when i was 16 cruel intentions Released in theaters in 1999. feel things. But really, I wanted nothing to do with that movie. I’m a movie buff at heart, so my movie preferences are more in line with insider, American Beautyor girl, disturbed. The bottom line is, I’m not a big fan of Ryan Phillippe (sorry, Ray), and watching bad rich kids do bad things to each other doesn’t interest me either. Been there, done that.
But, as we all know, the 90s were cool again. I mean, I don’t think they ever no Cool, but the feeling of nostalgia is so real right now—that cruel intentions The TV series just aired on Prime Video on November 21st.
So, as a dating and sex writer, I felt it was my duty to watch one of the most sexually explicit teen movies of its time. 25 years later, here are my thoughts after finally watching the movie (that scene between Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair had every girl my age giggling and gushing endless).
cruel intentions reexamine
For those who need a refresher, cruel intentions loosely adapted from the novel Dangerous Liaisons Author: Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Sebastian (Philippe) and Catherine (Sarah Michelle Gellar) are a pair of evil step-siblings, and when Annette (Reese Witherspoon)… While writing an article, they make a bet to conquer Annette (Reese Witherspoon). seventeen magazine About how she plans to stay pure until she marries her boyfriend.
Sebastian makes a bet that he will seduce Annette into his bed, while Catherine makes a bet against it that if she wins, Sebastian will have to sleep with her. However, Sebastian finds himself falling in love with Annette and gets more than he bargained for.
Twisted, right?
First impression: scary person
These people are terrible. Am I the only one who doesn’t support the bad guys? If you are a terrible person, I hope you lose. I don’t care how good-looking you are. We know right away that Sebastian is bad – he leaked nude photos of poor Tara Reed. He also reeks of $$holes.
Catherine isn’t much better (although SMG as a brunette is “Chef’s Kiss”) as she attempts to corrupt Blair’s character Cecil. Also, since Blair looks forever 25, it’s very disturbing to see her wearing a tight koala t-shirt and acting like she’s 13 (which I guess is the age she’s supposed to be playing).
Regardless, this bet is a real mess. Why would they want to do these things other than they are selfish, controlling jerks with too much free time? Ah, I thought, the beauty of teenagehood.
Reese and Ryan’s chemistry
Reese and Ryan were a celebrity couple in the ’90s, and I think their real-life off-screen romance was part of the reason for the huge hype for this movie. While their characters are insufferable – even Reese’s Annette is annoyingly “too perfect” – these two crazy kids have some crazy chemistry. Apparently, when they were filming the breakup scene, Phillip vomited while filming the scene. Wow.
all about sex
This movie is just about sex, and maybe I could live with it if the characters weren’t so one-dimensional and mean. Or if the gender in question is portrayed through a more inclusive, sex-positive lens. Instead, it all seems…exploitative.
It’s crude dialogue (did blond Joshua Jackson really say “this man has a mouth like a Hoover”?) and Sebastian getting Cecil drunk and getting her into a sexual act . It sells the infamous kiss between Blair and Gellar for the sake of people’s entertainment. Tongue! Drool! Ultimately, the entire main plot of the film revolves around Sebastian’s plan to devirginize Annette. This all looks more like ah.
sexist factors
Speaking of sex (because that’s what the entire movie is about), there’s a huge element of sexism that needs to be recognized. Catherine and Sebastian both enjoy having sex. It’s actually refreshing to see a female character like Catherine express her sexuality so explicitly and feel confident in her own sexual prowess.
So it’s disappointing to see her character constantly villainized while Sebastian, the sexual predator, gets character redemption and dies a hero. Because Sebastian not only had sex with Annette, he Make love to her. he fall in love with her (Or so we’re made to believe, because honestly I don’t think these two had enough screen time for me to believe they did, instead relying heavily on Reese and Ryan’s chemistry). That’s why it’s acceptable for them to have sex. Also, we should love it when Catherine finally gets her comeuppance. Because she’s a slut!
Anyway.
The movie really reinforces the virgin-whore complex, where women are “good” when they are “pure” and “bad” when they are sexually liberated, and this narrative could be stuck in the 90s.
