It is a teen melodrama to a T and its not afraid to be edgy. Like I said, there wouldn't be a Gossip Girl, Elite, or even a Euphoria if it wasn't for this movie. Now Am I calling this a masterpiece? No but it sure as hell entertaining. It has a solid cast, an intriguing premise, and a kickass soundtrack. What's more to love?

My Last Word: A 90s Cult Classic worth watching.