Review of Cruel Intentions (1999) by Carouse97 — 14 May 2021

Breaks the barrier of the conventional teenage genre.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) stars as Kathryn, a manipulative woman who places a bet with her step brother Sebastian that he can't get the principal's stepdaughter Annette into bed.

Based on Choderlos de Laclos' novel, Cruel Intentions brings a dark and sexy tale of lies, manipulation and romance to our screens in a dramatic and diverse way, with superb acting and excellent direction and acting.

The lead three actors, Gellar, Phillippe (Flags of our fathers) and Witherspoon (Walk the line) are all tremendous in their respective roles and do the plot justice by giving sexy and sophisticated performances in one of the sexiest dramas of the 90's.

The plot is very character driven, which was helped along by these great performances. Focusing strongly upon ideologies of love, sex and trust, Cruel Intentions breaks the barrier of conventional teenage films by being serious with strong issues rather than slapstick with no point.

Very consistent and sophisticated is the narrative, and these issues give a little side story and advice to teenager viewers about the do's and don'ts in relationships. This film has convinced me to give the novel a try.

Ryan Phillippe is the star of the show with a very dramatic and calm performance as the lover boy, very sarcastic and smart in his approach to dealing with the opposite sex.

Gellar's performance is remarkable, an intelligent portrayal of Kathryn.

The whole concept of sex is staring at you in the face for the majority of the film, with controversy also showing, making the film a thought provoking film that is an essential watch, and one of the finest acted teenage films of recent years.