IMDb > Chéri (2009)
Chéri
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Chéri (2009) -- A romantic drama set in 1920s Paris, where the son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.
Chéri (2009) -- Clip: Worth
Chéri (2009) -- Behind the scenes of Cheri
Chéri (2009) -- MattTrailer.com - Behind - Interview - Michelle Pfeiff...
Chéri (2009) -- A romantic drama set in 1920s Paris, where the son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love

Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   1,747 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Stephen Frears
Writers:
Christopher Hampton (written by)
Colette (novels)
Contact:
View company contact information for Chéri on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 April 2009 (Belgium) more
Genre:
Romance more
Tagline:
In a game of seduction, never fall in love.
Plot:
The son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love. | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(57 articles)
CHÉRI DVD Review
 (From Collider.com. 26 October 2009, 8:03 AM, PDT)

[DVD Review] Chéri
 (From JustPressPlay. 23 October 2009, 7:00 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Sanitized Colette more (25 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Michelle Pfeiffer ... Lea de Lonval
Frances Tomelty ... Rose
Tom Burke ... Vicomte Desmond

Rupert Friend ... Cheri
Hubert Tellegen ... Ernest
Joe Sheridan ... Marcel

Kathy Bates ... Madame Peloux

Toby Kebbell ... Patron
Felicity Jones ... Edmee

Iben Hjejle ... Marie Laure
Alain Churin ... Priest
Bette Bourne ... Baronne
Nichola McAuliffe ... Madame Aldonza
Andras Hamori ... Otto
Gaye Brown ... Lili
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Chéri - Eine Komödie der Eitelkeiten (Germany)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for some sexual content and brief drug use.
Runtime:
USA:86 min | Germany:100 min (Berlin International Film Festival) | USA:92 min
Country:
UK | France | Germany
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #45123) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | France:U | Finland:K-11 | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
When the project was in development during the 1990s, Jessica Lange planned to star as Léa de Lonval. more
Goofs:
Miscellaneous: In the closing credits, 'thanks' are given to France's national railway, the Societe National Chemin de Fer, known as the "SNCF". However the credits have the letters out of sequence, calling it the "SCNF". more
Quotes:
Madame Peloux: [to Lea] He pays no attention to me anymore, but I'm sure he'll listen to anything you have to say. more
Movie Connections:
Version of Cheri (2003) more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is "Chéri" based on a book?
more
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
Sanitized Colette, 25 October 2009
7/10
Author: gradyharp from United States

Stephen Frears has created some powerful and very well crafted movies: 'Dangerous Liaisons', 'My Beautiful Laundrette', 'The Grifters', 'The Queen', 'Prick up your Ears', 'Dirty Pretty Things', etc. One would expect that his experience in dealing with edgy issues would make him the perfect choice for adapting the famous French writer of 'naughty novels' - Colette - but somewhere in the flow of this production, perhaps in the Christopher Hampton's adaptation of the novel to screenplay, the original stories become perfumed and sanitized. And the reasons why this happened remain obscure.

The story is simple: courtesans in Paris must eventually retire form their lives of becoming wealthy through pleasing men of the higher class, and either they live out their lives in the luxuries of fluff or they must confront their aging and feel pangs of remorse as they end their lives alone, without a man to bolster them. Lea de Lonval (Michelle Pfeiffer) has been longtime 'friends' with Madame Peloux (Kathy Bates), even to the point of nurturing Madame's son Chéri (Rupert Friend) as he approaches manhood. Madame asks Lea to 'polish' Chéri for other women and after what might have been a brief fling in Normandy, the young Chéri and the aging Lea fall into a six year relationship. But as Madame realizes she needs grandchildren, she eventually finds a proper girl Edmee (Felicity Jones) for Chéri to marry. The remainder of the story is how these two age-disparate characters adapt to the 'social rules' of La Belle Epoque, suggesting that even under extraordinary circumstances the power of love is an issue that must be confronted.

Despite the performances by Pfeiffer and Friend (and even the miscast Bates) the story feels somehow sterile. Perhaps it is the out of place use of a male narrator who gives the film an unnecessary feeling of being a documentary, or the somewhat overused musical score of Alexandre Desplat, or the emphasis on costumes that hardly add to the beauty of Pfeiffer as Lea that keep the production grounded. It is a pleasant enough film, but hardly a memorable one. Grady Harp

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Chéri (2009)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Has anyone read the book? kingpinmultimedia
Just watched it!!!opinion!!! gikleo
naration needed or not? chrisreno181
Not my CHERI AT ALL! MelodyNelson
Possible oscar nominations chrisreno181
Hilarious Ending linkwaker007
more

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