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:

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

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Neal H. Moritz, who had worked on I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), help cast the film. His first choices were Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar, who also starred in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997).

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Goofs

When Bunny is arguing with Ronald, she remarks, "My husband and I gave money to Colin Powell!" Colin Powell has never run for public office to accept contributions for.

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Quotes

Sebastian: [voice-over] Dear Annette, I don't know what I could possibly say that would rectify the harm I've caused you. The truth of the matter is that being with you was the only time I have ever been happy. My whole life has been a joke. I prided myself on taking joy in others' misery. Well, it finally backfired. I succeed in hurting the first person I ever loved. Enclosed is my most prized possession. My journal. For a long time I considered it my trophy. A sordid collection of my conquests. If you ...

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Alternate Versions

In the basic cable version, the scence where Kathrine is telling Bunny about the letters Cecil has recieved from Ronald, the sales woman ask Kathrine if she'll be taking the dress she was looking at when Ms. Caldwell first come into the store, Kathrine says yes, then pulls out her wallet and tells the sales lady that she has forgotten her credit card, Bunny hands the sales lady her card and tells Kathrine it's the least she could do for telling her about Cecil and Ronald. The scene where Kathrine and Sebastian pull Ronald in to talk to them she's wearing the dress.

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Connections

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Teen Movies of the 1990s (2018)

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Soundtracks

This Love
Written by Craig Armstrong and Jerry Burns
Performed by Craig Armstrong
Featuring Elizabeth Fraser
Courtesy of Astralwerks/Virgin Records Limited/Melankolic
Elizabeth Fraser appears courtesy of Capitol Records
Published by EMI Virgin Music. Inc. & Monument Music Ltd./Careers-BMG Music Publishing Inc.

User Reviews

Not as mature as "Dangerous Liaisons", but that's sorta its charm

I find it incredibly peculiar how the same novel (Choderlos de Laclos' "Les liaisons dangereuses", but that won't be on the test) can spawn two separate interpretations that are absolutely nothing alike. "Dangerous Liaisons" was a very stylish, classy, hyper-professional and (maybe as a result) also somewhat slow costume drama, while "Cruel Intentions" shamelessly takes the sleazy road and ends up being really entertaining. It's primarily aimed at teens and piles up Hollywood clichés like it's a contest or something, but despite those hurdles it manages to strike exactly the right dark tone. Sarah Michelle Gellar is really good in the Glenn Close role, technically she only gives her villain one dimension but it's a dimension you love to hate. She has acid running through her veins, in fact the whole movie seems a lot more harsh and direct than "Dangerous Liaisons" was. Do I actually prefer this high schooler remake over the original "Dangerous Liaisons"? Well, secretly yes, but to avoid being burned on a pyre I'll just say they're both excellent movies in their own right. "Cruel Intentions" is just a great watch though.

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

Gross USA:

$38,773,785

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$76,347,426

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Cruel Productions LLC, Newmarket Capital Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS (Digital DTS Sound)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1