Cruel Intentions (1999)

Director:

Roger Kumble

Writers (WGA):

Choderlos de Laclos (novel)
Roger Kumble (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

In the game of seduction, There is only one rule: Never fall in love

Plot:

Kathryn makes a bet that her step-brother, Sebastian, won't be able to bed Annette (a virgin, who wants to wait until love). If he loses, Kathryn gets his Jaguar, if he wins, he gets Kathryn.

Plot Keywords:

Virgin | Bet | Love | Jaguar | Revenge

Awards:

6 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Kathryn Merteuil
Ryan Phillippe	...	Sebastian Valmont
Reese Witherspoon	...	Annette Hargrove
Selma Blair	...	Cecile Caldwell
Louise Fletcher	...	Helen Rosemond
Joshua Jackson	...	Blaine Tuttle
Eric Mabius	...	Greg McConnell
Sean Patrick Thomas	...	Ronald Clifford
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Dr. Greenbaum
Christine Baranski	...	Bunny Caldwell
Alaina Reed Hall	...	Nurse
Deborah Offner	...	Mrs. Michalak
Tara Reid	...	Marci Greenbaum
Herta Ware	...	Mrs. Sugarman
Hiep Thi Le	...	Mai-Lee

Also Known As:

Cruel Inventions (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual dialogue and sexual situations involving teens, language and drug use.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Vietnamese | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #36155) | Iceland:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Malaysia:18SX | Germany:12 (cut TV version) | Singapore:R(A) (cut) | Philippines:PG-13 | Ireland:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Brazil:18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The Valmount townhouse interiors were built and shot on sound stages in Los Angeles while the exterior scenes were filmed in New York City.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Annette and Sebastian are in the pool talking, a blocking cross is visible at the bottom of the pool, which both stand on at some point in the scene.

Quotes:

Sebastian: I'm sick of sleeping with these insipid Manhattan debutantes. Nothing shocks them anymore.

Movie Connections:

Edited into "Frontline: The Merchants of Cool (#19.5)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Bittersweet Symphony

Scandalously Ruthless

I'm writing on this movie because there is probably no bigger afficionado on this subject than myself. I've seen this movie thousands of times and must say that it is exquisite. The portrayal of Valmont by Ryan Phillippe is magnificent, and its intriguing to know that the object of his affection, Annette (Reese Witherspoon), is his real life wife. Sarah Michelle Gellar does easily the best acting of her career, not that that says too much. The story is one that has been done many times over (Dangerous Liaisons, Valmont), however, this was an excellent adaptation to this age group and these current times. The fact that the 20 somethings are portraying 17 year old kids is unnoticeable because of the great acting and the portrayal of the story. Phillippe is easily the highlight of the film with his slick portrayal of Valmont. His disregard for others feelings and emotions is ruthless. The piece is without comparison of the trend of terrible teen movies made in the late 90's-early 00-01. This is the only one that takes a serious storyline and portrays it with enough maturity to appeal not only to teens but older audiences as well. The one problem I do have with the movie is the way that Sebastian turns from so evil and wicked to this love sick kid at the end of the film. When you see the deleted scenes on the DVD, you see the original cut of the climatic scene between Valmont and Merteuil. In this scene rather than walk out in near tears, Valmont slaps Kathryn and demands her end of the bet, before he is finally denied and then leaves. This would be a much better scene than the one used. It goes along with the entire idea of the character and when he turns to a sap you feel like Sebastian is turning to a sappy wimp. The film is still an excellent piece and should be regarded as an admirable adaptation of the novel "Les Liasons Dangereuse".