Cruel Intentions (1999)

Two vicious step-siblings of an elite Manhattan prep school make a wager: to deflower the new headmaster's daughter before the start of term.

Director:

Roger Kumble

Writers:

Choderlos de Laclos (novel), Roger Kumble (screenplay)

Stars:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon

7 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 (as Alaina Reed Hall)
Deborah Offner	...	Mrs. Michalak
Tara Reid	...	Marci Greenbaum
Herta Ware	...	Mrs. Sugarman
Hiep Thi Le	...	Mai-Lee

Storyline

Kathryn Merteuil and Sebastian Valmont are seductive, manipulative step-siblings who get what they want when they want it. Kathryn makes a bet with Sebastian: Sebastian must bed Annette, daughter of the headmaster at their school, before the end of summer break. Annette has stated that she would wait until love and marriage to sleep with a man. If Kathryn wins, she gets Sebastian's vintage 1959 Jaguar Roadster. If Sebastian wins, he gets Kathryn, the only girl he knows he'll never have. Also in play is Cecile, a naïve girl whose mother had enlisted Kathryn to help her fit in at her new school. However, Kathryn (with Sebastian's help) plans to ruin Cecile's reputation as revenge on Kat's ex-boyfriend, who left her for Cecile.

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Plot Keywords:

seduction | virgin | female female kiss | seductive woman | casual sex | 

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Taglines:

What you can't have, you can't resist.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Vietnamese French

Release Date:

5 March 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cruel Inventions

Filming Locations:

225 Central Park West, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,020,565, 7 March 1999, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$38,328,567

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$75,902,208

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Cruel Productions LLC, Newmarket Capital Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An avid collector of antique books, Sarah Michelle Gellar owns an early edition of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses".

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Goofs

When Sebastian drives home after going to lunch with Clorissa, he makes a U-turn which forces the taxis behind to stop. However, they start honking when his car goes right - this was obviously planned because there was no reason to assume he would U-turn.

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Quotes

Kathryn: Everybody loves me, and I intend to keep it that way.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD contains some deleted scenes:

• The first is an extended version of the scene where Sebastian blackmails Greg.
• The second scene is the original version of the scene where Sebastian calls Annette, while he is talking to her. He pauses and talks to two "cheerleaders" who lie on an nearby bed. After Sebastian finished the call , he joins the two cheerleaders. In the theatrical version the two cheerleaders can only be partially seen in a mirror besides Sebastian while he talks with Annette.
• A scene which shows how Cecile seduces Sebastian. She lies in the bathtub and askes him to join her. At first he refuses, but then joins her.
• The original version of the scene where Sebastian tells Kathryn that he has left Annette. After her triumph drink, he demands that she joins him in Bed, she refuses so he hits her. Later they declare war on each other.
• A scene where Annette is jogging in the Woods. Sebastians joins her with a small golf car and asks if he can give her a lift. She refuses and demands that he stays away.
• The last scene is an extended version of the manipulation of Ronald. He tells Kathryn he likes her very much but only as a friend. When Ronald has joined her she tells him that Sebastian thinks he is a stupid n***er. She also tells him that Sebastian has slept with Cecile.

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Connections

Version of Dangerous Liaisons (2005)

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Soundtracks

6 Underground
(uncredited)
by Liam Howe (as Liam Coverdale-Howe), Chris Corner and Ian Pickering
Performed by Sneaker Pimps
Courtesy of Clean Up Records/Virgin Records Ltd.

User Reviews

Sexy

This movie gives a sexy, sensual twist to the stereotypical "teen flick." It communicates a new idea of sexuality amongst present-day teenagers, rather than the "bang her and leave her" mentality that is most commonly portrayed. I think the cast was very well chosen, and the dynamics of the cast were amazing. There weren't too many "no names" or "B list" actors, but on the other hand there weren't too many "A listers," which would have thrown the focus off the plot. The music used in the movie was perfect because it accentuated the tone of the movie.

I give "Cruel intentions" a "10" because it is a saucy love story without all the corniness of normal movies.