Venus (I) (2006)

Life for a pair of veteran actors gets turned upside down after they meet a brash teenager.

Director:

Roger Michell

Writer:

Hanif Kureishi

Stars:

Peter O'Toole, Leslie Phillips, Beatrice Savoretti

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter O'Toole	...	Maurice
Leslie Phillips	...	Ian
Beatrice Savoretti	...	Waitress
Philip Fox	...	Doctor
Lolita Chakrabarti	...	Health Centre Nurse
Carolina Giammetta	...	Health Centre Nurse
Jodie Whittaker	...	Jessie
Kellie Shirley	...	Royal Court Actress
Ashley Madekwe	...	Royal Court Actress
Ony Uhiara	...	Royal Court Actress
Cathryn Bradshaw	...	Jillian
Joanna Croll	...	Hospital Drama Family
Liam McKenna	...	Hospital Drama Family
Meg Wynn Owen	...	Hospital Drama Family (as Meg Wynn-Owen)
Sam Spruell	...	Hospital Director

Storyline

Maurice Russell, once a great actor, is now living in London in the twilight of his life. Those of his generation remember him fondly, while those in the younger generations have no idea who he is. He spends most of his time hanging out with his friends Ian, also an actor, and Donald, or visiting with his wife Valerie for who he has great affection but with who he no longer lives. His acting career is virtually over, he only taking roles on the odd occasion when he needs the money. Ian has decided to invite his young great-niece Jessie from the provinces to come and stay with him, basically to act as his caregiver in case he falls ill, but also to be his companion. He envisions listening to Bach with her and her cooking him food to which he is accustomed. Jessie's stay is nothing as he envisions. She doesn't know how to cook, she drinks all his alcohol, and she has unrealistic visions of what she will accomplish in her life. Maurice, however, sees in Jessie, a person who can help him ...

---

Plot Keywords:

actor | friend | love | friendship | painting | 

---

Taglines:

The most acclaimed actor of his generation in the role of a lifetime

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 January 2007 (UK)

Also Known As:

Vénus

Filming Locations:

Henley Business School, Greenlands, Henley-on-Thames, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£317,426 (UK) (26 January 2007)

Gross:

$3,343,528 (USA) (6 April 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, FilmFour, UK Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Corin Redgrave was booked to appear but because of well known health problems he was recast.

---

Goofs

Unsynchronised, bad edit at roughly 51 minutes, 10 seconds. The voice of Jessie can be heard saying "No Maurice I'm not going out" but her lips aren't moving, in fact she's just started to sip from her glass.

---

Quotes

Ian: Her idea of cooking is to stick a plate of virtual sick in the microwave!

---

Connections

Featured in 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2007)

---

Soundtracks

"Slavonic Dances Op. 72, No. 2 in E minor: Dumka (Allegretto grazioso)"
Composed by Antonín Dvorák (as Antonin Dvorák)
Performed by Berliner Philharmoniker / Lorin Maazel
Licensed courtesy of EMI Records Ltd.
Lines quoted from the song "I Should Be So Lucky"
Written by Mike Stock (as Stock) / Matt Aitken (as Aitken) / Pete Waterman (as Waterman)
Published by Mike Stock Publishing Ltd. / Sony/ATV Music Publishing Ltd. / Universal Music Publishing Ltd. / All Boys Music Ltd. / BMG Music Publishing Ltd.

User Reviews

Not What You'd Expect

I, like most people, thought twice about spending a good few hours of my life watching an old man fall in love with a teenager, but my respect for O'Toole and a free ticket voucher at the Denver Film Festival were more than enough to motivate me to see the film. Had I not gone, I would have made a serious mistake. O'Toole's performance is as good as anything he's done, and the whispers about Oscars might just have something behind them. Somehow, Roger Michell directed this film so beautifully that nothing that occurred between Maurie and Jessie seemed morally ambiguous whatsoever. Maybe it was the pairing of scenes with poppy Corinne Bailey Rae music that made it seem so natural, but I strongly suspect otherwise. O'Toole, paired with a beautiful performance by virtual unknown Jodie Whittaker, takes us into a world that disregards social boundaries and replaces them with raw human emotion and understanding. Though O'Toole's performance captivates the Oscar attention of anyone who sees the film, the supporting role played by Leslie Phillips was essential to the film's success. The relationship between Phillips and O'Toole's character had the entire theater laughing just seconds into the film. Overall, a cast of entirely endearing characters and knockout performances by O'Toole, Phillips, and Whittaker make Venus one of the best films I've seen in 2006.