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The new movie Venus tells the story of an odd and tender friendship
between an older man and a younger woman; the catch here is that the age
difference is a staggering fifty years, between19 year-old Jessie (Jodie
Whittaker) and 70-something Maurice (Peter O'Toole). Even though the overall conceit reeks of sitcom trappings, the film is
carefully balanced, keeping a solid emotional center.
A working London actor busy with plays and television, the "little bit
famous" Maurice loves to spend time with his old colleague Ian (Leslie
Phillips). Their dryly hilarious bickering sets the tone for the entire
film. Ian anticipates a visit from his grand-niece, and expects that she will
begin caring for his worldly needs, such as cooking and cleaning. Of
course, the girl that actually arrives is more of a modern teenager,
Jessie (Jodie Whittaker), with modern teenage ennui, cynicism and
selfishness.
While these qualities drive Ian into a fit of pique, they actually
intrigue the more playful Maurice. He slowly engages her in
conversation, and his way of bluntly telling the truth (there's no point
in lying at his age) does not repulse her. Their friendship/relationship grows in an organic way based on this
truth-telling and on the fact that sex isn't necessarily the goal. Part
of the film's success is based on Maurice's interaction with other
people, notably Ian, but also his ex-wife (Vanessa Redgrave), whom he
visits for an occasional home-cooked meal. He showers her with compliments and gives her money, and we wonder where
their marriage might have gone wrong. It's likely that Maurice has not
always been comfortable with the truth, even if he has always been
comfortable with women.
Director Michell has a touch for slow-building relationships, as proven
by Notting Hill (1999), still Julia Roberts' best romantic comedy and
possibly her best performance, and also Persuasion (1995), arguably
the strongest and most straightforward of the many Jane Austen
adaptations of the 1990s. His previous film, The Mother (2004), also dealt with a May-December
romance, but twisted the other way around. It followed a widowed
grandmother (Anne Rapp) who attracts the attention of a much younger man
(Daniel Craig), a married carpenter working on her son's house.
The talented Hanif Kureishi wrote both The Mother and Venus (as well
as My Beautiful Laundrette and My Son the Fanatic); he's an
intelligent writer with a taste for love affairs across huge cultural,
social and generational divides. Kureishi keeps small doses of all three elements going throughout
Venus, a sense of a life bordering on poverty, and a glimpse of a
London populated by more than just rich white people. By doing this, he
avoids that homogenized romantic comedy feel of Nancy Myers' The
Holiday and so many other recent films.
Regardless of everything else, however, the movie belongs to O'Toole,
and it's worth celebrating his return. For years, this dazzling,
energetic actor has been stuck in small roles or in unreleasable junk
(Supergirl, Club Paradise, King Ralph and The Seventh Coin, to
name just a few). This is his best performance since My Favorite Year
(1982), and he's unquestionably in top form. Michell and Kureishi show him with all his Lawrence of Arabia bravado
intact, especially in a few delightful scenes while watching him work,
but also with a new vulnerability, and an impressive bravery in showing
this new side.
In other words, he has the power to take this lecherous, sorry old fool
and make us feel his weight, but also make him the most charming, most
exciting fellow in town. Very few movie actors have ever wielded such
magnetism and talent, and yet, O'Toole has never won a competitive
acting Oscar. If he wins for Venus, it shouldn't be for sentimental
reasons; it should be because he's the best.
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Leslie Phillips, Jodie Whittaker, Vanessa Redgrave, Cathryn Bradshaw, Richard Griffiths, Bronson Webb Written by: Hanif Kureishi Directed by: Roger Michell MPAA Rating: R for language, some sexual content and brief nudity Running Time: 95 minutes Date: December 15, 2006
