Venus (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, Jodie Whittaker, Leslie Phillips

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 20 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

sex in bed | black panties | public nudity | cleavage | female removes her clothes | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beнера

Filming Locations:

Trafalgar Square, St James's, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£317,426 (United Kingdom), 28 January 2007, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$48,871, 24 December 2006

Gross USA:

$3,343,528, 6 April 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax,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

The painting Maurice and Jessie discuss at the art gallery is Diego Velazquez's - the Toilet of Venus, aka, the Rokeby Venus, aka, la Venus del Espejo.

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Goofs

In the newspaper fight scene in the restaurant, the waitress is seen about a foot behind Maurice as he is initially attacked. From the opposite camera angle, the waitress alternates between being missing or about ten feet away.

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Quotes

Donald: [Maurice and Ian are hitting at each other during a fight] What is this, catheters at dawn?

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Connections

Features Hollyoaks (1995)

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Soundtracks

Véritable Prélude Flasques (pour un chien)
Composed by Erik Satie
Performed by Dave Hartley

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.