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CS
Weekly Archive > DVD
of the Day > 06/01/07
An Unlikely Look at Love
by jason davis
Venus
Hanif Kurieshi
 
 
Writer Hanif Kurieshi's sympathetic story of an elderly actor's who attempt to seduce a twentysomething woman is a striking exploration of how people set out on a selfish goal only to find that they've unintentionally enriched someone else's life in the process. Septuagenarian Maurice (Peter O'Toole) is entranced by Jessie (Jodie Whittaker), the grandniece of his fellow geriatric thespian Ian (Leslie Phillips). Maurice sees Jesse, crass and uncultured though she may be, as one last theoretical opportunity to prove his manhood (since prostate cancer has robbed him of the possibility of a physical conquest). Jesse views Maurice as a means to any number of entertaining and lucrative ends. As the endearing script unfolds, the two find that they give as much as they take in the process of their atypical relationship. Not content to rest on the excellence of the overall narrative, Kurieshi flaunts his economic scripting skill by elegantly rendering Maurice's ex-wife Valerie (Vanessa Redgrave) in a trio of short scenes that paint the totality of the two's relationship, its destruction, and their residual friendship. O'Toole joins director Roger Mitchell (Notting Hill) for a thoughtful commentary, while a selection of deleted scenes offer more glimpses of the well-wrought characters.
Venus
Miramax Home Entertainment
Rated R; 94 min.
$29.99
Buy it now
Jason Davis is the DVD Manager for CS Weekly , a contributing editor for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, and has written for Cinescape.com, MSN.com, and created the TV series Studio 13, which ran on Lorne Michaels' Burly TV network. He lives in the small space left over by his ever-expanding library of books, movies, and music.
Venus courtesy Miramax Home Entertainment
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